By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. —
Hutchinson Career and Technical Education Academy is continuing to expand its offerings to students throughout USD 308 and 12 other schools in Central Kansas.
"Starting next year, we'll have 22 career pathways total," said Travis Riebel, Director at HCTEA. "When we look at opportunities for students, the full training programs are shared programs with Hutchinson Community College. We have six particular programs, ranging from Automotive Mechanics, Automotive Collision Repair, Machine Technology, Building Trades and Welding. We also offer medical science training, such as CNA and CMA training."
The key to deciding what direction to go is centered in an individualized plan of study.
"With that, students are able to work with their teachers," Riebel said. "At the high school, we have our seminar teachers who are career advisors. They have conversations starting early on classes they take, career assessments, as well as any career research, college research, post-secondary, whichever that might be, to develop their individual plan as they go through high school and map out their road for post-secondary success, as well."
There are several additional areas that HCTEA will be offering courses in starting in 2022-2023.
"In the computer science realm, we're looking at some beginning coding classes for high school freshmen and sophomores through the project lead the way curriculum," Riebel said. "We're also introducing an agricultural education, to really introduce students to the food and fiber industry, with classes like intro to agriculture, agriscience, animal science and food science, as well as starting an FFA chapter at the school. Other new classes include, drones, unmanned aerial systems. Leanna Gleason, our communications and video broadcasting teacher, she has been incorporating drones into video broadcasting for years, but we're going to offer a course specifically to train students on that technology. It is our responsibility to recruit tomorrow's teachers, so we have a new class called teaching as a career."
They intend to have all of these pathways also include an internship component, so that students can see what they would like and not like about working in the field where they are being trained.