Sandhills_Sentinel

At Thursday’s meeting of “Key Communicators” for the Moore County School Board, Amanda Dixon, Director of CTE and Federal Grants for Moore County Schools, gave a presentation on the CTE program.

CTE stands for Career and Technical Education and has provided credentials to over 5,000 students since 2016.

“The mission of NC secondary Career and Technical Education is to empower all students to be successful citizens, workers, and leaders in a global economy,” according to the North Carolina Department of Education’s website.

Moore County accomplishes this in several ways. Currently, there are 144 students enrolled in “Work Keys.” Work Keys are tools major corporations like Campbell Soup and Kelly Springfield use in recruiting. It can improve a students entry point both in job placement and salary.

To date, Moore County offers 119 courses with 13 career pathways. It is possible for a student to graduate as a CNA (Certified Nursing Aide) or Veterinary Tech with the licensing and onsite work completed. And there is no cost to the student other than a minimal materials’ fee.

Some of the programs are very advanced including a “First in Flight Drone Academy” that was the first statewide drone program and is the model for 14 districts starting their own Drone Academies this year.

Also, a partnership with Sandhills Community College allows students to transfer with 32-34 college credit hours completed. Additionally, the curriculum is being expanded to include cutting edge training in areas like Cyber Security, Computer Engineering, Creative Design, Network Administration and more.

Some additional opportunities include Fun Fest on April 26 which has over 500 students registered, as well as an upcoming job fair which has over 100 vendors. This gives students a chance to practice real-world job interviewing skills such as resume preparation, company research and interviewing skills.

Currently, the program has a 100 percent graduation rate with 94 percent of the students who participated in CTE either employed, in post-secondary education or serving in the military. 

~Written by Sandhills Sentinel Local News/Government Reporter Chris Prentice.           

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