BY KARISSA MILLER
The Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education on Monday reviewed the draft of the 2025-2026 Career and Technical Education local plan.
“We believe every moment counts … every student matters,” CTE Director Tim Woody told the board during its Committee of the Whole meeting.
Woody told the board that CTE is evolving to meet the needs of today’s economy and help students develop important skills. He shared two student impact stories:
♦ Layla Carter’s career journey led her to pursue a nursing career. She took Health Sciences I Honors, Health Science II Honors and Nursing Fundamental and Practicum Honors.
Woody shared the following statement from Carter:
“I always have had an interest in pursuing a career in Healthcare where I could help others. The Introductory and Advanced-level Health Science courses allow me to further explore that interest and affirm my passion for Healthcare. Taking the Nursing Fundamentals and Practicum course allow me to focus my direction towards Nursing. This course also prepared me for the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certification which will assist me greatly as I pursue a degree in Nursing starting in the Fall at Winston-Salem State University.”
♦ After completing CTE courses in Computer Science and Programming, Erwin Colin decided to pursue a career in the tech field.
Woody shared Colin’s journey in the following statement:
“Computer Science wasn’t really on my radar as far as Career plans, but I signed up for Computer Science and loved the content and my teacher, Mr. Estes. I was excited about further exploring this career path and took a couple of courses at Mitchell which served to affirm my passion. I am attending UNC- Charlotte in the Fall and will pursue a degree in Cyber Security. I hope to work with the US Space Force in the future.”
CTE HIGHLIGHTS
Woody shared some highlights from this past year:
• The remodel of the Welding Lab at CATS is in process.
• CTE will continue to utilize Virtual Reality Career Exploration with their fifth- and sixth-graders via 3D Oculus devices to explore more than 44 career fields and zSpace, a cutting-edge career exploration tool.
• CTE held its 3rd annual STEAM competition for seventh graders.
• In partnership with Mitchell Community College, CTE has eight Apprenticeships and many more in the planning process. There are 20 pre-apprenticeship students and 22 Internships.
• The Barbering Program at Statesville High School is in its second year.
• The Pharmacy Technician Program is growing.
• Skills on Wheels trailer in partnership with business and industry partners. Denso and Doosan are leading the charge on the project.
• Districtwide focus on Academic Plans in the eighth grade to meet the new requirements.
• Industry Credentials – 5,064 earned in the 2023-2024 school year.
• Pathful Connect, a Virtual Job Shadowing platform, to offer experiences to all ninth- and 10th-grade students as they hone in on a career pathway.
• Three middle school events this year: Careers on Wheels, STEAM on the Go! And 8th Grade on the MOVE!
FUTURE PLANS
The CTE department will continue to strengthen its Career Development Continuum by fully implementing their 8 Degrees of “E”.
• K-4 Engage
• 5-6 Exposure
• 7-8 Exploration
• 9-10 Experiences
• 11-12 Employment, Education, Enlistment or Entrepreneurship
The CTE department will replace its desktop computers over the next two years.
The new Welding Lab at CATS will be operational by September 1, 2025 if all goes as planned, Woody said.
The CTE department is also working with Mitchell on a grant to advance the Skilled Trade program at CATS.
Other focuses include working on adding to Skilled Trades and revamping the seventh-grade career awareness effort.
CTE staff are looking at totally revamping Advanced Manufacturing during the 2026-2027 school year by pivoting to Engineered Robotics Systems.
Woody said the CTE plan serves as the district’s planning document and application for CTE state and federal funding.
The CTE Local Application System has been developed in compliance with Perkins V – The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act.
“The completion and approval of the local application also serves as a compliance document which meets all requirements of Perkins V – The Strengthening CTE for the 21st Century Act,” he explained.
“As we plan for Weathers Creek High School, we are working on an Aviation and Aeronautics program to anchor the CTE program there,” Woody said.
Iredell Ready partnership
I-SS, along with Mooresville Graded School District, Mitchell Community College, the Iredell County Economic Development Corporation, the Greater Statesville Chamber of Commerce and Iredell County Board of Commissioners are partners in a countywide effort to focus on career exposure, exploration and employment for fifth grade through postsecondary students.
The Iredell Ready collaborative is preparing the pipeline for business and industry partner needs to fill the many open career opportunities within Iredell County.
The school board will vote on the plan at its May 12 meeting at CATS, located at 350 Old Murdock Road in Troutman.