Yesterday, the White House hosted an event celebrating innovations in career and technical education. ACTE worked with Administration officials from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE), career and technical student organizations, and the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) to plan the event, with the goal of recognizing CTE students and educators who are leading through innovation in their classrooms.
The event offered speeches from White House Domestic Policy Advisor Cecilia Muñoz and Department of Education official John King, both of whom emphasized the importance of CTE. CTE students Anna and Anne Raheem, both of whom were recognized for their achievements at the event, also spoke about their experiences introducing robotics and other CTE classes to their high school.
First Lady Michelle Obama delivered a keynote address to the group, which touched on many of CTE’s benefits, from its ability to help students find their passion to its potential to help employers find skilled workers. Furthermore, she spoke on the opportunities CTE offers to those who need more than a high school diploma but less than a four year degree to succeed in their careers. Following that, the invited students and educators had the chance to display their projects to attendees. Students showcased their expertise in forensic science, engineering, and medical technology. The event concluded with a panel on the challenges and opportunities related to scaling innovative CTE programs across school systems and states.
The event was a demonstration of policymakers’ growing awareness of the importance of CTE, and allowed attendees the chance to see firsthand the work that innovative students and educators are doing nationwide. We hope to continue to work with the Administration and our partners to highlight the vitality and importance of CTE programs, and we thank our members for their work to encourage innovation in CTE in their schools and communities.
For full photos and coverage of the event as it happened, visit ACTE’s twitter page at https://twitter.com/actecareertech.
Comments