CAREER TECH: INVEST IN YOUR FUTURE

(February 19, 2010)...  Students and faculty at the Indiana County Technology Center (ICTC) are celebrating February as National Career and Technical Education Month.  This year’s theme is Career Tech: Invest in Your Future, which will highlight the critical need for career and technical education (CTE) programs to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to be competitive in today’s global economy.

Carol Fry, ICTC Director commented on CTE Month by stating, “by partnering with the business community, CTE programs are investing in students’ lives with the latest technology and skills that will prepare them to become successful employees as well as future leaders.”

Career and Technical Education is a major part of the solution to countless national economic and workforce problems, such as high school dropout rates, a weakened economy, global competitiveness and massive layoffs.  According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly one-third of the fastest growing occupations will require an associate’s degree or a postsecondary vocational certificate.  Research also indicates that 80 percent of current and emerging occupations require two-year technical degrees, while just 20 percent require baccalaureate degrees.

In other news, five students joined together to create a hood scoop design for the World of Wheels competition sponsored by Subaru, held in Pittsburgh on January 23, 2010.  Collision Repair Technology (CRT) students, Devin Minto and Nolan Stiles, both seniors at Marion Center, worked with Graphics and Electronic Media (GEM) students Hannah Nehrig, Homer Center junior; Samantha Stahlman, Marion Center senior; and Mitch Foreback, Penns Manor junior, to create a design that would stand out from the rest.  While interviewing the students, we learned that this was not an easy task for any of them.  It took a long time for the whole design to come together and made for a great final product. The process was detailed and required a lot of team work. While talking to the students Devin Minto stated “My favorite part was drawing up the design, it shows that hard work really pays off.” Nolan Stiles shared with us, “I like to see that all our hard work pays off in the end and when you take your time the finished product looks amazing.” Their hard work did indeed pay off.  They took home “Best in Show” at the competition.

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