The district held a ribbon-cutting for the new wing of the Technology, Exploration and Career Center East campus expansion Aug. 28. The new wing allows for the addition of three new programs: dental assisting, welding and off-road diesel construction.
“Our career centers allow our students to dive deeper into hands-on, real-world activities that also help them be college, career and military ready,” LISD Director of CTE Kristin Petrunin said.
The big picture
LISD has two career centers: Technology, Exploration and Career Center East; and Technology, Exploration and Career Center West. Students can also take CTE courses at LISD’s five main high school campuses.
District officials said increased enrollment factored into the decision to add more space to the east campus.
“We’ve seen a big trend in an increased enrollment, and that’s in large part due to our credible educators that really prepare students for those real world situations,” Petrunin said.
The TECC-East expansion cost $16 million and was funded through 2017 bond funds, which was approved by 63% of voters. The 18,000 square-foot expansion added four classrooms.
Diving deeper
Prior to the expansion, TECC-West was the only center with a welding program and Adrian Moreno, Director of TECC-East, said administrators were turning away almost as many students as they were accepting due to lack of space.
In addition to needing more space for the welding program, Moreno said district staff saw a high need for a dental assistant program—which is a third-level course under the Health Sciences umbrella—and, in talking to industry partners, saw a need for an off-road diesel equipment program.
“They’re working on diesel powered tractors and that type of equipment, which is great because it’s another area in which we can get some kids an opportunity for employment as soon as they graduate,” Moreno said.
Charlie Page, who teaches welding at TECC-East, is a graduate of LISD’s TECC-West campus.
“It’s really cool to be on the other side of it and teach them how to weld and help them get to that next step where they can start their career,” Page said.
The impact
LISD’s CTE programs offer multiple pathways for students. Some programs help students get the certification and qualifications necessary to enter the workforce, while others allow students to gain some hands-on experience in a field they intend to study in college.
“If they think they want to be in culinary [careers] we need them to touch raw chicken,” Petrunin said. “If they think they’re going to be in health science [careers], they should probably see blood. Those are things we want to prepare them for so that they have the best success in the future.”
Exposing students to fields of study they may be unfamiliar with allows them to consider more possibilities for careers.
Sam Pack’s Five Star Ford Lewisville partners with TECC-East’s automotive department, hiring students while they are still in school.
“We are truly passionate about serving students who are the future of the automobile industry,” Community Engagement Director Sue Bowman said.
Also of note
Another aspect of TECC-East that makes it unique is the way it brings students with shared interests together.
“We’re able to pull a few kids from every building that don’t realize that there’s other kids just like them who are interested in building video games,” Moreno said. “But then we bring them over here, and pretty soon we’ve got four classes of 30 kids that all have that common interest and they wouldn’t have known each other if it wasn’t for our programs.”
Student Katelyn Stanaland is a senior at Flower Mound High School and in her second year at TECC-East. She spoke at the ribbon cutting on Aug. 28, thanking the district for the program.
“I’ve sincerely enjoyed being in the automotive program here and I’ve learned a lot, not just about cars, but about what the automotive field expectations of professionalism are,” Stanaland said.
Looking ahead
The district offers similar program options at the middle school level. District staff said TECC-East and West also have community nights where middle school students are invited to learn more about the programs.
“We currently offer 42 programs of study and one regional program of study, and they get to have some hands-on opportunities because middle school is when we need them to start thinking about that journey that they’re going to take in high school,” Petrunin said.
As workforce needs continue to evolve, LISD is continuing to adapt to prepare students for future careers.
“We’re preparing students for jobs that might not even exist at this moment in time,” Petrunin said. “We’re helping students to see all of the possibilities beyond what they might traditionally see.”
