Reinventing Career and Technical Education in North Carolina
Strategic Plan (pdf 1.66 mb)
"We all recognize that U.S. education can and should be doing more to prepare our young people to succeed in the 21st century. Our international competitors understand the key role that their education systems play in producing workers who are prepared for the demands of our globally competitive 21st century economy. The United States is now in a race to catch up. All students, regardless of their future plans, need 21st century skills to succeed. It’s now clear U.S. voters understand this. And it’s up to every one of us to ensure our children receive them."1
The face of secondary education in North Carolina distinguishes itself when our students exit the graduation stage and enter the world of postsecondary education and the work place. Sadly enough, the face of education in North Carolina is also perceived by how many of our students do not graduate and do not exit the graduation stage ready for the 21st century.
When North Carolina has the opportunity to impact perceptions of the quality of our education delivery and outcomes, it should take advantage of those opportunities, not only to impact perceptions but also to compete in a 21st century global economic system.
On one hand, our system is fortunate to have readily available assets and resources to positively impact both the perception and the outcomes to compete on an international stage. On the other hand, North Carolina’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) assets and resources are a well kept secret in our state amongst both educators and stakeholders.
Career and Technical Education is not well known outside of its internal circle of educators and cheerleaders. When random audiences of community stakeholders, from business owners to elected officials, are asked if they know or understand what Career and Technical Education is and what its purpose is, less than 5% of them acknowledge any understanding.
When North Carolina has the assets and resources ready to impact how well we compete in the 21st century with a competitive workforce advantage, and we do not use those resources, we need to REINVENT CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION in NORTH CAROLINA.
The time has come to use CTE as a change agent in reshaping the American workforce.2
1 October 2007 Volume 2, Issue 8 A Knowledgeworks Foundation Publication, www.21stcenturyskills.org 2 The Skills Imperative, U.S. Chamber of Commerce www.uschamber.com/icw
