Just ahead of President Obama's commencement address this week to graduating students from Worchester Technical High School in Worchester, Massachusetts, the Boston Globe reported that the percentage of Massachusetts secondary school CTE students seeking four-year degrees after graduation has markedly increased in the last five years. The story highlights the successes of several Massachusetts institutions, including North Shore Technical High School and Keefe Tech, which have boasted significant increases in the number of students that are bound for four-year degrees after receiving their diploma.
The story is a great example of CTE students pursuing educational opportunities that prepare them academically for success while gaining technical and employability skills that they will need in their careers. One student featured in the story, Siobhon Cox, will be graduating this year from Keefe Tech with a major in graphic communications and will pursue an English degree at a four-year university in the fall.
"I have an education that has prepared me for college and I have a dual education that has prepared me for the workforce that others may not have had," Cox said. "I went [to Keefe Tech] knowing that, like any high school, I had to work hard to get where I need to be."
CTE students are fortunate to have a unique position upon graduating from high school, because they have gained the skills that employers need and connected with career exploration opportunities that help them to plan for their future, whether that leads them directly into a career or continued education at a two- or four-year institution. ACTE has reported previously on the achievement and leadership demonstrated by CTE students in Massachusetts and nationwide, including reduced dropout rates, exemplary extracurricular engagement and high post-graduation earning potential.
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