New Year, New Challenges

The start of a new school year is fast approaching bringing the excitement and anxiety of new challenges and initiatives. If you have followed the CATEC Blog at all this past year you are aware of some of the significant new initiatives we are putting in place. CATEC's new focus points towards 5 major areas of emphasis as part of our vision for our school, staff, and students. These 5 areas include the following: 1) Technical skills; 2) Soft/Workplace skills; 3) Literacy enhancement and growth; 4) Use of technology (both functional and innovative ((web 2.0)); and 5) Entrepreneurship

Most Career and Technical centers and courses focus heavily on the first 2 areas. We have added to these areas by focusing on what's important to prepare students for 21st Century Careers, NO MATTER WHAT THE OCCUPATION THEY CHOOSE. While many would think that "industry" would prefer us to focus primarily on #1, the reality is that employers are looking more at workers who have a strong work ethic (#2) and are able to critically think, problem solve and create (produce) based on their experiences and training (#'s 3 through 5).

Some of our students will explore the programs at CATEC and end up working in that particular area or field for a lifetime. Many, however, will take their experiences and use them in fields that aren't directly related or perhaps haven't even been invented yet.

These are challenging but exciting times in education. We feel, at CATEC, that we are on to something that is big. Bigger than just teaching students facts and figures. We feel as if we are creating the foundation for students to be empowered and to be best prepared to create, produce and be lifelong learners. The destination is always important but the journey creates the most opportunities.