Governor Visits Flat Rock High School
The below story was published on May 12 in the New-Herald and written by Matt Thompson, It provides evidence that a multi-school CTE (Career Technical Education) program is viable, sustainable, and most importantly provides measurable results in training our students for careers that are available and needed in our region.
The BDC is optimistic that the newly created Monroe County CTE program will gain acceptance and popularity as it educates our students in the in-demand skills that our job providers require to grow their businesses.
Enjoy the day!
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Students at Flat Rock Community High School were visited Tuesday morning by Gov. Rick Snyder who stopped by to talk with students and tour the school’s Career and Technical Education programs.
PHOTOS: Gov. Snyder’s visit at Flat Rock Community High School
Flat Rock is one of nine area school districts that takes part in the Downriver Career Technical Consortium, which offers vocational programs to high school students, and transferable college credits. Started in 1965 with just three districts, the DCTC now covers most of Downriver, and offers 23 different career programs to area students.
Flat Rock student Karlie Lokuta takes part in the school’s Computer Aided Design program, and has earned six college credits in the program. The senior said she’s grateful for the training and career preparation she’s received through the program.
“CTE and CAD have made me feel better prepared because it has opened my eyes to what is out there and what will be expected of me,” she said. “In a job setting, no one holds your hand anymore. You don’t get help and the expectations are high.”
Lokuta will be attending the University of Toledo in the fall, studying entrepreneurship and marketing, and hopes to someday own her own firm, specializing in CAD.
“I love the CAD that relates to the medical field, like my classmate drew out robotic hands for children that don’t have any,” she said.
That classmate, Huron High School student Marissa Mason, had an opportunity to show Snyder an animation project she was working on, in addition to her award-winning prosthetics designs that are prominently displayed in the back of the room.
Over in the welding shop, Jared Lambrix presented Snyder with a “Pure Michigan” sign that he created. The governor said he was impressed and told Lambrix that it will be a permanent fixture in his Lansing office.
After touring the school, Snyder headed to the auditorium, where to thanked the CTE students for choosing a vocational career path.
“The state of Michigan has over 101,000 available jobs that need to be filled, and of those, many of the ‘hot jobs’ that pay the most include welders, electricians, carpenters and construction managers,” Snyder said.
He went on to further explain that because the state has such a shortage of welders, there’s also a shortage of industrial buildings for new companies to move into. Often these jobs need to be filled by out-of-state workers because of a lack of qualified Michigan residents.
Many students don’t look to CTE jobs, Snyder said, but often those jobs not only pay well and are rewarding, but due to a shortage of available workers, there is job placement as soon as training is completed.
The Downriver school districts that offer CTE courses are Flat Rock, Gibraltar, Grosse Ile, Huron, Riverview, Southgate, Trenton and Woodhaven-Brownstown.
Flat Rock is one of nine area school districts that takes part in the Downriver Career Technical Consortium, which offers vocational programs to high school students, and transferable college credits. Started in 1965 with just three districts, the DCTC now covers most of Downriver, and offers 23 different career programs to area students.
Flat Rock student Karlie Lokuta takes part in the school’s Computer Aided Design program, and has earned six college credits in the program. The senior said she’s grateful for the training and career preparation she’s received through the program.
“CTE and CAD have made me feel better prepared because it has opened my eyes to what is out there and what will be expected of me,” she said. “In a job setting, no one holds your hand anymore. You don’t get help and the expectations are high.”
Lokuta will be attending the University of Toledo in the fall, studying entrepreneurship and marketing, and hopes to someday own her own firm, specializing in CAD.
“I love the CAD that relates to the medical field, like my classmate drew out robotic hands for children that don’t have any,” she said.
That classmate, Huron High School student Marissa Mason, had an opportunity to show Snyder an animation project she was working on, in addition to her award-winning prosthetics designs that are prominently displayed in the back of the room.
Over in the welding shop, Jared Lambrix presented Snyder with a “Pure Michigan” sign that he created. The governor said he was impressed and told Lambrix that it will be a permanent fixture in his Lansing office.
After touring the school, Snyder headed to the auditorium, where to thanked the CTE students for choosing a vocational career path.
“The state of Michigan has over 101,000 available jobs that need to be filled, and of those, many of the ‘hot jobs’ that pay the most include welders, electricians, carpenters and construction managers,” Snyder said.
He went on to further explain that because the state has such a shortage of welders, there’s also a shortage of industrial buildings for new companies to move into. Often these jobs need to be filled by out-of-state workers because of a lack of qualified Michigan residents.
Many students don’t look to CTE jobs, Snyder said, but often those jobs not only pay well and are rewarding, but due to a shortage of available workers, there is job placement as soon as training is completed.
The Downriver school districts that offer CTE courses are Flat Rock, Gibraltar, Grosse Ile, Huron, Riverview, Southgate, Trenton and Woodhaven-Brownstown.
For more information, visit dctc-cte.org.
