During the March 24 meeting, Heather Willis, director of Career and Technical Education, shared an update on the program for the school year.
Willis said the program continues to grow, and the goal is to have all BISD students engaged in innovative learning experiences to build preparedness for college, career and/or the military.
The details
Through partnerships with local businesses and organizations, the district can give students work-based-learning opportunities.
These initiatives give students the experience needed to join the workforce out of high school and help strengthen resumes following graduation.
“We really have to focus on preparing our students to be able to come back and live and work in Boerne and be able to afford to do that,” Willis said.
Willis said the industries in the region are in need of students with certifications or specific skills rather than college degrees. There are 18 programs of study under the CTE department.
“Most of our jobs, to the tune of about 60% in Texas by 2030, won’t require a bachelor’s degree,” she said.
The largest industries in need of skilled workers for the Education Service Center Region 20 areas are:
- Cybersecurity
- Programming/software
- Web developers
- Health science
- Nursing/nurse practitioners
The overall goal is to reach students at all grade levels, ensuring that students can identify areas of interest and solidify a career direction by the time of graduation.
Willis said engineering is one of the fields that is the most challenging to get students involved in. In the upcoming school year, the district plans to implement more initiatives at the third and fourth grade levels to reach a younger group of students.
