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State education leaders spotlight CareerTech Month and 'Earn and Learn' hospital program
Summary
At the February board meeting officials celebrated Career and Technical Education month and highlighted an "Earn and Learn" partnership with East Alabama Health in Opelika that hires qualified high school seniors as nurse techs; students described hands-on experience working in emergency departments during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Alabama State Board of Education used part of its February meeting to spotlight Career and Technical Education (CTE) month and to showcase an "Earn and Learn" hospital partnership that places qualified high school seniors into paid health-care jobs.
Dr. Jimmy Hall, the department's CTE director, introduced the program and a short video emphasizing CTE participation and graduation rates. He said the department had distributed a middle-grades CTE grant, planned further rounds of grants and was developing drone and cyber-technology grants for JROTC programs.
The board heard directly from students in an East Alabama Health "Earn and Learn" program based in Opelika. Laura Lee Farmer, a senior from Auburn High School, said working in the emergency department confirmed her desire to major in nursing. "In just a few short weeks of being involved in the program, it has made me realize I want to major in nursing and pursue a career in emergency department," she said, describing tasks including wound care, assisting with EKGs, triage, completing patient charts and COVID tests. Zoe Dollar, a senior at Beauregard High School, said the experience exposed her to hospital terminology, operations and the range of roles on a care team.
Details the department provided: the Earn and Learn program began in 2007, expanded with a private grant, and this year offered jobs to 18 applicants from Auburn, Beauregard and Opelika high schools. Participating students are high school seniors enrolled in a health-science program who have earned a nationally recognized credential; they work up to 20 hours per week at $10 per hour for a 90-day period and are then considered for full- or part-time employment at higher pay.
Why it matters: department leaders said the program gives students real workplace experience, helps address local workforce shortages and strengthens school'to'career pathways. Dr. Hall said the state is working to expand middle grades CTE and align programs to in-demand jobs across workforce regions.
