Workshop raises awareness about Career and Technical Education
Faculty and staff met with West Michigan Career and Technical Education leaders for a workshop Sept. 29 to raise awareness of the benefits and outcomes of CTE.
Representatives from Careerline Tech Center, Kent Career Tech Center and Muskegon Area Career Tech Center gave historical context of CTE in Michigan, addressed common misconceptions and highlighted outcomes, including the following:
- Students who are enrolled in a high school CTE program also have a high school graduation rate of 95%, while Michigan’s average graduation rate is 81%.
- 72% of surveyed students enrolled in CTE continued their education beyond high school and 58.7% of those students were pursuing a bachelor's degree.
Mike Eichberger gives remarks during a workshop in the Kirkhof Center highlighting the benefits of Career and Technical Education. (Kendra Stanley-Mills)
Bernard Brown, director of Career and Technical Education for the Muskegon Area ISD, addresses the audience at the Sept. 29 workshop in the Kirkhof Center. (Kendra Stanley-Mills)
Workshop presenters emphasized that CTE programs are designed to connect academic learning, technical skills, career exploration, work-based learning and postsecondary education.
Mike Eichberger, director of Prior Learning, said GVSU has been a K-12 partner for the past four years, allowing CTE students to earn direct credit. Students who earn a B or better in an approved CTE direct credit program are eligible to receive transcribed credit that the student can take to their postsecondary institution.
As program partners have grown, GVSU saw a 683% increase in students receiving direct credit, Eichberger said, rising from three secondary partners and 95 students in 2022-2023 to 20 partners and 745 students last year.
Jenny Baweja, assistant professor of allied health sciences, and Len O’Kelly, associate professor of journalism, broadcasting, and digital media, participated in a panel discussion about their work for curriculum review and alignment, instructor qualifications and student recruitment.
There are meaningful ways for faculty and staff to participate in CTE, Eichberger said, including reviewing CTE curriculum for direct credit alignment, touring a career tech center, hosting students on campus and serving on a CTE program advisory committee.
For more information, contact Eichberger at [email protected].
— Mike Eichberger is the director of Prior Learning.