Worland's CTE course expansion giving students a leg up in future careers

In an ever-evolving society marked by a changing job market and increased costs of living, it's more important than ever that graduating high schoolers are prepared for the road ahead.

For that reason, the offering of career and technical education (CTE) courses at Worland High School has substantially grown this school year. Historically, when one thinks of CTE courses offered at the high school they might think about welding or automobile mechanics. While those programs are still around and as strong as ever, the overall CTE program has grown to encompass a much wider range of career fields.

Some of these new CTE offerings - and many concurrent enrollment courses also offered at the school - are geared towards giving students a head start towards a college education.

Worland's ANB President Duane Whitlock is teaching a new finance course at the high school, enlisted into the CTE teaching staff after a conversation with Principal Bruce Miller. "He can be pretty persuasive," joked Whitlock.

Whitlock's course aims to introduce students to the industry of banking and finance, but also to give high schoolers literacy in the financial decisions they will need to make as an adult. He said that they have already gone over what careers are available in the industry, what prerequisites they need to go into those careers and salaries they would likely have. Outside of that, he has taught his students how to set up a bank account, what types of accounts there are and fees they will encounter. He has also introduced concepts such as buying a car or a house, how to establish credit and how to invest. " No matter who you are, here's what you're going to be faced with and need educated about," said Whitlock.

He has taken his students on field trips to some of the banks in Worland to see the real world applications of what they are learning, and said that in the future they will be tasked with going through a job interview.

The new graphic design program is taught by Stacey Utterback, a freelance graphic designer of nearly 25 years. Her course offers an introduction into the industry, a look at potential careers, and aims to expose students to the process of building their own art portfolios that they can put on their resumes.

Utterback had previously completed design work for the high school, and has educated adults in graphic design. When Miller approached her to teach her course at the high school, she decided that it fit well with her.

Her course focuses on digital and print design, and using professional software that is industry standard to produce the students' projects. Utterback said that her course will have application for those who don't necessarily want to pursue a career in graphic design, too though. "Alternatively, students can use this class to find out if this isn't something they want to do. Even if they don't like the course, that's a win, because now they know that it's not something they want to go into. They don't have to go through college to figure that out. But then, if they need to make their own business card, or a sign for a garage sale, they know how to do it."

Another college-geared course new to Worland High School this year, an intro to psychology course is taught by Danielle Warren, and it's concurrent enrollment with Northwest College, earning her students a college credit in a social science class. Warren, currently working in her own private practice at Innerpeace Counseling in Worland as well as working part-time as a college professor at University of the Cumberlands, has worked in private practice for 13 years and as a school counselor for another 10 years up until last year. During her transition back to private practice she had the opportunity to bring her psychology teaching to the high school as part of the CTE expansion.

Her intro to psychology course teaches students the foundations of psychology and the basics of how the brain works. She states that her course is aimed at students who wish to pursue psychology as a career, but she also recognizes that not all of her students will go on to be psychologists. She said, "Understanding why people think how they do is central to a lot of different careers, and it's important in our interpersonal relationships and our own lives. There are a lot of advantages in knowing about psychology that will carry over to other parts of your life whether you are a psychology major or not."

While it is an incredible advantage to give college-focused students advantages before they continue schooling, according to Miller the school is facing the reality that recently, fewer and fewer students are going on to college after they graduate. Aside from just preparing the students who plan to further their education, the most important issue he has been confronted with has been giving those students who don't plan to go to college an edge when it comes to achieving their goals in the workforce after high school.

Although he wasn't reached for an interview, Captain Zach Newton of the Worland Police Department is teaching a law enforcement course that will prepare students for a career in his field.

Nikki Donahue, co-owner and broker at Berkshire-Hathaway Homeservices Hake Realty in Worland, began teaching a course this year that will allow high school students to complete all the prerequisites to taking the real estate license test. Donahue spoke with Miller at a Rotary Club meeting, where she said she had mentioned in passing that she would enjoy teaching real estate to students at the high school. With Miller's plan to expand the CTE program, he reached out again before the school year to formally invite her to join.

The first semester is underway, having already gained approval from the State of Wyoming Real Estate Commission, and her second semester is in the process of getting approved. She said, "This is subject material targeted at adults, so they are difficult classes. My students have to be focused and responsible, and they're doing a good job. It's awesome to watch these kids take on this responsibility and blossom."

So far, Donahue's students have learned about property ownership, titles, contracts and listing agreements. Again, the end goal of the program is to introduce students to how the world of real estate works and prepare them to take the test to become a fully licensed Realtor if that is their goal.

Washakie County School District No. 1 Transportation Director Aaron Newell is teaching a new commercial driver's license (CDL) and heavy machinery operating course to seniors at Worland High School.

His course encompasses subjects such as safety training, preparing for written tests, and in the spring semester he hopes to have access to vehicles to allow his students to acquire driving experience in various scenarios. For those students who are 18 years old, Newell says that they can obtain a commercial driving permit and complete entry level driver training while in his program, and eventually even take the test to hold an intrastate CDL, a license that restricts the holder to travel within the state.

He said, "My guarantee to my students is that if they meet all the requirements and pass all the tests leading up to it, then we will pay for one opportunity to take the state test through the [Department of Motor Vehicles]. If they didn't pass that, it just means they have to retake it, but it would be on their dime."

Currently his students are focusing on pre-trip practices and studying for tests. While students have access to use buses once they begin to practice driving, Newell hopes that in the beginning of next year he will have an arrangement to gain access to a tractor/trailer combo to give students a wider range of experience.

For course completion along with a single attempt at the State of Wyoming's CDL test, Newell estimates a cost of about $550 per student. For this reason, he is extremely grateful and wants to thank those who have generously donated funds toward his program. "Thank you to the community, they have been amazing helping out with donations to get the program going," he said.

Newell said that he has been in the transportation industry for over 20 years, and he's very excited to be able to offer this opportunity to high school students. He said, "It's huge. So far, everyone in my class is taking this thing seriously. If you hold a CDL and you're a good driver, you are always employable. There's a lot of opportunities in the transportation world that people don't even think about that are good paying jobs. Even if they don't pursue that, having a CDL means that if you are ever in a situation where you could save money by hauling something yourself, you can. A CDL is never a bad thing to have."

A common theme among all five of the new CTE teachers interviewed is that their students were getting a "leg up" in preparing for their futures. Their exposure to career fields while still in high school is an invaluable experience whether they plan to continue down that path, or whether they decide that it's not for them.

Whitlock ended his interview saying, "I think that our youth today are intelligent and gifted, and they are introduced to an increasingly difficult market to find jobs, to save money, to buy a house; any time they get an opportunity to gain something that can arm them with knowledge to start making these decisions sooner is a great thing. I wish that I had some of that insight when I was their age, where I had to learn it by trial and error."