San Andreas – Local high school students are getting the inside scoop on current career opportunities in the Mother Lode through this year’s Career Technical Education (CTE) project presentations. The first of six CTE presentations, a seminar on Health Care Careers took place Wednesday, September 11 at Calaveras High School (CHS). Guest speakers were Mark Twain Medical Center’s Chief Nurse Executive and Vice President of Patient Care Services Katherine McCoy and (no relation) General Surgeon and Chief of Staff Dr. Andrew McCoy.

A combined total of 175 students attended the session. Bret Harte students were able to participate remotely via live stream technology purchased with funding from the Calaveras Community Foundation. Participants were able to use a QR code to submit questions that were displayed on a laptop for the presenters to answer.

Clayton Moore is a CHS junior who attended Wednesday’s presentation. “I think that it is a great idea for this to happen,” he said. “It helps kids that want a career in this field. The medical field sounds cool, I wouldn’t mind having a job in the medical field.”

Marian Airola, a senior at CHS, said, “The presentation today was very helpful and insightful. It was great to hear about the options and career choices; it was a real eye-opener and made it more of a reality.”

The selection of CTE topics for this year was a collaborative effort of the Calaveras County Office of Education (CCOE) and both high schools, which surveyed students to determine the local growth industries of greatest interest to students. The winners were Health Care; Agriculture and Natural Resources; Engineering and Maintenance; Manufacturing and Product Development; Energy, Construction and Utilities; and Business, Hospitality and Entrepreneurship.

Terri Tanner, Calaveras High School college and career counselor, stated, “Students are excited to know they have a say in what types of presentations CTE will provide this year.”

The effort to expand CTE opportunities for students is paying off, according to Brandon Price, dean of Career Technical Education and Economic Development at Columbia College. “Career and Technical Education is vital to meeting the workforce needs in our community,” said Price. “Enrollment is up at Columbia College this fall; this is largely credited to recent increases in the proportion of area high school graduates choosing to attend college and more students choosing Columbia. We proud of our strong partnerships with local employers which ensures we meet their need for skilled workers while providing students access to rewarding careers.”

The Health Care Career Presentation on Sept. 11 @ CHS can be watched on CCOE YouTube channel or at www.calaverascte.org on the podcasts page.

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Note to Reporters: An August 2019 report from the Center of Excellence “Labor Market Analysis: Mother Lode Region” provides information on occupation demand, entry-level and experienced wages, and education/work experience required for each of the 12 industries sectors researched. For example, the Business sector is projected to have 570 annual job openings and the Repair and Maintenance sector 779 annual job openings. More information and the full report are available at http://coeccc.net/Search.aspx?id=2737