Proof career tech is viable student option
THE ISSUE: Kudos to education leaders in Franklin, Lauderdale and Colbert counties for their support and belief in career technology as a viable option for students. Their actions will be game changers for their school systems and students interested in entering the workforce directly after high school.
Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs are experiencing a surge in demand at the high school level. As a result, Alabama has introduced a new “Workforce Pathway” graduation option.
Created by lawmakers last year, the Workforce Pathways Diploma offers a career-focused alternative to the traditional college-prep track. Students can swap upper-level math and science for handson courses in fields like welding, health sciences and automotive repair – while still earning a high school diploma.
This option is designed for students who plan to enter the workforce directly after high school.
Students completing their eighth-grade years will be presented with the workforce option, because the new pathway requires two years of math and science; however, their academics will not be impacted until the end of 10th grade.
For Franklin County, students entering high school will automatically be placed on the traditional diploma pathway. At the end of their 10th-grade year, the students can decide which diploma pathway they wish to pursue.
The growing interest in CTE programs and the addition of the Workforce Pathways diploma support the ongoing efforts of local education officials to bolster their career tech programs.
Renovations to the Career & Technical Education building in Russellville were completed in mid-August. Superintendent Dr. Tim Guinn said a new Business Technology Education teacher has been added and financial literacy and office technology classes added.
“Additionally, we’re partnering with Norwest Shoals Community College to offer a credentialing course in childcare and early childhood education,” Guinn said.
On Friday, State Superintendent of Education Dr. Eric Mackey was in Florence to tour Lauderdale County Innovation Center, which is slated to open by the 2026-27 school year. He had this to say about the significance of career technology in today’s educational systems.
“Historically, we’ve done everything to separate these (career tech) kids, and that was a mistake.” He added the new focus on career technology centers if “visionary and innovative, and exactly what the state needs – it’s modernizing career tech.”
Mackey’s right, and we’re extremely glad that Franklin County officials have supported and believed in career technology as a viable option for students.
Focus on character Also, Russellville Middle School officials deserve a round of applause for supporting the Liberty Learning Foundation’s American Character program.
RMS were first introduced to the program while at West Elementary through the Super Citizen program. The American Character program expands the program to the sixth grade.
RMS Principal Dr. Monica Moon believes the program is very important for her students. It’s not just about history, she said. It’s about learning to be a good citizen.
“It’s about living it out every day through their choices, their words and their actions,” Moon explained. “We put a lot of focus on academics, but also on who our students are becoming as people.”
In the broad scheme of things, that is equally significant in the development of young children. Anything that helps build character while emphasizing the core values students should live by is vitally important to shaping the minds and conduct of tomorrow’s leaders.
