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Celebrate the Next Toolbelt Generation During February’s CTE Month

29 Jan 2025
News
Dubbed the “Toolbelt Generation,” Gen Z’ers are showing a piqued interest in pursuing a career in skilled trades vs. a traditional college education. With February marking Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month, the Jamestown/Stutsman Development Corporation (JSDC) is thrilled to celebrate the James Valley Career and Tech Center (JVCTC), which supports students from Jamestown, Montpelier, and Pingree-Buchanan interested in agriculture, automotive technology, child care and development, construction, family and consumer science, information technology, and machine tooling and welding.
“Over my many years of teaching, I've seen a change in what students talk about doing after high school. It used to be only four-year colleges and universities that you would hear kids talk about. Now, students are talking more about on-the-job training, certificate programs or two-year colleges,” said Teresa Olson, Child Care and Development Instructor at the JVCTC with 22 years of teaching experience overall. “I think part of the reason is that people are talking more about careers that don't require the four-year degree… realizing just how important they are to us as a society. Students are also looking at the cost of going to a four-year school and paying back those loans and the lifetime earnings vs. going into the trades and the lifetime earnings of those careers.”
With an emphasis on promoting and enhancing technical education, CTE Month is a national campaign that highlights the benefits of learning a trade in a globally competitive workplace. By designing pathways of opportunity that connect students with real-world experience, North Dakota is poised to welcome a dynamic and skilled workforce to the region.
Forging their Own Path
According to a recent article by the Wall Street Journal, the shifting interest from white to blue-collar jobs can be attributed to disenchantment with the soaring cost of a traditional college education coupled with lagging starting salaries within traditional fields of business. According to Education Data, the national student loan debt has ballooned to over $1.7 trillion, with the average graduate owning up to $106,850. Consumer funding corporation Sallie Mae stated that students can expect to pay an average of $36,436/year for college vs. $17,600/year for trade school, numbers that have become hard to resist for the up-and-coming workforce.
JVCTC attendees can further bolster their resumes by joining the local chapter of SkillsUSA, a nationwide workforce development organization for students. “Our SkillsUSA chapter provides valuable leadership opportunities,” said Olson. “The favorite service project we have participated in for the last three years has been Shop with a Cop, where we go and help wrap presents and spread Christmas spirit. Many of our students have competed in the State SkillsUSA competition, and over the past three years, we've had six students represent the JVCTC and the State of North Dakota at the National Skills and Leadership Conference. We are also fortunate to have a Work-Based Learning program where juniors and seniors who have completed at least a credit in one program area can gain even more hands-on experience by working at various businesses in the community. This opportunity gives students another perspective of their future careers and helps them solidify their decisions.”
CTE institutions like the JVCTC also enjoy a dynamic collaboration with North Dakota Small Business Development Centers (NDSBDC) by taking a multifaceted approach to education and career development. By annually connecting over 2,000 local businesses with students, companies enjoy a pipeline of skilled interns while students gain hands-on experience with a front-row seat to industry innovations in their chosen field.
A Feeling of Belonging
That hands-on experience has produced a chorus of positive feedback from students of the JVCTC. “They say it makes learning more interesting, helping them decide if it is a field they really can see themselves doing long term as a career, and love the feeling of belonging at the CTC,” said Olson.
The partnership formed by the NDSBDC, JSDC, and CTE institutions across the state has another benefit: economic stimulation. By offering business workshops, one-on-one advising, mentorship programs, and other initiatives, students become well-equipped to make informed decisions about turning their technical education into a successful small business of their own. As a result, it creates a new generation of entrepreneurs in North Dakota.
“I think it is important to take the time to remind ourselves of the benefits of Career and Technical Education in our community and state and what our CTE is doing to help develop the workforce,” said Olson. “CTE Month allows local businesses to visit our center, share about what happens in their business, and work with instructors to convey what they need and want from future employees.”
For more information about how the JDSC is celebrating CTE Month, click here!
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