I am so excited to bring you information about National Career and Technical Education Month, as well as spotlight our local CTE opportunities through the Poplar Bluff R-1 School system.
My name is Charles Kinsey. I am the director of the Poplar Bluff Technical Career Center, which serves 10 schools in the surrounding area (including our host school, Poplar Bluff R-I).
CTE is one of the fastest-growing interest areas of students in our local area, as evidenced by our record number of enrollment this school year.
It is no wonder so many students and their parents are shrugging off the old and ill-conceived notions about going to the local technical school. Constant media messaging shows these families that labor shortages are plaguing industries all over the country, as well as right here at home.
In addition, it is evident by the amount of media attention given to student loans and their impact on peoples’ lives, many young people aren’t interested in taking on that kind of burden and are actively looking for ways to start careers without that kind of debt anchor.
The modus operandi for those in the CTE fields has been to make students ready for work. This is achieved by training students to be good employees and active learners, as well as ensuring they have a base knowledge in their particular field/industry.
High school students attend for free and can decide after completing their program if they want to go directly to work or pursue additional training or advanced degrees. This is a very attractive option for high school age students because they are: 1) marketable, 2) flexible and 3) desirable.
Marketable students have skills that they can use whether it be in Poplar Bluff or in some other fine city across the country. Flexible students can utilize their skills effectively to attend both college and work in their field, or use their knowledge as a “side hustle” or branch out directly into the profession.
Desirable students have work ethic, show up and are teachable — plus have a base set of skills that make them functional on the job on day one-with minimal training. These skills are cornerstones of CTE education programs and allow the program instructors to easily judge and rate students on employability, when asked about a student as a potential hire.
Of course, not everyone excels at all areas, but improvement and reflection are utilized to help students recognize weaknesses and how to address those weaknesses before they get to the workforce.
We are proud of the high school students we have and love to hear from them after they begin their career journeys.
I have a series of articles that will be released during February as a part of National CTE Month, as well as our celebration of PBTCC’s 55 years at this location.
Activities will range from highlighting CTE as an option for students to keying in on the wide array of CTE options available at Poplar Bluff, to discussing how local employers and industry can get involved in our good work in CTE.
We know many in our community have been impacted by the Poplar Bluff Technical Career Center, or attended a program at our school during the past 55 years. Most haven’t been able to see the facility since the day they left. As a result, we are hosting an open house from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 11 for the public and interested parties. From 11-11:30 a.m. we will have a reception with light refreshments and from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., we will conduct tours of the buildings and let folks see our center’s progress and new innovations.
If you would like to attend our open house, please RSVP to pbtccinfo@pb.k12.mo.us, or call 573-785-2248, so we have a rough idea of the number of attendees.
We don’t mind drop-ins, but if possible, please RSVP (thank you in advance). Alumni, friends, family and local businesses, mark your calendars for the 11th and plan to join us.
Charles Kinsey is the director of the Poplar Bluff Technical Career Center.