It’s no secret that there is an increased demand for trade workers throughout the United States. According to Forbes, in 2024, the construction industry faces a deficit of roughly 500,000 workers in the U.S., with too few young workers positioned to replace retirees. School districts often look for ways to partner with local industries and incentivize students to reinvest in their communities. Encouraging students to explore careers close to home can be challenging; however, high schools are seeing more interest from young adults in career exploration through trade programs, now commonly referred to as Career and Technical Education (CTE) or career pathways.
As schools and communities raise students’ awareness around work opportunities post-graduation, education leaders across the country recognize the viability and importance of quality CTE programs. A strong CTE program housed in a meaningful space can change students’ lives, setting them on a path to a successful career that allows them to stay in their communities. Wold knows the impact a well-designed space can have, and we support schools working alongside local business partners seeking to provide effective programs for career pathways and create CTE spaces that match community needs.
Investing in CTE spaces can be a strategic move for school districts, offering numerous benefits to both students and their communities. For students, CTE provides a practical and rewarding alternative to traditional academic pathways, allowing them to make informed decisions about their future by exploring various careers before making a long-term commitment. These programs offer hands-on opportunities in areas such as nursing, robotics, construction trades, culinary arts, agriculture, business and manufacturing. These spaces offer a way for students to start a career while still in high school, with dual enrollment options for post-secondary education. This allows them to earn college credits and technical skills simultaneously.
By tailoring CTE programs to meet the demands of the local job market, schools can ensure that students gain relevant skills and knowledge and become valuable contributors to their communities. This approach not only addresses local workforce needs but also fosters a sense of community and economic stability.
Creating a successful CTE program requires a comprehensive and collaborative approach. When working with Wold, our first step is to bring educators, administrators, local business leaders and students together to form a core planning group. This group aims to define the district's priorities and understand how programming criteria respond to the local job market and community demands.
Engaging with the community and local businesses is critical to this process. Districts can ensure their CTE programs are relevant and supported by bringing in stakeholders and finding local leaders who are experts in their fields. For example, our team helped to build a community-focused program at McHenry High School Upper Campus in Illinois, where we helped the local district implement a variety of career pathways, including business, journalism, construction trades, manufacturing and STEM offerings from biomedical sciences to robotics. To support the district’s goal of promoting visibility of the unique learning environments and increasing student awareness of the various pathway opportunities, our team created diverse settings within common areas to offer choices for students with more flexible schedules. The renovated campus, which now encompasses grades 10-12, emphasizes flexibility and includes specialized amenities yet remains adaptable to programmatic changes based on community needs.
Wold’s comprehensive and collaborative process – engaging educators, contractors and community partners to drive discussions about goals, curriculum and evolving technology – ensures that the facility responses to different CTE programs are robust, forward-thinking and capable of preparing students for the future.
Effective CTE spaces support specialized learning while fostering collaboration. CTE spaces should be tailored to the specific needs of various pathways, providing the tools and environments necessary for individualized, hands-on learning. However, these areas should also offer flexible spaces where students can collaborate and share ideas. This approach not only supports the unique requirements of each occupation but also encourages the development of teamwork and communication skills, which are vital in any career.
While it is essential for areas dedicated to different pathways to be focused and functional, they don’t need to be separated entirely. Creating a connected and cohesive environment within the school allows for a seamless integration of traditional academic subjects with CTE programs. At Mora High School in Minnesota, our team helped the school blend traditional curriculum with CTE programming by integrating a variety of collaborative spaces throughout the building: extended learning environments within the educational core and general classrooms, science labs that can flex between the disparate needs of middle or high school programs; a tech hub open and adjacent to public and student commons spaces; and a flexible lab space allowing multi-disciplinary collaboration among different career and technical programs, including metalworking, woodworking, automotive work and agriculture.
Prominently featuring CTE spaces can also enhance their success by helping engage students and visitors with career opportunities. At Owatonna High School in Minnesota, our design features signature vocational lab spaces throughout the school’s core, exposing students to different careers and the work their peers are doing every day. Additionally, partnerships with community investors and local businesses continue past the initial design process, and highlighting these connections in the career pathways is crucial as many partners remain engaged with CTE programs and provide students with mentorship and real-life experiences.
Successfully implementing CTE programs at the secondary level impacts both students and their communities. Throughout the design and engagement process, Wold functions as a facilitator, fostering dialogue on how the specific design of CTE spaces can focus on retaining students as they develop in their career pathways. We help districts imagine learning environments that match the needs of their communities and work alongside field experts and business stakeholders to ensure career and technical education isn’t just a trend – it’s a comprehensive education choice. With the right infrastructure, planning and community involvement, CTE programs can equip students with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in their future careers, ultimately benefiting the entire community. If you or your district are interested in engaging our team as you consider investing in your CTE programs, we invite you to dive deeper into our website and connect with us here.
