Students and faculty at Troy City and Pike County schools are joining other school across the nation this month to celebrate national Career and Technical Education Month. The theme for the 2012 celebration is CTE: Careers Through Education.

Julie Simmons, Troy Pike Center for Technology director, said several activities are planned during February to encourage students to participate in CTE opportunities.

“CTE student organizations are having local and state competitions where they show off the skills that we learn in their CTE courses” Simmons said. “On Job Shadow Day, Feb. 2, CTE students job shadowed local businesses throughout Pike County and as far away as Pint Lala.”

Eighth grade students will visit CTE programs and develop four-year education plans that will involve choosing courses that interest them to investigate options for career choices.

“By partnering with the business community, CTE programs are investing in students’ lives with the latest technology and skills that will prepare them to become successful employees and will meet our workforce needs.”

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, Simmons said.

“According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly one-third of the fastest growing occupations will require an associate’s degree or a postsecondary vocational certificate,” she said. “Recent research published by Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce shows that 4.7 million new workers will be needed by 2018, but we will fall short of the demand. At a time when job opportunity is so critical, CTE programs in our community are ensuring students are adequately equipped with the skills to successfully enter the workforce.”

Career and Technical Education courses are taught as elective courses during the high school years. Students from both Troy City Schools and Pike County Schools are allowed to register for these courses beginning in the ninth grade.

CTE programs offered at the Troy-Pike Center for Technology are aviation technology, building construction, carpentry, cooperative education, Project Lead the Way Pre-engineering, health science, information technology, Jobs for Alabama Graduates (JAG) and welding.

Commerce and Information Technology and JROTC are taught on the local high school campuses.

There are also four academies that include the Business and Finance Academy at Pike County High School, the Agriscience Academy at Goshen High School, the Culinary Arts Academy at Charles Henderson High School and the Global Studies Academy at Troy Pike Center for Technology.