Can High School CTE Classes Save Families Money?

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Educators have long understood the benefits of Career Technical Education (CTE) classes in high school – preparing students for high-wage, high-demand jobs, helping them develop problem-solving skills and even improving graduation completion rates among at-risk students.

Shellie Hanes, superintendent at Learn4Life—a network of 80+ public charter high schools—explains how CTE pathways can help families save money in numerous ways. “Many CTE programs offer dual enrollment at a nearby community college, so students can earn as many as 30 college credits and the high school covers the costs,” she said. “Learn4Life pays for the state testing and certificates to work in a given field, which can be significant.”

Certifications like nursing, intro to dental assistant, intro to emergency medical technician, child development and safe food handling can range from $500 to $4,500 – all covered in the high school courses. Upon graduation, these students can step into a higher paying job and continue their vocational training for far less than if they did it on their own.

Hanes points out that even for those teens who aspire to go to a four-year college, taking a CTE class keeps them engaged and makes coming to school more fun. Often it can help with college admissions, demonstrating that a student has a diverse set of skills. “Students learn about different industries and take away skills that will benefit them for a lifetime,” she added. “Learn4Life has an array of CTE offerings, with classes in culinary, construction, nursing and dental assistants, information technology, veterinary technician, 3-D printing, media arts, robotics and more.”

Learn4Life partners with companies to provide students with on-the-job training as part of their CTE curriculum. “We work with American Medical Response and local fire departments for those enrolled in the introductory EMT course,” she said. “And the Dalrada Career Institute has helped dozens of students complete the Certified Nursing Assistant program with 80 percent of them already working in the field.”

February is CTE Month to raise awareness of the role that CTE has in readying learners for college and career success. For more information, visit https://learn4life.org/programs/career-technical-education/