Harlingen CISD’s director for career and technical education told trustees the district is expanding CTE so students leave high school ready for college or careers, including a planned “thirteenth year” transition program, deeper employer partnerships, and an increased emphasis on soft skills.

Nelda Alonso, who identified herself as the district’s director for CTE, told the board the department’s vision is to “ensure that our students know where they're going past graduation” and described a plan that begins with career exploration in middle school, a career digital portfolio and a required personal graduation plan in high school. That plan is intended to culminate in annual student‑led conferences with teachers and parents to track progress toward postsecondary or workforce goals.

Alonso listed four strategic priorities: expanding networking and advisory committees with industry partners, deepening collaboration with postsecondary institutions (including dual credit expansion), establishing a thirteenth‑year program for seniors, and embedding soft‑skills instruction into regular coursework. She described a tri‑agency partnership referenced in the presentation involving the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Texas Workforce Commission; a third agency in the slide was referenced as “TA” in the meeting transcript.

The CTE team described active employer engagement in the region. Alonso highlighted local economic development partners — named in the meeting as Jane Lozano and Orlando Campos of the Harlingen EDC — and said industry advisory committees meet twice a year to align instruction with regional workforce needs. Alonso gave a recent example: students in the district’s auto‑mechanics program visited a Mercedes‑Benz facility and encountered alumni working there, which staff said demonstrates direct pipelines to employment.

Alonso also described efforts to expand work‑based learning and certifications. She said the district wants students to complete coherent four‑year programs of study and leave high school with industry‑based certifications (IBC) where appropriate. Alonso said some students already earn stackable certifications (for example in HVAC and welding) and the district is working to push more students toward those stackable pathways. She noted the district covers certification testing costs and wants to better communicate what each credential enables students to do after graduation.

On internships and externships, staff said the current number of formal internships is small but growing: a grant allowed roughly 14 students to work in district operations in a pilot program, and Alonso said nearly a dozen campus teachers have participated in externships; she cited 14 teachers participating last year and about 12 teachers currently on externship rotations. The team said they are pursuing more summer and short‑term job‑shadowing opportunities with community partners to increase exposure without requiring long placements.

Parental engagement was emphasized as central to the plan. Alonso described the district’s first parental CTE Expo this year and said a short printed booklet listing each program’s four‑year sequence was distributed; parents in attendance reportedly responded that the booklet was exactly the resource they needed. Alonso said the district will use the website and other outreach to help parents understand programs and post‑graduation options before preregistration decisions.

Board members praised the department’s outreach and encouraged continuing to align certifications with local labor demand, to scale externships, and to ensure students gain both technical and soft skills. Alonso said the district is pursuing grants (she mentioned a prospective grant tied to a project with Court Appointed Special Advocates, CASA) and will continue to report back on partnership expansion, enrollment in dual credit, and practicum opportunities.

Staff framed the work as a regional workforce strategy: “When schools, colleges, businesses, and civic leaders work together, students are better prepared to enter the workforce or college with confidence,” Alonso said.