On Feb. 11, hundreds of students from across Iowa championed the importance of career and technical education at the annual CTE Day at the Capitol in Des Moines.
Students involved in CTE programs, such as agriculture, business, family and consumer science, health science, information technology and industrial technology, joined the day's events to meet with state officials, network with other programs and further develop professional skills.
The CTE Day at the Capitol began in the House of Representatives chamber with Representative Mike Vondran (R - Davenport) introducing House Resolution No. 6, recognizing February as CTE Month in Iowa.
Director McKenzie Snow and other Iowa Department of Education staff joined the students and advisors in attendance to celebrate CTE Month and the impact of career and technical education in Iowa schools. The Iowa Association of Career and Technical Education (ACTE), which organized the event, welcomed students, educators and advisors to CTE Day at the Capitol and encouraged them to share their recent projects and activities with their local legislators.
"Without legislator and legislative support, we wouldn't have our programs," said Iowa ACTE executive director Kristen Bandy. "In today's world, those programs support some of the most important careers that there are. Students can go into those careers sometimes out of high school with training and certification, and sometimes it may lead to a two-year or four-year program."
CTE programs link Iowa classrooms to emerging and high-demand career fields and provide students with the knowledge and skills to pursue further education, industry-recognized credentials and careers.
"We're preparing the next generation of workforce, and as many possible pathways we can get them exposed to, the better," said Ankeny Centennial High School business and career educator Michael Mertz, who attended the day with his Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) students. "We need to create incentive and relevancy for students. In all communities, bridging the gap between schools and business is the biggest thing. We have to work together to create opportunities through partnerships and mentorships."
Iowa CTE educators and advisors also used CTE Day at the Capitol to help reinforce the importance of CTE and connect students with the legislative process that helps make many CTE programs possible.
"It's so important for the students to understand the legislative process and what legislation does for them at their schools," Bandy said. "It also introduces students to their legislators and we highly suggest each group gets a hold of their own legislators, tell them they're coming for the day, and then give them their story since each student has their own story, as far as what CTE has done for them and where they plan to go with it."
Many students and groups maximized that opportunity, securing one-on-one meetings with their district's representatives to share CTE's impact while observing an Iowa House session and ensuing legislative committee meetings.
"It's been eye-opening to me because I did not know firsthand how the legislative process works," said Colt Metzger, a 10th-grade student from West Lyon and FFA member. "Of course, you learn about the legislative branches and what they do, but to see it up close in person, I now know how much thought process, routine and effort they put into legislation."
Students interacting with legislators, lobbyists and policymakers also utilized many of the soft skills that CTE programs ingrain into students in addition to technical knowledge.
"CTE and FFA have given me opportunities to improve my leadership and public speaking skills," Metzger said. "That experience helps in the job market, and through my leadership position, I've learned about parliamentary roles, in addition to agricultural experience."
CTE Day at the Capitol also highlighted Iowa's career and technical student organizations (CTSOs), including FFA, SkillsUSA, Technology Student Association (TSA), Business Professionals of America (BPA), DECA, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), HOSA-Future Health Professionals and Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA). State CTSO student leaders and individual school chapters took advantage of the day to spread the word about their CTSO and how it connects to CTE programs.
“CTSOs provide valuable opportunities for Iowa students to apply what they’ve learned in CTE classes and further develop their skills,” said Cale Hutchings, Department education program consultant and Iowa ACTE committee member. “More than just an extracurricular activity, CTSOs engage students to participate in conferences, competitions and leadership activities to build stronger technical as well as professional skills.”
While each of those organizations aimed to highlight their own accomplishments, the day had a collective spirit, with those groups rallying to draw awareness of the overall success of CTSO and CTE programs and the students they serve.
"It's not just about connecting with legislators, but connecting with the other students in this room," said Shreyas Shrestha, a senior at Johnston High School and the state vice president of Iowa TSA. "All of our CTSOs' goals are to make career and technical education more prominent and accessible to students in Iowa. It's awesome to have a platform like this to network with others and talk to legislators."