The Arkansas Department of Education Division of Career and Technical Education recently chose the Warren School District to host an Arkansas Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month Showcase.
State officials, local officials, and business and industry partners gathered Feb. 22 at South East Arkansas Community-Based Education Center (SEACBEC) to celebrate the career and technical educational accomplishments of Warren High School and the district during the CTE event, according to a news release.
Superintendent Bryan Cornish welcomed guests and Mayor Denisa Pennington discussed how Bradley County was one of the first to receive the distinction of an ACT Work Ready Community in Arkansas in 2019.
Janie Carter, former workforce grant manager with the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) College of Technology-Crossett, discussed the history of the program and the significance of this distinction for Southeast Arkansas, according to the release.
SEACBEC Director Devin McDiarmid discussed the collaboration with Warren High School Principal Tiffany Gathen and with Ruthie Courtney, Warren High School Work-based learning coordinator. During the showcase, Courtney accepted the 2021 Maintaining Phase I plaque on behalf of Bradley County for maintaining the ACT Work Ready Community status.
SEACBEC and the high school faculty have been working with students on completing the WorkKeys assessments prior to students taking the exam for the National Career Readiness Certification.
Sonja Wright-McMurray, senior associate director for the Division of Career and Technical Education at the education department, provided insight on the connection of CTE course completion and increased graduation rates. She applauded the Warren district and high school and SEACBEC in their efforts to successfully provide students work-based learning and career readiness opportunities.
Guests heard from a panel of CTE students which included Hector Torres, Annie Figueroa, Ashlyn Broughton, Landon Jennings, Olivia Brown, Quwan Ross, and Chandler Byrd. Each has obtained their National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) certification. As of today, 100 Warren students have received the certification.