Nebraska schools boost career technical education to help students get high-demand jobs
The bright blue electrical boxes, equipped with small switches, red knobs and winding valves, might seem foreign to the average person, but they're very familiar to Omaha Northwest students.
A group of sophomores, juniors and seniors has used the equipment to learn multiple skills and even earn certifications through Northwest's energy systems technology pathway. It's one of many career and technical education programs in the Omaha Public Schools.
It's been three years since the district expanded college and career academies and pathways to all nine high schools. The programming was once available to only a select few but is now mandatory for all students.
The move was initially controversial among some staff and parents, with some saying the changes were rushed or didn't make sense. But OPS officials said the plan would give students critical career skills while they explore job industries in an engaging way.
The district isn't alone in expanding such offerings. Schools, nonprofits and education officials across Nebraska and the U.S. are boosting career technical education (CTE) to keep up with industry demand and increase opportunities for secondary students.
"Schools are expanding their CTE offerings to meet the needs of both students and employers, with a focus on those fields most in demand in Nebraska, such as health care, advanced manufacturing and information technology," said Katie Graham, state director of the Nebraska Department of Education's Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education. "These areas reflect growing industries across Nebraska, and we're seeing more students enrolling in these pathways as they recognize the value of industry-aligned education."
The number of Nebraska students in grades 7-12 who participated in career technical education increased from 114,285 in the 2020-21 school year to 128,486 last school year, according to the Nebraska Department of Education.
Career technical education gives students "the opportunity to explore careers and acquire real-world skills while learning the academic content they need for their future," according to a 2022-23 report from the state's Education Department. It also provides employers a skilled workforce to meet the demand for job openings.
CTE includes a long list of industries, including agriculture, business, marketing, computer science, health science, skilled and technical science and more. For years, many of these fields experienced labor shortages, sparking changes on local, state and federal levels to create more CTE programming and funding to increase the workforce, according to Advance CTE , the national association of state CTE directors.
In 2023, 47 states enacted 115 policies regarding CTE and career readiness, according to the latest Advance CTE national report . The focus on CTE has escalated in Nebraska as government officials and lawmakers have worked to prevent the state's increasing "brain drain" — a net loss of college-educated people through migration to other states.
Internships, funding 'a win, win, win'
Changes implemented in recent years include a two-year, $20 million contract to scale up the state's internship program and more funding for the Nebraska Career Scholarship , which provides financial assistance to college students pursuing degrees in high-demand career fields. For the first time, the Nebraska Legislature also obligated $5 million of its annual budget for schools to implement CTE programming.
"We see this all as a win, win, win. It's state money that's building a state solution, you know, for everyone who's playing," Graham said. "We're so excited. Businesses are excited. We just need to get more students."
At Omaha Northwest, students in the energy systems technology pathway learn skills that can prepare them for a variety of industries, such as manufacturing, automotive and power production. The pathway is also a dual-credit program with Metropolitan Community College.
Teresa Bender, Northwest's curriculum specialist, said creating the energy pathway has been challenging but rewarding. The school had to get rid of its traditional industrial classes, such as woodshop and welding, to make room for the pathway program.
"The goal is to have a dual-enrollment opportunity and a certificate opportunity, and in the beginning, it was terrifying and felt very hard and scary," Bender said. "Employers look at those certificates and say, 'Great, you know how to do this.' It's been phenomenal for our kids, because that way, it might not get them a job, but it's going to help build their résumé. And that's the heart of it."
So far, students in the program have been able to earn certifications from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and in skills like precision measurements, a critical expertise in industrial jobs.
Todd Wesslund, instructor for the energy systems technology pathway, said students will graduate high school with enough credits to be halfway through an associate's degree.
"It bridges the gap a lot more between high school and college or employment," Wesslund said. "I have no doubt we're going to have students that just go straight into the workforce. But if a student wants to go to a university system and and major in mechanical engineering, this is it. They will be way beyond where the other students are."
Other programs around the state
School districts around Nebraska have been leaning into career technical education in recent years.
In August, the Fremont Public Schools opened a $28 million high school career and technical education center that offers programming in auto mechanics, welding, construction drafting, mechatronics, robotics and health sciences.
In the metro area, the Elkhorn Public Schools unveiled a new CTE scholarship program in May. Students receive funding depending on how many CTE courses they take, plus dedication to internship, community service and extracurricular hours. Seniors can qualify for $500, $900 or $1,350 in college tuition scholarships depending on their degree of involvement.
The Bellevue district also finished a multimillion-dollar renovation of its career center this fall to boost CTE offerings for students.
Bellevue's Frank Kumor Career Center offers academies in automotive maintenance, aviation, certified nursing assistance and education.
Brad Stueve, Bellevue's coordinator of college and career education and enrollment, said the district has been increasing its focus on CTE over recent years.
"We have a pretty robust population of kids that take our career and technical education classes. And we have a lot of great programs at both our high schools," he said. "We have the welding programs, construction, metals classes, woods classes. The career center has just taken that to the next level and allowing these kids to take a deeper dive into some of these other careers that we offer."
The Nebraska Department of Education is also using its new funding to launch many projects around CTE. Department officials recently launched an online labor market navigation tool for schools to use in order to identify high-demand careers and other local CTE data.
Graham said the department is finishing a statewide workplace experiences portal, which will be a "one-stop shop" for schools and local businesses to connect.
"We've partnered with Avenue Scholars, which has successfully run the InternOmaha program for years — we are scaling and enhancing their internship platform and making it available at no cost to schools or businesses statewide," Graham said. "We're hopeful this will reduce the burden on both schools and businesses in establishing these partnerships to create authentic workplace experience opportunities for all Nebraska learners."
Northwest senior Matthews Gebreyesus said he didn't know anything about the school's energy pathway but now credits the program for skills that will help him after graduation, even if he doesn't pursue the same industry. Gebreyesus said he's planning to enroll in a college business program next year.
"It's interesting to learn new things. It's just a fun experience," he said. "It's nice to learn a new skill, something that I never knew, and I can use it outside of school."
Bender said the next step in Omaha Northwest's energy pathway is to create internship opportunities. Starting next year, school officials will begin partnering with local businesses to give students hands-on experience.
Bender said career pathway programs only work if there's an industry need. Otherwise, Nebraska's youths end up moving "to a different industry or market, outside of the state, outside of the city," she said.
"That's not what we want. We want our kids to stay here," Bender said. "We want to grow our own economy, and in order for us to do that, we have to meet the needs of what our larger community is asking for, and that's exactly what we got here."
K-12 Education Reporter
