Career and Technical Education Department hosts CTE and Transition Fair

The Career and Technical Education Department closed out CTE Week with the CTE and Transition Fair on Friday, hosting trade schools, colleges and organizations to share a wide range of opportunities with students. 

“We’re broadening what their scope is,” said Nina Capitelli, transition counsellor at MVHS. “Every student knows either college or trade school, but students don’t realize that there are other opportunities where they can start right after high school or go to college and do a trade. Cosmetology is one of those things where you can do on the side, and we’ve had students that go on and do hair while they go to college. It’s just these opportunities that they normally wouldn’t have.”

Organizations such as ACCES-VR (Adult Career and Continuing Education Services-Vocational Rehabilitation) and the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities were also at the fair to share information for students with disabilities.

Students visited representatives from businesses, trade schools, and colleges to learn more about how they can pursue their future careers. Universal Technical Institute, the New York State Department of Labor, and the Mount Vernon Youth Bureau were a few of the organizations sharing information with students. At the Department of Labor’s booth, students tried virtual training modules for different CTE-related fields. 

“With CTE, I want to learn how to start my own business,” said Isiah Flamer, an 11th grade student at MVHS. “I want to start my own restaurant, and in order to do that you can’t be afraid to ask questions. I spoke to Ms. Treasure (Youth Employment Services Coordinator at the Mount Vernon Youth Bureau), and she taught me that I always have to be confident. It’s very difficult in the culinary business because to start your own restaurant you have to go through a lot of stages.”

Students learned about a variety of programs that can continue the learning process they started in CTE at MVHS. Opportunities for credentials and certificates were available, offering students the opportunity to build their resume, work while they learn, and get into the workforce as soon as possible. 

“I spoke to a lot of good people, learned a lot of good information, and I’m pretty interested in pursuing a few things,” said Chelsea Crenshaw, an 11th grade student at MVHS. “I want to be a nurse, so I spoke to the Westchester School for Medical and Dental Assistants, and I also talked to a college that offers biology for four years. I’m hoping to either go to a college for the full four years or sign up for an extern program.”

The CTE and Transition Fair helped students gain a better understanding of their next steps after high school graduation and what they need to do to continue their education and achieve a successful career. The fair was a culmination of a weeklong of CTE activities, presentations and workshops at MVHS for CTE Week.