The doors that career and technical education courses can open for students were highlighted during CTE night.
“CTE is the gateway to career and college,” East St. John High School master teacher Billie Duncan said. “CTE prepares students for adult success and future education and training. CTE programs build strong communities of engaged, employed young people.”
The CTE teachers at East St. John High can attest to that, counting nurses, certified nursing assistants and certified public accounts among their former students.
“There are not many schools in the state that still have an accounting program,” business teacher Jennifer Chauvin said. “I have two students who were studying to be CPAs and because of the basics they learned in my class they ended up tutoring other students. They had a jump start on everybody else who was starting from scratch.”
The accounting software Quickbooks is one of 11 certifications business students can earn. They can also become certified in MicroSoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Premiere, MicroEnterprise (Regional and State) and Customer Service.
Students can also become a certified nursing assistant or emergency medical responder, leading to careers right out of high school or jobs while they work their way through college. Other certifications include:
- Carpentry: NCCER Core, Carpentry L1, Carpentry L2, OSHA 10
- Welding: NCCER Core, Welding L1, Welding L2, OSHA 10
- Pre-Engineering: Inventor
- Drafting: AutoCAD, OSHA 10
- Culinary: ServSafe, Certified Restaurant Server, Food Handler
New classes and certifications added this year are:
- Virtual Workplace Experience: Customer Service
- Operation Spark: JavaScript
- Automotive Tech: PS/2
Certifications students earn are recognized in the professional world and Chef Lydia White said many students don’t realize the potential these courses and certifications can have on their future.
“Students look at culinary as just cooking but, no, it could be running a business or becoming a food blogger or writer,” she said.
Students or parents interested in learning more about career and technical opportunities can contact Mrs. Duncan at ESJH.