Career & Technical Education and Partnerships

careersCareer and Technical Education is not your Vocational Education program of the past. Today industry standards as well as high academic standards make up our programs that our students in Southfield participate in daily. Career and Technical Education programs teach and reinforce core academics which enable students to see the relevance core concepts have in the real world.

 

 

Programs We Offer:

  • Radio and TV Broadcasting
  • Business Management Administration
  • CAD/Drafting Engineering
  • Culinary Arts
  • Finance
  • Marketing

There are a variety of courses within each program that students can select from. Each program has an Advisory Board made up of business and organizational leaders. The purpose of the advisory is to provide us with current knowledge and skill sets that business and industry leaders are looking for in employees. We also have post-secondary partners for each program. They are:

  • Ferris State - Radio and TV Broadcasting
  • U of M Ann Arbor, Baker College and OCC/Walsh - BMA
  • Lawrence Technical University and OCC - CAD
  • Schoolcraft College - Culinary Arts
  • U of M Ann Arbor, Baker College and OCC - Finance
  • Baker and OCC/Walsh - Marketing

Articulation agreements with OCC and Baker College are available to students who wish to gain college credit for courses taken at our high schools. Our staff and our post-secondary partners work together in granting credit for our CTE courses. Schoolcraft College accepts the Safe Serve credential that we offer as part of our Culinary Arts program.

Specialized certification is required by the state for staff who instruct in CTE programs. Highly Qualified staff has specific coursework they take as well as documented 4000 hours of recent work experience in related areas to hold the specialized certification for each program we offer. Our staff is knowledgeable of the workplace demands that will face their students.

Our Southfield students also attend the Oakland Schools Technical Campus SE where they take Career and Technical Education courses that we do not offer. Southfield students make up 25% of the campus population of the twelve school districts that feed into these programs. The programs that are offered there are:

  • Agriscience and Natural Resources
  • Construction Technology
  • Teacher Cadet
  • Health Sciences
  • Cosmetology
  • Transportation Technology
  • Visual Imaging Technology

Career and Technical Education helps to prepare students for post-secondary education. All of our programs will be offering certifications in the near future so students can become employed as they work towards a degree. CTE programs provide opportunities for students to meet our graduation requirements through rigorous coursework while gaining the knowledge and skills required by business/industry leaders. The programs are designed and our staff is dedicated to helping students reach their potential!

Major responsibilities of the Career & Technical Education (CTE) department:

  • Providing leadership in career education for all grade levels, assistance with District-Wide Career Fair, support with development of students' Educational Development Plan using Career Cruising
  • Rolling out Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling initiative
  • Creating and restructuring high school academies and their advisory boards, finding internship sites and assisting job coach
  • Overseeing all vocational programs including curriculum writing and instructional resources, staff training, student competitions, maintaining advisory boards, filing required reports with the state
  • Documenting school-business partnerships, maintaining the Partnerships for Education Council and its' subcommittees, facilitating meetings and events, maintaining current Community Resource Guide, planning annual Recognition Breakfast
  • Launching district service learning activities and providing training on curriculum integration
  • Planning and supervising all Safe & Drug-Free Schools activities, providing training on drug prevention and submitting reports as required by the state
  • Support expenditures for Convergence Grant
  • Coordinating Optimist Student of the Month
  • Providing support with MI Model for Health

All career and technical education programs follow the district’s policies of nondiscrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, disability, age, height, weight, marital status, genetic information or any other legally protected characteristic, in its programs and activities, including employment opportunities. In addition, arrangements can be made to ensure that the lack of English language proficiency is not a barrier to admission or participation.