Pennsylvania Department of Education Secretary Dr. Noe Ortega visited Dauphin County Technical School to highlight the importance of career and technical education and celebrate CTE Month with administrators, faculty, and students.
“Through career and technical centers, students can work together with industry professionals in their schools and communities, network and build connections across the commonwealth, fulfill local workforce needs, and promote the valuable role career and technical education plays in our educational system. These innovative programs are built on foundations of academic rigor and high expectations for student learning and success,” Ortega said. “The achievements and successes of these students demonstrate how these schools advance the narrative that there are multiple pathways to postsecondary success for Pennsylvania’s students.”
Governor Tom Wolf has proposed a $6 million increase for career and technical education in his final budget.
Over the past seven years, Pennsylvania has invested $116 million in science, computer science and technical education, including $80 million in the innovative PAsmart program, and $36 million in apprenticeships and workforce training. Since 2015, the number of career and technical education students earning industry-recognized credentials has increased by 38.7 percent and the number of credentials earned by students enrolled in CTE programs has grown by 33.6 percent.
DCTS is a full-time comprehensive public career and technical high school that believes in educating the whole student by focusing on both the student’s academic and career preparation. DCTS offers 24 programs of study for students to explore in the schools of construction and manufacturing, visual arts and information technology, health sciences and public services, and transportation.
In addition to a career and technical education, students at DCTS can choose from a variety of classes, including both Advanced Placement (AP) classes and dual enrollment programs through Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC). DCTS also offers 16 Adult Education courses for adults seeking to learn new skills to improve their lives at home, in jobs, or through personal growth and enrichment.
“DCTS is honored that Secretary Ortega visited our school today to recognize the importance of CTE month and to view our outstanding programs as our goal at DCTS is to ensure we provide students with the skills, knowledge, and work ethic to become successful adults as they enter the workforce, college, or the military,” said Dr. Karen Pflugh, Administrative Director.
Dauphin County Technical School serves all of Dauphin County. The school has more than 1,000 students from 11 high schools in the Central Dauphin, Derry Township, Halifax Area, Harrisburg, Lower Dauphin, Middletown Area, Millersburg Area, Steelton-Highspire, Susquehanna Township, and Upper Dauphin school districts.
Dauphin County Technical School’s curriculum is grounded in academic and industry-based standards to provide students with the skills and knowledge to enter post-secondary education or the workforce in a constantly changing, dynamic, and competitive world.
CTE Month is a public awareness campaign organized by the Association for Career and Technical Education that takes place each February to celebrate the value of CTE and the achievements and accomplishments of CTE programs across the country.
