2024 CTE Works! Summit

Hear how the Spring Lake Park Schools have created partnerships with local industry and colleges to provide students with opportunities for success. The Career and College Readiness Center at Spring Lake Park offers a wide-array of options so each student leaves the district with career and college skills.

What you'll gain from this session:

• Participants in this session will be able to take ideas related to direct career readiness skills back to their schools to support student interests in post-secondary success.
• School counselors or advisors will be able to help students and parents navigate best practices for learning more about college readiness from a wide range of perspectives(financial, academic, location, FAFSA, etc).
• Participants will be able to take what is presented and reach out to local partners in industry, training, and education to provide a vast array of opportunities for staff and students. 

As we continue to advance our efforts in education and workforce development, the intersection of STEM and CTE presents a unique opportunity to prepare students for the future. This session will bring together education thought leaders from both STEM and CTE to explore how they can work together to create a more robust learning experience. Through a moderated panel discussion, participants will gain insights into successful integration strategies and discover new opportunities for collaboration.

This session will bring together education thought leaders from both the STEM and Career and Technical Education (CTE) fields to explore the dynamic intersection of these two critical areas. As the demand for a skilled workforce in STEM-related fields continues to grow, CTE programs have become increasingly important. This panel discussion will delve into how together, STEM and CTE create more comprehensive and impactful educational experiences for students.

Attendees will leave with actionable ideas to enhance their programs and better prepare students for high-demand careers in STEM-related fields. This session will also serve as a platform for building stronger connections between the STEM and CTE communities, fostering a shared commitment to student success and innovation in education.

Session Objectives:

• Highlight Synergies: Examine the natural synergies between STEM and CTE and how they can be leveraged to enhance student learning and career readiness.
• Overcoming Challenges: Discuss the challenges of aligning STEM education with CTE pathways and explore solutions to overcome these barriers.
• Future Opportunities: Explore future opportunities for collaboration between STEM and CTE to better prepare students for the evolving workforce.

Target Audience:
Educators, administrators, policymakers, and industry professionals interested in the intersection of STEM and CTE, and those looking to innovate and strengthen their educational programs.

Panelists:
The panel will feature leading experts from both STEM and CTE fields, including:
[Tim Barrett, Trade & Industry Specialist, MDE] – CTE, curriculum design education and workforce development.
[Sarah Carter, STEM/Computer Science Integration Specialist]– STEM curriculum design and implementation.
[Aaron Sykes, Assistant Director, National Center for Autonomous Technologies] – Emerging technology, workforce development, with experience in STEM-CTE partnerships.
[Melissa Huppert, Ph.D., STEM Outreach Director, Minnesota State Engineering Center of Excellence] – STEM program design and STEM outreach.
[Vic Dreier, Sr. Director School Success, Project Lead the Way] – STEM and CTE program integration and outreach.

Moderator:
[Emily Saed, Director, MN STEM Ecosystem] – CTE and STEM collaboration facilitator, CTE-STEM network development and outreach.

Learning Outcomes for Participants:

• Enhance Student Career Readiness: Participants will learn how the integration of STEM and CTE can better prepare students for high-demand careers, ensuring they possess both technical skills and critical STEM competencies.
• Explore Opportunities for Collaboration: Educators and administrators will discover new opportunities for collaboration between STEM and CTE to create more robust and interconnected learning pathways.
• Incorporate Emerging Technologies and Trends: Attendees will gain insights into how emerging technologies and current STEM trends can be beneficial to CTE programs, keeping them relevant and forward-thinking.
• Design Cross-Disciplinary Projects: Educators will better understand how cross-disciplinary learning combining STEM and CTE can support problem-solving, creativity, and workforce readiness.
• Apply Insights to Curriculum Development: Attendees will be equipped with actionable ideas and resources to refine and develop their own curricula to meet the needs of today’s workforce.

These learning outcomes will help participants leave the session with practical knowledge and strategies they can apply to improve their programs and better prepare students for future careers.

To support schools to effectively implement components of the Solar for Schools legislation, a solar energy company partnered with a science educator to design hands-on educational modules for elementary and high school students to support solar energy career readiness and interest in STEAM learning and careers. Join us to learn about this collaboration and how CTE educators and industry professionals can partner to prepare K-12 students for high-wage, high-skill, high-demand careers.

This presentation will focus on the collaborative efforts of industry and education professionals to design interdisciplinary educational modules focused on solar energy concepts and careers for 5th grade and high school students.  Presenters will share information about the legislative process that inspired this work, their process for working together to understand and meet the diverse needs of interested parties, and the benefits of this collaborative effort for the solar energy company and industry, schools, and students.  They will also lead discussions with participants to brainstorm ideas for future industry-education partnerships to support CTE teaching and learning to prepare K-12 students for high-wage, high-skill, high-demand careers.

Participants will be able to:

• Describe connections between legislation and innovation in Career & Technical Education.
• Describe connections between the strengths and needs of both industry and education.
• Explain the importance of collaboration between industry and education to support career readiness in CTE fields.