As Career & Technical Education (CTE) Month® kicks off this week, we asked Realityworks President and CEO Timm Boettcher to tell us, in his own words, what CTE Month® means to him. In addition to presiding over our experiential learning company, Timm serves on the board of directors of the West Central Wisconsin Workforce Development Board and is the former chair of the Industry Workforce Needs Coalition. He was also named the Association of Career and Technical Education’s (ACTE) 2015 Business Leader of the Year for his sustained commitment to improving CTE.
What does CTE Month mean to you?
I firmly believe that there isn’t a day that goes by that you could live without CTE. You can see this in the cars that you drive and the roads you drive on; you see it in the shops and restaurants you frequent and the buildings in which they are housed. CTE is in health care, child care, education and food production. CTE is everywhere — and it is responsible for building a fabric in our nation to keep our economy vibrant and healthy.
Right now, US business leaders are faced with a significant challenge: fill the skills gap with educated, qualified professionals. This disparity between the skills job-seekers have and the skills employers need can be seen in industries across the nation — and in the wake of the pandemic, the need for employees in the US has only continued to grow.
CTE is the answer to training these professionals in high-demand areas, but awareness and advocacy for CTE programs is needed. CTE Month is a great opportunity to generate that needed awareness and advocacy while showcasing the benefits of CTE programs and bringing together business leaders, CTE educators and students.
Why is it important to recognize CTE Month this February and year-round?
CTE Month is a time to bring awareness to a type of program that can benefit students and businesses alike through joint efforts of ACTE, businesses, educators and students. While CTE Month provides a platform on which to promote the value of CTE programs alongside entities across the nation, regular and constant advocacy is needed to connect educators with business leaders and develop CTE programs that match curricula to industry requirements and ensure students receive skills needed for employment.
What steps do you recommend business leaders take to engage with educators in their area during CTE Month?
By engaging in the development of programs, business leaders can help educators match curricula to industry requirements to be sure students receive skills needed for employment. Business leaders can also support schools that are training their future workforce by allowing for schools to tour their businesses, engaging in speaking opportunities and helping fund programs. Business leaders can even become active in workforce development boards and other organizations, and speak out to political leaders about the benefits of CTE programs to their businesses.
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