Students can learn about careers in accounting, cybersecurity, welding and many more at Keller ISD’s Career and Technical Education Department Expo. According to a district Facebook post, it will be held at the Keller Center for Advanced Learning, located at 201 Bursey Road in Keller, on Nov. 8 from 6-8 p.m. ⁠

A closer look

Keller ISD’s CTE department offers classes in more than 34 career pathways as part of its curriculum. According to the Keller Center for Advanced Learning's website, the facility has several different programs, including:

• School of Engineering
• School of Human & Animal Science
• School of Public Service
• School of Visual Arts
• School of Trades

Chief Communications Officer Bryce Nieman said approximately 50% of the district's CTE classes are held at the center, and the rest are held at each of the other high schools in the district.

"The programs at KCAL are mostly advanced courses where students can take advantage of some of that specialized equipment or unique learning spaces [such as] cosmetology, culinary arts and automotive," Nieman said.

The website states these students can also engage in:

• ​Job shadowing
• Internships
• Practicums
• Job certification/licensure opportunities

Diving in deeper

According to a district website, there are numerous advantages to enrolling in a CTE program:

• CTE learners have a 10% higher high school graduation rate than non-CTE learners
• 75% of CTE learners enroll in post-secondary education after high school
• 6 of the 10 hardest-to-fill jobs require a CTE background