Happy CTE Month!

February 6, 2024,

Happy Career and Technical Education Month! 

By Associate Dean, Jennifer McConville, Ed.D.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) prepares students for the workforce in many industries and occupations. Our academic programs in agriculture and veterinary technology at NCTA provide the needed knowledge and skills in high demand.

The value of CTE in dollars is real; according to the College Board, "CTE associate degrees can pay $10,000 more per year than associate degrees in other fields – and can even pay more than bachelor's degrees – while limiting student debt."

NCTA is recognizing CTE in many ways this month.  One way is through the radio spots we play weekly on KRVN. This month, several of our students will talk about high school teachers who influenced them! Morel Jurado from Imperial kicked us off last week, showing gratitude for his FFA advisor at Chase County High School. You may hear Morel's message in a video on our NCTA FaceBook page or YouTube channel.

We celebrate Nebraska's excellent public school system, which continues to elevate the CTE curriculum. NCTA and other two-year colleges are tasked to demonstrate our essential role as the next step for Nebraska's students on their educational path.

CTE courses are accessible in every public high school in Nebraska, and over 20,000 students gained invaluable leadership skills by participating in career and technical student organizations. These organizations, notably for us, FFA, drive students to strive for excellence, competing with their peers across the state and nation.

Thank you, everyone, for encouraging CTE and your role in helping our students succeed as they navigate their way through their CTE path at NCTA. If you know a CTE instructor or mentor, I encourage you to reach out to them and thank them for the part they play for CTE in Nebraska (or broader)!

As always, we encourage you to help us connect with students as they consider their college choices. For information, visit our website, ncta.unl.edu to schedule a campus tour or attend Discovery Days.

Part of the University of Nebraska system, the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture is a two-year institution with a statewide mission of preparing students for successful careers in agriculture, veterinary technology, and related industries. NCTA is known for its affordable tuition, high job-placement rate for its graduates, and student teams' success in competitive activities, including crops judging, ranch horse events, livestock judging, shotgun sports, stock dog trials, and intercollegiate rodeo. The college is consistently ranked as one of the best two-year schools in the nation.