Onslow BOE approves CTE local application, expands internship and credential programs

The Onslow County Board of Education on a unanimous voice vote approved the district's Career and Technical Education (CTE) local application after a presentation from William Lane, the district's executive director of secondary services and director of career technical education.

Lane told the board the application is driven by a Perkins V-required comprehensive local needs assessment and aims to increase industry-recognized credentials, strengthen regional business and educational partnerships and expand work-based learning opportunities for students.

The plan outlines program growth and specific investments. "As you can see, our career continuum has taken us years to put this together," Lane said, describing a K-12 framework that culminates in high-school career pathways and work-based learning. He highlighted planned new and returning programs, including an Advanced Manufacturing Academy at Northside High School, a new medical assisting course at the Eastern North Carolina Regional Skills Center, the return of masonry instruction at White Oak High School, and a Marine Corps JROTC program at Southwest High School.

Lane described operational and instructional improvements supported by the application: increased career and technical student organization (CTSO) adviser stipends from $500 to $1,000; installation and repairs of greenhouses and foods labs at multiple schools; new welding machines to allow aluminum welding; and a summer internship program that provides high-school credit, orientation, and on-site job coaching for participating students.

He also reported program outcomes and compliance results. "As a direct result of their attention to detail and execution of the plan, I can proudly share OCS CTE is operating in 100% full compliance," Lane said, citing a recent North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) monitoring visit and local proof-of-learning validation. Lane noted 42 credentials had been earned in one course where students previously earned none.

The CTE presentation included student testimony. Carly Kincaid, a senior at Swansboro High School, described her path through biomedical and teaching-as-a-profession courses and credited CTE with providing field experiences and skills for college and career plans.

Board discussion before the vote was procedural; the motion to approve the CTE local application carried by voice vote with no recorded roll-call tally provided in the minutes. The approval authorizes the district to implement the programs and expenditures set out in the Perkins V local application and to submit the application to required state authorities for funding and oversight.

Implementation will rely on continued engagement with regional employers, NCDPI oversight of Perkins funding and the district's ability to staff and equip the planned courses and work-based learning placements. The board did not attach amendments to the application at the meeting and no formal dissent was recorded.

The district director thanked local partners for donations and sponsorships that will fund a small number of paid internships; the Onslow County Home Builders Association was named as a sponsor for four paid construction internships.

Next steps include state review where required under Perkins V and local scheduling and procurement to deliver equipment and internships over the coming months.