Career & Technical Education
Preparing Student for Beyond the Classroom
Every child has his or her own interests and learning style. If a child becomes bored or can’t see the long-term applications of what they are learning in school, they may drop out of school. Over 80% of dropouts say relevant, real-world learning opportunities would have kept them in high school.
We are experiencing a skills gap in this country which is causing over a million jobs to remain open and unfilled. The hardest jobs to fill in the United States are in the trade, transportation and utilities sector (726,000 jobs) and manufacturing (256,000 jobs).
CTE addresses the needs of high-growth industries and helps close the skills gap. It is estimated that 30% of the 55 million job openings created by 2020 such as in STEM or health care occupations will require some college or a two-year associate degree.
Williamsport Area High School offers courses in the following Career and Technical Education subject areas:
- Accounting
- Automotive Mechanics Technology
- Biotechnology
- Business Administration
- Commercial Art
- Computer Information Technology
- Construction Trades
- Culinary Arts
- Diversified Occupations: Work-Based Learning Experience
- Early Childhood Education
- Health Professions
- Homeland Security
- Engineering and Robotics
- Precision Machining
- Welding Technology
All courses are taken at the high school. Specialized classrooms with proper tools, safety equipment and supervision provide students with real world environments to further help them envision themselves in a particular career field.
Career & Technical Education Works:
- Graduation rates for CTE students is approximately 90% — 15% higher than the national freshmen graduation rate
- Over 70% of CTE concentrators seek additional education after high school
- 585 Williamsport Area High School students enrolled in CTE (2017-2018)
Students of the month
Click here for students of the monthNondiscrimination Statement
The Williamsport Area School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age in its programs or activities. Career and Technical Education offerings are available in each of the following Career Pathways: Arts & Communication; Business, Finance, and IT; Engineering and Industrial Technology; Human Services; and Science and Health. Lack of English language skills will not be a barrier to admission and participation in career and technical education. Inquiries may be directed to the Title IX coordinator, Dr. Richard Poole, Director of Student Services, for issues related to students or to Mrs. Sheila Shull, Section 504 Coordinator. Both are located at the Williamsport Area School District, 2780 West Fourth St. Telephone number: 570-327-5500, ext. 40310, for Dr. Poole and ext. 40410 for Mrs. Shull.
SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA is America’s proud champion of the skilled trades. We’re a student-led partnership of education and industry that’s building the future skilled workforce our nation depends on with graduates who are career ready, day one.