Jill Schramm/MDN Jersy Burgess arranges a blanket over a mannequin during a certified nursing assistant class at Minot High School September 26. CNA training is among the career and technical education programs offered through Minot Public Schools.

There is a lot of interest in career and technical education, but the challenge is bringing those opportunities to rural areas, according to North Dakota CTE Director Wayde Sick, Bismarck.

Through federal COVID-19 funding and state funds, about $120 million has become available to expand or build career and technology centers for 13 projects, including high school programs in Minot, Sick said.

“With the additional dollars we received for additional career and technology centers in the state, I think one trend or opportunity we have is giving students broader opportunities, no matter where they may live in the state of North Dakota. I think our students are very fortunate to have excellent career and technical education programs, no matter where they are. But what we want to try to accomplish is to provide access to every program available to every student so that they understand what the state has to offer in terms of career opportunities so that they can make an educated decision before they leave high school about what what their career path may look like” he said.

There are some pockets of the state that are doing a phenomenal job of providing different opportunities, although more could be offered with energy careers, he said. Opportunity gaps are more geographic because of North Dakota’s rural nature, he said.

“A small school might not be able to scale a program because they just don’t have the students, they can’t find the instructor.” he said. “If we’re able to expand them through partnerships across multiple school districts, which is what a CTE center really does, then we can really start to offer a lot of very diverse opportunities.”

Part of the CTE grant program was the requirement for a post-secondary partner, Sick said.

“What we’re seeing is that some of these CTE centers are inviting higher education to their doors to also offer some post-secondary education or even workforce training.” he said. One example is the Bakken Area Skill Center. Watford City does not have a post-secondary institution, but through partnerships with community colleges, it offers a post-secondary component to its programs, he said.

The goal is to do more of that and use CTE facilities to serve high school students and adults, he said.

“So instead of duplicating what might be available, can you work together and blend together to enable that to happen? I think the funding is probably there. We have dollars coming from our agency to support career and technical education programs at the high school level primarily. But there is also a formula in our university system that reimburses or pays colleges for college credits that are awarded. So I think the dollars are there. It’s just going in together and talking about the opportunities that a partnership could provide.” said sick. “Those conversations are happening.”

Lisa Johnson, vice chancellor for student and academic affairs with the University System of North Dakota, acknowledged partnerships that occur with local colleges or universities. Through simulation, some colleges and universities have also been able to offer CTE courses through a distance or virtual component, she added.

One of the biggest challenges has been the start-up cost of a CTE program, Johnson said. Another challenge when offering high school CTE courses for college credit is maintaining the rigor of college-level courses and demonstrating proficiency, she said.

Sick said enrollment in high school CTE courses is relatively strong. About 75% to 79% of students in the past six years have enrolled in a CTE course.

“Approximately 30% of our students take at least two courses on the same track. And that’s an area where I think we could definitely grow.” he said.

If a student takes at least two full courses in the same track, about 90 percent will pursue that area in the workforce or higher education, he said.

Students see that short-term training has value and that there are opportunities to add to that education in the future if they choose, Sick said.

“We’re definitely seeing great things, some innovation going on at our community colleges. And the students see that and are definitely moving in that direction.” he said. “So it’s exciting. We are doing some really great things in North Dakota and I hope it continues.”