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DeSoto County Schools reports growth in CTE applications and expands career-exploration programs
Summary
Director of Workforce Development Beth Turner updated the board on career and technical education (CTE) recruitment, program participation, industry partnerships and K–12 career-exploration activities; the district reported roughly 1,660 CTE applications and new hands-on programming at elementary and middle schools.
Beth Turner, Director of Workforce Development for the DeSoto County School District, told the board the district received a little over 1,660 applications for CTE (career and technical education) programs for the 2025–26 school year and expects more than 630 new Year 1 students. Turner said total Year 1 and Year 2 enrollment will be “a little over a thousand.”
Turner described recruitment practices — student services, CTE counselors, student ambassadors, campus tours, pop-up sessions and demonstrations — and highlighted hands-on learning in shops and labs. She said ed prep students job-shadowed multiple school and central-office roles and then met with central services departments including academic services, physical plant, technology, human resources and accountability to see how central services support school roles.
Turner said students and program teams have won regional and state competitions (Technology Student Association, welding and skills contests) and some will advance to national competitions. The district has ongoing “workforce Wednesdays” spotlights for work-based learning students and an “alumni spotlight” to connect graduates with current students as guest speakers.
Middle- and elementary-school outreach includes career fairs and class pilots: Olive Branch Middle piloted a sixth-grade career exploration class replacing study skills; Horn Lake and Lewisburg middle schools hosted career fairs and DeSoto Central planned a career fair April 4 at 1:00 p.m. Turner described elementary partnerships with the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office (mentorship and “deputy for a day” incentives) and collaborations with university departments (Ole Miss geology demonstrations) and with health sciences CTE students doing 3-D models and demonstrations tied to first-grade curricula.
Turner highlighted CTE tours at East and West campuses for eighth graders and the Overpark Elementary STEAM Night that included industry partners and hands-on activities. She closed by thanking parents, industry partners and central services staff for supporting CTE and career exploration across K–12.
No board action was required for the presentation; the update was informational.
