Henrico’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) and the Virginia Department of Education actively partners with business and industry to design and provide high quality, dynamic programs to meet current, emerging and projected labor market needs. Our 16 career clusters (soon to be 17) help students investigate careers and design a rigorous and relevant plan of study to advance their career goals. Each career cluster contains multiple pathways that represent a common set of academic, technical and employability skills. Career pathways lead to credentials that qualify students for a range of career opportunities from entry to professional level.
Henrico CTE has its own Business Advisory Board so that we are able to get feedback from business and industry leaders on what our student’s training and education needs to so they will be at the cutting edge of today and tomorrow’s technology and business needs. All of our programs offer one or more industry certifications state licenses or college credits to ensure they are ready for college and career. Every one of the career paths available through our programs are not just in demand but are in some level of crisis.
Many parents and students are not aware of how “in demand” some careers are. Were you aware that there are not enough computer technicians or programmers in the marketplace? Did you know that there is a decades-long deficit of young people getting into the traditional and new collar trades? Many careers are growing so fast that we are out-stripping supply of students going into nursing, law enforcement, and even engineers. CTE programs in high school and colleges and even businesses are doing what they can to inform students and parent of the opportunities out there but it is up to the student if they will take advantage of high paying, highly satisfying careers in important careers that are important and making a difference in this world. What happens when we don’t have enough computer programs, or electricians, or nurses? Businesses cannot innovate. People can’t get their homes built or repaired. We are living longer and are receiving more medical care and can’t get it because doctors and nurses are stretched to the limit to help us remain healthy. It all is happening now and we are living it.
