Career Academy | Technical Center
Career Academy @ Hughes

The CTE Center has been part of the Bismarck Public School District for over 30 years. Bismarck CTE Center is located on the campus of Bismarck State College and shares space with BSC in the Career Academy and Technical Center Building. Bismarck CTE Center has an enrollment of nearly 1400 students from ten (10) public and private high schools yearly. The CTE Center provides students with quality education in career and technical programs including high wage, high demand technical training, academic integration and alignment with post-secondary education.

Instructors at the CTE Center have industry-based experience in the program areas they teach. Each program has a local industry advisory committee that provides feedback on equipment and curriculum requirements, so students receive real world, "hands-on" learning opportunities.

A Well-Rounded Life

The Final Jeopardy Answer:

"I wish I could have taken a class like this when I went to high school."

Make sure it is in the form of a question…Give Up?

What is the most common statement career & technical education teachers hear from parents?

As noted above, parents seem to be the first to realize the benefits of taking one or more of the variety of CTE courses offered through BPS at the middle schools, high schools, and at the Career & Technical Education Center. With school a distant memory and their middle-age life established, parents see the common sense in taking classes to learn life-long skills. CTE classes help students understand such things as building a shelving unit, landscaping that shady side of the yard, winterizing the snow blower, mending that broken wrought-iron lawn furniture, wiring a music system throughout the house, sewing a grandchild's dress, creating their own business cards and stationery, taking care of that dented car door, etc.

Although CTE classes can benefit everyone, today's employers are crying out for well-trained technicians for their growing companies. Ron Ness, Executive Director of the ND Petroleum Council, told us at a recent Advisory Council meeting that each Monday he receives a list of 50 jobs needed in the Williston oilfield area. These job openings are for service technicians, welders, construction workers, truck drivers, electronic techs and machinists. When Mr. Ness was asked about the salaries for these jobs, he said, "Tell students they are all at least $50,000 per year." This does not include the energy industry, which would have many, if not more, of the same job listings.

The Career Academy houses such courses as Aviation, Horticulture/Botany (with a Green House), Pre-Engineering/Tech Ed, Medical Related Careers II, Certified Nursing Assistant, Electronics, Graphic Design/Digital Design, a math class, and a Resource/tutoring room. A number of industries have expressed an interest in the potential this type of facility has to offer for skilled graduates.

The Technical Center, across the street from the Career Academy, continues to house Automotive Technology, Auto Collision, Welding, and Carpentry.

There has been a steady rise in career and technical education programs throughout the United States. Watch for more new developments in this exciting area of education.