As resolved by the Vicksburg Board of Mayor and Aldermen and Warren County Board of Supervisors, February is Career and Technical Education month.

“We are very focused on CTE,” Vicksburg Warren School District Superintendent Chad Shealy said. “One of the things we’ve done as a district is the enrollment in our CTE programs. It’s pretty big for us, and we’re really excited about it.”

VWSD enrollment in CTE programs has increased from 280 last year to 588.

“For whatever reason, we’ve equated that everybody has to go to college,” Shealy said. “The probability of that statistically just isn’t very good.”

Shealy said nationally, Mississippi is ranked 14th for students who complete a bachelor’s degree in a six-year period with about 15 percent of students doing so.

“The majority of people are not walking around with a bachelor’s degree,” Shealy said. “Do I want every one of my children prepared for that if that’s their choice? Absolutely. But equally available to them is going to be other career education.”

VWSD Career and Technical Education Administrator Lucy DeRossette said the center has changed dramatically in the last few years and enrollment has skyrocketed.

“Hinds is a big part of why our CTE is going,” she said. “They’re putting in a lot of energy.”

DeRossette said the Vicksburg and Warren County community had been a leader in the state for vocational education, but just three years ago, the programs at Hinds Community College in Vicksburg had a much different focus.

“There was just a handful of high school students going and everything on the college end was academic,” she said. “There was no vocational for adults, but now they’re bringing a lot of that back.”

DeRossette said she’s excited about a partnership with the city of Vicksburg through Alderman Willis Thompson to grow the CTE program even more.

“In our public safety and law class, he is having firemen come in and prepare them for the EMT test,” she said. “He wants to partner with us for every department in the city to get these kids internships. That’s what’s going to change the school district is when the community embraces the schools and CTE programs.”

Student Service Coordinator Dr. Terence A. James said there are 14 programs at the Career and Technical Center: Agricultural and Natural Resources, Automotive Service Technician, Biomedical Science, Career Pathways Experience, Carpentry, Culinary Arts, Early Childhood Education, Engineering, Health Sciences, Precision Machining, Marketing and Business Fundamentals, Law and Public Safety, Simulation and Animation Design and Welding.

A Career and Technical Education Center Open House will be held at 6 p.m. Feb. 16 at the Joseph L. Loviza Auditorium Building at the Hinds Community College — Vicksburg-Warren Campus, 755 HWY 27. During this event, parents and community members can tour the center and receive more information about programs and services. Prior to the open house, there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Banks Building of Hinds Community College at 5:30 p.m.

Editor’s note: In celebration of Career and Technical Education month, The Vicksburg Post will publish a three-part series highlighting CTE educators beginning Tuesday as part of the regular Meet the Teacher feature.