Throughout the month of February, students & faculty at Maplewood Career Center will join others across the nation to celebrate National Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month.

This year’s tagline is Working Out of This World. Throughout February, career centers across the country will offer programs that showcase the ways in which CTE makes students college and career ready and prepares them for high-wage, high-demand careers.

CTE Month is ultimately a public awareness campaign that takes place every February in celebration of the value of CTE and the achievements and accomplishments of CTE programs across America.

“CTE works for adults, high school and college students, addressing the needs of high-growth industries and helps close the skills gap,” said Superintendent Randall Griffith. “After completing a program at Maplewood, students can integrate the skills they developed and decide whether they want to immediately enter the workforce or further their education by attending college.”

Presently, 3 million workers will be needed to maintain the nation’s infrastructure in the next decade, and half of all STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) call for workers with less than a bachelor’s degree. Moreover, more than 80 percent of manufacturers report that talent shortages will impact their ability to meet customer demand.

Maplewood Career Center offers students 21 program options in a variety of industries. Maplewood also partners with local businesses to provide students with the latest technology and skills to prepare them to be successful employees.

Upon graduation, Maplewood students often quickly find employment in Portage County and beyond, because businesses know the students are equipped with the knowledge and skills to do the job right.

CTE not only prepares students for careers, but it also promotes continuing and finishing education. According to the Association for Career and Technical Education, the graduation rate for students concentrating in CTE programs is 93 percent, compared to an average national freshman graduation rate of 80 percent.

“Our goal is to provide our students with as many opportunities as possible to be successful,” said Griffith. “It’s wonderful to hear the success stories of our graduates from Maplewood and to know that they are doing great work in their chosen field.”

CTE encompasses 94 percent of high school students and 13 million postsecondary students in the United States and includes high schools, career centers, community and technical colleges, four-year universities and more. CTE is a major part of the solution to myriad national economic and workforce problems, such as high school dropout rates, a weakened economy, global competitiveness and massive layoffs.