Although the month of February felt short, there was no shortage of great events during CTE Month 2018! From career exploration days to job fairs, the month featured many ways for students to connect with career-focused skills and opportunities.

CTE month culminated with two events at City Hall: the CTE Star Student awards, and a CTE roundtable where Mayor Kenney and other city leaders facilitated a discussion between principals from CTE high schools and some of the city’s top union leaders and workforce development professionals.

Over 30 city leaders, educators, and workforce representatives attended the roundtable. After some quick introductions, participants broke off into smaller groups to discuss some of the issues they face connecting students to work opportunities, and how they can work together to address those challenges. Principals had the chance to connect with union leaders about building a stronger pathway between graduation and employment, while labor heads could speak about the issues they are facing with hiring and applicants meeting the requirements.

A strong theme that emerged was the need for a stronger pipeline connecting students who are graduating to union careers. Principals and labor heads suggested that part of this pipeline should include opportunities for students to work with unions during the summer months, and for seniors to be able to visits sites and work part time for the groups once they turn 18 years old.

Although CTE Month is over, we are committed to working year-round to follow through on the ideas raised during the CTE and labor roundtable, and developing more partnerships and stronger pipelines for students to enter the workforce. An important outcome of a strong educational system is for graduates to have access to meaningful, fulfilling careers with family-sustaining wages. We appreciate all the City departments and cross-sector partners who are working with us to make this a reality.