Cabot School District highlights CTE growth, employer partnerships and job-ready certifications

Dr. Gatewood, a district staff member, told the Cabot School Board that the district’s Career and Technical Education program has expanded its course offerings and employer partnerships, producing more program completers and industry-recognized certifications.

The presentation, given during the board’s regular meeting, outlined program counts, completion figures and local employer ties that Dr. Gatewood said are designed to give students immediate career options upon graduation. "We have 11 different programs. Within those programs, we have 19 pathways of study," Dr. Gatewood said. He added that 469 seniors are scheduled as completers in CTE pathways and that the district typically issues more than 1,200 career-related certifications across programs each year.

The report stressed that some certifications are directly career-ready while others enhance employability. Dr. Gatewood said the certified nursing assistant (CNA) credential is a direct pathway into the workforce: "Out of our most recent graduating class, 27 of 27 students earned their CNA certification, a 100% pass rate," he said.

Board members and district staff questioned and discussed how the programs translate to jobs and internships. Dr. Gatewood described partnerships with local employers and health systems that provide student internships, clinical shadowing and on-site training. He said Unity Health has been bringing students into its clinic for observation and supervised activities, and that local companies such as Fuller Electric have worked with the district to create an electrical apprenticeship pipeline that lets students bank apprenticeship hours while still in high school.

Dr. Gatewood also reviewed specialized offerings and pilot programs: EMT training (noted as using an external partner referred to in the presentation as ASUB), a firefighter certification sequence that some other Arkansas districts are also pursuing, and an electrical pre-apprenticeship run in partnership with contractors and a Department of Labor arrangement. He said a small number of seniors are already banking apprenticeship hours through evening classes and that several students who completed firefighter or EMT-related coursework have gone on to paid work with local departments.

Board members raised concerns about the statewide changes to pathway and graduation requirements, particularly a rising computer-science graduation requirement that Dr. Gatewood said could reallocate seats away from other electives and CTE classes. "That requirement is impacting not only CTE, but also theater and band and other areas," he said, urging the board to continue work with district staff and partners to meet the requirement without unduly shrinking other program offerings.

The presentation concluded with examples of student outcomes the district highlighted as evidence of CTE’s value: seniors earning state- and national-level certifications, students achieving top state scores on certification exams, and students entering the workforce or postsecondary programs because of their CTE credentials. Dr. Gatewood closed by asking the board to support ongoing partnership development and pathway alignment to local workforce needs.

Board members did not take formal action on the CTE presentation at the meeting; it was presented for information and future planning.