Career and Technical Education program thrives in Wayne County
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on June 29, 2015 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Retired Fire Captain Bernard Petterson inspects Victoria Holmes, 15, as she puts on her turnout gear in the Goldsboro High School fire academy classroom last semester. The public safety firefighter program, introduced at the school in January, is the district's newest CTE, or career and technical education, program.
For those left wondering whatever happened to vocational classes in school, they're alive and well but going by a different name.
CTE, or Career and Technical Education, options currently serve nearly 12,000 students in Wayne County Public Schools, says the program director, Erlene Brogden.
Considering the district has a total of 19,000-plus students, that is a hefty percentage of its population.
When Mrs. Brogden recently put together her annual application for state and federal funding, which required approval by the Wayne County Board of Education, she also provided an overview of the thriving program.
The offerings can be broken down into 11 categories -- agriculture, business, career development, family and consumer science, health science, marketing, automotive/diesel, carpentry/masonry, drafting, technology/STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and the most recent addition, this year's firefighting academy at Goldsboro High School.
"We do have three ag programs now in the middle schools," Mrs. Brogden explained. "Seven high schools have business and 10 middle schools have business programs."
The district offers diesel and masonry programs, among the very few in the state, as well as carpentry and engineering.
In addition to the courses and academies, students can participate in a variety of supplemental organizations, where they often compete and do quite well at the state and national levels, Mrs. Brogden said.
They are also afforded the opportunity to take part in other learning programs, including apprenticeships, internships, cooperative education, job shadowing, school- and community-based projects, supervised agricultural experiences, career fairs and field trips.
What is especially impressive, though, she said, is the program's graduation rate.
According to the most recent data, for the 2013-14 school year, when the county's graduation rate was at 79.5 percent, those enrolled in CTE programs boasted a 93 percent graduation rate. Across the state that year, the graduation rate was 83.8 percent, while the state CTE graduation rate was 94 percent.
Board member Rick Pridgen said the statistics are in sharp contrast to public perception.
"Sadly enough, the community, because of the name change from 30 years ago, the community doesn't think we're doing anything with vocational courses," he said.
"And the thing now is, they're making more than the four-year graduates," Interim Superintendent Dr. Sandra McCullen said.
Mrs. Brogden said the start-up of some of the offerings can be expensive, especially in areas of technology, but the district nevertheless has plans to purchase more computers. There are also STEM learning centers in seven middle schools -- Dillard, Eastern Wayne, Greenwood, Rosewood, Mount Olive, Norwayne and Wayne School of Engineering.
Additionally, with the new advanced manufacturing facility at Wayne Community College, the state Department of Public Instruction is developing courses for high school ninth- and tenth-graders. There will also be community college courses for those in grades 11 and 12, she said.
"We're looking for a very exciting year next year," she told the board. "We're looking at adding three new greenhouses, at Grantham Middle, Spring Creek Middle and Brogden Middle."
Grantham and Spring Creek, the district's newest schools currently under construction and expected to open in the fall, along with Brogden, do not have the STEM centers but do have agriculture programs, she said.