2016-08-19

The City of Temecula will host a Career Technical Education (CTE) Showcase on Saturday, August 27, 2016 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm in the City Hall Conference Center.  The event, presented in partnership with Mt. San Jacinto College, California State University San Marcos, and Temecula Valley Unified School District, will highlight approximately 20 booths providing information on CTE programs and financial aid for high school and college students as well as adults in career transition.  Additionally, speakers will address the unique needs of individuals at all three levels in their educational career:

10:00 am   CTE Options for College Students, presented by MSJC’s Susanne Mata, Director of CTE Projects and Dr. Rudy Besikof, Vice of President of Instruction; and Donna San Miguel, Director of Student Services at CSUSM

11:00 am   CTE Options for Adults in Career Transition, presented by Greg Griffes, Senior Manager and Recruiter for Boeing and Director of Murrieta Innovation Center

12:00 pm   TVUSD Champions CTE for High School Students, presented by TVUSD’s Chris Dixon, Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, and Valerie Backus, CTE Liaison.

CTE has been called “learning that works for America,” and that’s exactly what City Council Member Michael McCracken, serving on the Higher Education Subcommittee, had in mind when he first proposed the event.  “As an educator and Navy veteran myself, this topic is near and dear to my heart. We need to think outside the box to develop strategies to get our young people the skills they need in order to succeed, and also help those adults who need to get back in the workforce.”

TVUSD’s CTE Liaison Valerie Backus calls CTE “Education that looks beyond college,” explaining “As educators, we focus on preparing students for college, but we also need to focus beyond college to the career goals of each student, and help them prepare for that goal. CTE helps students become self-sufficient, independent, contributing members of society.”  Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce concurs in Harvard’s Pathways to Prosperity Report, noting, “Experts predict…about one-third [of new job openings] will require an associate’s degree or certificate, and nearly all will require real-world skills that can be mastered through CTE.”

CTE focuses on 79 ‘Career Pathways’ in high-demand fields such as healthcare, technology, entertainment, hospitality, and education. The U.S. Department of Education states that “70% of students concentrating in CTE areas stayed in postsecondary education or transferred to a 4-year degree program (compared to an overall target of 58%).” James Kulik of the University of Michigan notes that “High risk students are 8 to 10 times less likely to drop out in 11th or 12th grades if enrolled in a CTE program compared to general education.”  Given the positive effect of CTE on students’ post-secondary performance, the Showcase will be an excellent complement to the City’s flagship education event, the Annual College Fair, to be held this year at the Promenade Mall on Saturday, September 24 from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm.

Please contact Charles Walker at Charles.Walker@cityoftemecula.org or 951-694-6468 for more information on the Career Technical Education Showcase.

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