Celebrate CTE Month® this February!

What is CTE Month®? CTE Month® stands for Career and Technical Education Month. Every February this public awareness campaign focuses on the incredible progress that Career and Technical Education programs across the country have made in providing cutting-edge opportunities for the innovators of the future. 

It’s shocking to hear that between 65% and 85% of children entering elementary school will have jobs not even invented yet.1&2 But technology will enable our future with realities we never thought possible. So, how do we ensure we prepare students of today for the opportunities of tomorrow? In our opinion, we need to give students the skills to be successful and the chance to see these opportunities through learning. And the earlier they start, the better.

With life-long learning at the heart, 21st Century skills provide a framework for thriving in the future and meeting the needs of a rapidly changing world. What are these 21st Century skills? They include core competencies in learning (critical thinking, creativity, collaboration), literacy (information and technology skills), and life (flexibility, leadership, initiative, productivity) skills.

In addition to teaching these high-demand skills, we also need to give students the opportunity to see what they could be missing and explore areas of interest that may be foreign to them. At NextWave STEM, we support CTE educators and programs with our STEM curricula in emerging technologies. Our project-based learning approach gives students real-world challenges and fosters excitement about STEM. 

STEM education is forward-thinking. Students get a glimpse at careers in the current and future workforce. Unless CTE opportunities are promoted and expanded for students, there will be gaps in future labor markets between skill supply and demand. 

With STEM careers earning upwards of 25% more than other occupations, it is important that students can get basic STEM experiences. Perhaps an innovator of the future will get sparked by a love of STEM during their early years. Some examples of STEM fields include: aeronautics, biology, biotechnology, chemistry, civil engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, environmental science, industrial engineering, information systems, mechanical engineering, and math. Some examples of STEM careers include: web developer, computer network architect, archeologist, accountant, architect, computer programmer, farm and ranch manager, fish and game warden, geologist, marine engineer, statistician, video game designer and zoologist, just to name a few!

Interested in K-12 STEM programs that will expose your students to a world of possibility? Contact Us. 

Interested in learning more about Student Career Development? Check out the Association for Career & Technical Education Series.

#STEM #STEMResources #STEMCareers #STEMEducation #NextWaveSTEM @NextWaveSTEM #STEMEd #STEMForKids #Teens #STEMforTeens #Tweens #STEMCurriculum #OnlineSTEM #OnlineClasses #Teachers #Technology #TechnologyCareers

Resources:
1) https://www.voanews.com/usa/all-about-america/most-2030s-jobs-havent-been-invented-yet#:~:text=Up%20to%2085%20percent%20of,percentage%20is%20impossible%20to%20predict.

2) https://www.iste.org/explore/ISTE-blog/Preparing-students-for-jobs-that-don%27t-exist