Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of stories about CareerPrep 2030, a Kent ISD initiative to expand offerings and increase student enrollment in career and technical education over the next five years.

BYLINE: Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

All neighborhoods — It all started with the question of how Kent ISD could provide the best in career and technical education to all students.

The result was Career preparation 2030an ambitious countywide initiative to double the number of students participating in CTE programs by 2030. This would bring total enrollment to some 10,000 students taking courses in fields such as nursing health, culinary arts, construction and engineering.

To achieve this goal, Kent ISD partners with local districts and business leaders to enhance CTE offerings, strengthen work-based learning opportunities, and boost student engagement as they explore future pathways career. Kent ISD is also working with districts to offer more of these programs in their schools and plans to establish satellite technology centers in addition to the main Kent Career Tech Center campus.

The effort focuses on three strategic sectors in high demand for skilled workers: advanced manufacturing, health sciences and technology. Under CareerPrep 2030, more students will be able to take classes they can’t currently access, said Ron Gorman, Kent ISD superintendent. He co-chairs the initiative with Randy Thelen, president and CEO of The right place economic development group, and Chris Bardeggia, vice president of Steel housing.

“CTE programming is highly regarded,” Gorman said. “This is evidenced by the fact that more than 1,500 students each year in our region are unfortunately left on waitlists and unable to enroll in engaging and rigorous CTE courses that will lead to degrees and college credit because that the classes are full.

“We need to expand programs for all students, and Kent ISD and our district leaders are committed to ensuring that every student who wants a CTE experience has that opportunity,” he added. “We have an ambitious goal: to double the provision of CTE in Kent County by 2030, and I am confident we will achieve it. »

Growing space for growing demand

Since the pandemic, applications for the Kent Career Tech Center have increased by about 40%, said Joe Lienesch, director of CTE for Kent ISD and former director of the Tech Center. Approximately 61% of these applications end up on a waiting list, highlighting the need to increase programs.

In 2023, school, business and community leaders met to discuss how to connect students to potential careers, help grow the local business economy, and create a pipeline of local talent to help fill current and expected vacancies.

Throughout this summer, leaders met and worked to define three CareerPrep 2030 strategies to help achieve these goals. Last spring, Kent ISD hosted a summit for educators to explore these strategies, namely:

• Expanding CTE Opportunities partnering with regional districts to offer CTE programs and/or CTE-like programs that provide elements of career and technical education;
• Developing partnerships in work-based learning that provide interactions with employers or community professionals in real-world work contexts, to foster in-depth and direct engagement;
• Increase engagement with students helping them start thinking about their future careers early and connecting them with tools and resources that help them identify skills and interests that could lead to future careers.

“I think the whole initiative, whether you’re talking about strategy one, two or three, makes it easy for business and industry to partner with our schools,” said Sue Gardner, assistant superintendent of the Kent ISD Career and Talent Development, which leads the team working toward CareerPrep 2030 goals.

“Whatever strategy is used, we’re trying to make that connection and close the talent gap, which helps our school districts focus on that talent gap.”

Additionally, enrolling in CTE courses can help students find their passion and improve their graduation rates, Gardner said.

Expanding Opportunities Locally

To help support growth, Kent ISD has sought to develop satellite centers for Tech Center courses, while also helping districts develop their own CTE programs. Currently, about half of Kent ISD’s 20 local districts offer CTE programs and 13 offer work-based learning opportunities.

With this expansion, Kent ISD increased its overall CTE enrollment from 4,200 in 2022 to more than 5,900 this school year, Lienesch said.

“(If a) local (district) creates seats for 30 children and 10 of those children could have been children who have already come to the Tech Center, 10 additional places will open up (at the Tech Center) which would have been occupied by these students,” Lienesch said. “Now, 10 kids from elsewhere in the county can come to the Tech Center.

“That’s why even when local districts develop their own programs, not even the ones we facilitate, it opens up more spots for kids across the county.”

The other benefit is that if a district has 30 students interested in participating in a local program, almost all of them will have the opportunity to participate, Lienesch said. If the district relies solely on the Tech Center, its students may not benefit from these opportunities because the Tech Center is full, he said.

“We must expand programming for all students, and Kent ISD and our district leaders are committed to ensuring that any student who wants a CTE experience has that opportunity.”

— Ron Gorman, Kent ISD superintendent

Superintendents and their districts can pursue whatever path they want, whether it’s CTE, work-based learning, student engagement, a combination of all three, or all of them, a said Ryan Graham, Kent ISD director of workforce development. The career and talent development team is available to help with the systems and processes needed to deliver these programs, Graham said.

Several districts in the region have already adopted CareerPrep 2030. For example, last year, Wyoming Public Schools launched a Applied anatomy and physiology class, opening up opportunities in the healthcare field. This year, Northview is hosting two Tech Center pilot programs, Health Care Foundations and IT Fundamentals. Grandville Public Schools offers a teacher academy, and Godwin Heights has expanded its work-based learning program.

Although the issue of building CTE for all was raised just two years ago, Gardner said it’s exciting to see the positive response, especially from superintendents. This greatly boosted her team’s commitment and enthusiasm, she said.

“When I saw that these superintendents were excited about the opportunity to do this for their students, I thought, ‘You know what? If they think we can do it, we can do it.

Encourage engagement, stimulate graduation
Graduation rates for students taking CTE courses are on average higher than those for the general student population.
– According to Michigan Career and Technical Education Information System (CTEIS), for the 2022-2023 school year, students who participated in CTE programs had a graduation rate of 95.95%.
– By comparison, the Michigan Department of Education reported that the state’s average graduation rate for that same school year was 81.77%.
– Graduation rates for Kent ISD students in CTE programs also exceeded the state average in 2022-23, with CTEIS reporting that 96.36% of students taking these courses graduated.

Learn more about Kent ISD:
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• New CNA course offers practical insight into a career in healthcare