Pennsylvania Department of Education Secretary Dr. Noe Ortega today visited Dauphin County Technical School to highlight the importance of career and technical education and celebrate CTE Month with administrators, faculty, and students.

“Through career and technical centers, students can work together with industry professionals in their schools and communities, network and build connections across the commonwealth, fulfill local workforce needs, and promote the valuable role career and technical education plays in our educational system. These innovative programs are built on foundations of academic rigor and high expectations for student learning and success,” Ortega said. “The achievements and successes of these students demonstrate how these schools advance the narrative that there are multiple pathways to postsecondary success for Pennsylvania’s students.”

In addition, to help in creating multiple pathways to success for students, Governor Wolf has proposed a $6 million increase for career and technical education in his final budget.

Over the past seven years, PA has invested $116 million in science, computer science and technical education, including $80 million in the innovative PAsmart program, and $36 million in apprenticeships and workforce training. Since 2015, the number of career and technical education students earning industry-recognized credentials has increased by 38.7 percent and the number of credentials earned by students enrolled in CTE programs has grown by 33.6 percent.

CTE Month is a public awareness campaign organized by the Association for Career and Technical Education that takes place each February to celebrate the value of CTE and the achievements and accomplishments of CTE programs across the country.

To view the press release, click here.