PSD excels in career training

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

Editor's note: In the September issue, the Fossil Creek Current looked at the national status of career education. This month's article focuses on career/technical offerings in Poudre School District.

Confucius said: "I hear, I forget. I see, I remember. I do, I understand."

Students in the career/technical education programs at Poudre School District understand the sage's words. Increasingly, others are also acknowledging that some students learn better by doing, that youth can begin career training in high school, and that pursuing a career/technical education path can lead to rewarding, high-paying jobs. As a result, more CTE options are opening up at the high school level.

PSD's new superintendent, Jerry Wilson, is one who sees the value of CTE. "Career and technical education is a valuable component of a student's education," he said, "because it establishes a pathway for continuing education and life-long learning."

Wilson said that students can enhance their motivation to learn through the practical skills they learn in CTE classes, and that can help with overall academic achievement. Young people can also learn entry-level skills for the workplace.

Professionals in the CTE field emphasize that these classes are appropriate both for those heading to a four-year college and others who want to pursue two-year training or enter the workforce after high school. For those planning to go to a traditional college, practical skills can help them be successful in fields such as engineering or architecture.

Pathways stressed

The word "pathway" is an important part of PSD's approach to career/technical education. Amy Smith, who was the career education coordinator at PSD until taking a principal's post recently, said there are numerous pathways available to high school students. Each is a series of classes designed to prepare students for careers in a specific field.

The business pathway, for instance, includes classes in accounting, marketing and management. Along the family and consumer science path, young people study interior design, fashion design and food preparation. The technical education pathway, formerly called industrial arts, includes pre-engineering classes, manufacturing technology, electronics and construction.

These courses are funded by federal career education money, Smith noted, that was recently threatened with cuts. Fortunately, she said, the cuts did not occur.

Career/technical opportunities in PSD have been bolstered by two important factors: passage of the 2000 bond issue and the presence of Front Range Community College in Fort Collins.

The bond issue, Smith said, provided for career/technical upgrades at all PSD high schools, including Centennial. New equipment that would be used on the job, such as three-dimensional computer-assisted drawing software (CAD) and high-tech lathes and mills for wood and metal, has been purchased for some schools. New stoves and other kitchen equipment are in the consumer science labs, and the business pathway has been enhanced with web-site design, accounting and marketing software.

In addition, the high school program at FRCC is hugely popular, Smith said. PSD pays for students to attend any of the 12 programs there. Enrollment is limited to 410 students, and there is always a waiting list. Students have to apply to take these courses, Smith said, adding "that's where teachers and counselors come into play." These professionals can help students find their interests and choose courses that will fit their career paths.

Career planning and exploration is also a focus in the district, Smith noted. All sophomores must take the critical skills class, in which students examine their own interests and abilities as well as careers and the training needed for them. The goal, Smith said, is to help students match their classes with their long-term goals.

The work component of PSD's career/technical education is the PaCE program, or Professional and Community Experience. This program links students with jobs in the community that match their interests and career goals. About 300 high school students participate.

Academics crucial

Gordon Smith, who teaches industrial arts at Poudre High School, stressed that a combination of academic and hands-on skills is vital if a person is to get a good job in a technical field. "If you want the highest-paid job," he said, "it requires good computer skills - such as CAD - and good hands-on skills." Good reading skills are also a must, he stated.

On the flip side, if a person wants to be an architect or engineer, he or she must understand construction from a hands-on perspective. "To design on a computer, you have to know how to do the actual work in metal or wood," Smith said.

For many students, Smith said, career/technical classes help them find a focus, find their talents and develop them. In his classes, students learn the basics by doing tasks manually. Then they move on to the fundamentals of modern manufacturing, using computers for design and fabrication.

In addition to teaching tangible skills, career/technical courses keep some students interested in school, Amy Smith said. As a result, they can keep kids from dropping out. At present, she noted, junior high is the "weak link in career education." She said the district is exploring ways to expose more youth to career exploration courses at that level.

FRCC popular

At Front Range Community College, high school students descend upon the campus for about three hours every day. The 12 high school programs include animal technology and research, architecture and landscape design, automotive technology and service, carpentry/home framing, culinary arts, equine science and husbandry, industrial and design technology, ironworking and industrial welding, med-prep including a certified nurse aide option, med-prep with an emphasis on career exploration and research, plant and greenhouse science, and wildlife, forestry and natural resources.

About 60 percent of youth in the high school programs go on to further education of some sort, said Mary Kay Morrison, instructional coordinator at FRCC. Also, about one-third are employed in a job related to their CTE training within one year of graduating.

Front Range has heard from employers--loud and clear-that "soft skills" such as attitude, reliability, punctuality and teamwork are just as important in the workplace as hard skills. As a result, each high school program at FRCC includes a work ethic class.

Career/technical education still has a lot of bias to fight, noted Morrison, since there's a heavy emphasis on the college prep track. "We're fighting the old stereotype of vocational education," she said, that carries the notion of only nonachieving students taking technical courses.

Gary Cagle, director of FRCC's high school program, said students in the program are impossible to categorize. "We have a huge array of students, from those who are extremely motivated to others who have struggled their whole lives in a traditional educational setting," he said. "Here, they find success."

"Even if you try to force all kids into the college prep track," Morrison noted, "it's not going to happen." She cited these Colorado statistics: Of every 100 high school graduates in the state, 64 will go to college. However, only 24 percent of those, or 16 students, will graduate.

"The workforce is comprised of people from all backgrounds, walks of life and skills," Morrison said. "There are seven different kinds of intelligence, and this is a good place for kids who learn by doing."

Steve Aronson, a FRCC instructor who teaches carpentry and home framing to high school students, concurs. "I hated school, and I loved woodshop," he said. "Learning out of the book was difficult for me, and I started understanding math when I started building." He ended up getting a college degree.

Morrison comes from a strong academic background herself, but she said that's not always where the good jobs are. "Some kids get out of these programs and drive a better car than I'm driving, because they have unbelievable skills," she said.

Furthermore, Morrison said, attending CTE classes at Front Range during high school can give young people a jump-start toward a degree. High school classes at FRCC transfer there as college credit. "This is not the end of the road, this is just the beginning," she said.

Morrison encourages parents to visit Front Range, and anyone interested may call her at 204-8309. "We would like the counselors and parents to catch the vision," she said. "There are so many different pathways for kids to choose to be successful."