The Career and Technical Education (CTE) Collaborative Workgroup continues to expand its reach to other states by hosting visits to existing programs in Florida. Administrators from the South Carolina Technical College System will visit two CTE programs at the end of October. They will be touring Project TOPS at Robert Morgan Educational Center and Technical College in Miami, and the How I Reach Employment (HIRE) Program at Fort Myers Technical College. The visits will provide the South Carolina administrators a chance to see programs in operation, in preparation for building programs in South Carolina.
Our team has also been working with the Oklahoma Inclusive Post-Secondary Education Alliance (OKIPSEA). We shared information about existing CTE programs that are working with students with ID, and provided an outline of a pilot program in Culinary Arts, along with its respective pathways. We look forward to working with OKIPSEA and the directors of technical colleges across the state of Oklahoma to support program development.
In September, Drew Andrews and Christian Zimmerman were invited to present at the ECMC Foundation Postsecondary CTE Convening on Enhancing Postsecondary CTE for Students with Intellectual Disabilities in Denver. The presentation was well received, with several of the attendees sharing their concerns about existing support available on their campuses. ECMC is a nationally focused foundation working to improve higher education for career success through evidence-based innovation. ECMC also offers fellowships in a variety of areas, including Career and Technical Education (CTE). Christian applied to be a Fellow in the CTE division of the ECMC Fellowships and should hear back soon as to whether he will join the growing list of esteemed Fellows.
While in Denver, we presented at the Association on Career and Technical Education (ACTE) Postsecondary Conference. At the conclusion of the presentation, Drew and Christian were approached by almost a dozen attendees who shared personal stories about their own children and the struggles they faced in achieving access to postsecondary programs as well as lots of interest in knowing more about program development. In addition, ACTE asked Drew to join a panel presentation: Persistence and Completion of Special Populations: Lessons Learned in Postsecondary CTE. The following week Okaloosa Technical College Director, and CTE workgroup member Jon Williams joined Drew at the ACTE Best Practices Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah to present Fusing Federal Legislation into Career and Technical Education Initiatives to Expand Inclusive Postsecondary Higher Education Opportunities for Students with Intellectual Disabilities. Jon met with several attendees afterwards to offer further support for CTE options for students with ID.
Presenting information on inclusive postsecondary CTE program development and the successes of current students in established programs at national conferences has been received with great interest and a desire to learn more. As we move into the third year of our work, we hope to see even more program planning and development.
Contact either Drew Andrews (drew.andrews@ucf.edu) or Christian Zimmerman (christian.zimmerman@ucf.edu) for more information on the activities of the CTE workgroup.