LaPorte County celebrates Career and Technical Education Month

MICHIGAN CITY | Students and staff at the A. K. Smith Area Career Center in Michigan City will join others across the nation during the month of February to celebrate national Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month. This year's theme is CTE: Careers Through Education. CTE Month provides CTE programs across the country an opportunity to demonstrate how CTE educates students to be college- and career- ready and prepares them for high-wage, high-demand career fields.

Among the activities scheduled locally is an exhibition of LaPorte County Career and Technical Education programs, which will take place at Marquette Mall on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. At 1 p.m. Michigan City Mayor Ron Meer will deliver a proclamation in honor of CTE month, and other special guests will be on hand to recognize outstanding CTE students in LaPorte County.

"CTE courses offer our students relevance and rigor," says Audra Peterson, Director of LaPorte County Career and Technical Education Programs and the A. K. Smith Area Career Center. "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 as well as future leaders."

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 layoffs. 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. Recent research published by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce shows that by 2018, 4.7 million new workers will need post-secondary certificates and credentials, such as those which can be obtained at the A. K. Smith Center.

For more information about LaPorte County Career and Technical Education, call (219) 873-2120 or visit EducateMC.net/careertech.