Helping Local Students find their Careers

By: Corbin Lingenfelter, News Director

Local Sources- In the United States, a majority of high school graduates do not know what they want their careers to be. One statewide organization wants to help with that.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) is a statewide program that allows students to receive training, certification, and for some, college credit while their still in high school. Locally, the number of students who attend one of these programs is in the thousands.

Across the southwestern portion of the state, the Patoka Valley district of CTE serves students in Dubois County, North Spencer Schools, and Tell City Schools, along with Perry Central, Pike Central and Cannelton.

Students can learn a wide range of skills and get a head start on their career fields through programs like business and administration, automation and robotics, criminal justice, construction trades and more. Some courses offer dual credit through VUJC.

Patoka Valley Director Jarred Howard presented current numbers for Jasper High School during the Greater Jasper Consolidated School Board meeting on Monday night. Currently:

• 197 students enrolled in a CTE program attend Jasper High School
• 76 of those students are receiving dual credit from Vincennes University Jasper
• 84 students participate in a work based learned environment

“There is no disadvantage to enrolling in one of our programs,” said director Jarred Howard, “If you enroll in one of our programs and you get free college credit, you get the experience of the classroom, and hands on activities. This year we have over three-hundred students who are in some type of internship program, so they go to school two or three days a week then their out with an industry partner two or three days a week.”

The earliest a student can enroll in a CTE program is their junior year of high school. Guidance counselors are available in the schools to help students formulate their plan. To learn more about CTE, you can visit their website. You can find more information on local programs here.