District CTE director details growth in career-technical programs; $100,000 Fast Forward grant applied for robotic welding cell

Jeff Stenders, Director of Career and Technical Education and Alternative Education, told the Teaching, Learning and Engagement Committee that Beloit School District’s CTE programs have expanded in enrollments, certifications and industry partnerships, and that the district has applied for a $100,000 Department of Workforce Development Fast Forward grant to purchase a robotic welding cell that would advance the district’s manufacturing and welding offerings.

Stenders described the district’s range of CTE pathways — automotive, early childhood, hospitality/culinary, business, cabinetry, welding, CNC, and Project Lead The Way pre-engineering — and said the district guarantees certain career exploration experiences at each high-school grade level. He said work-based learning opportunities are strong and that some programs operate as actual scaled-up worksites: “The auto shop runs as a working auto shop,” Stenders said, and the construction program builds full-scale projects. He reported 2,385 student enrollments across 32 CTE classes in the current year (noting that some students take multiple courses) and said last year 155 students earned 491 college transcripted credits through dual-credit arrangements.

Stenders highlighted certifications and credential attainment, including recent CNC certifications and welding credentials. He said the district partners with Blackhawk Technical College for advanced-standing credit and dual-credit articulation and that some CTE courses can lead toward technical diplomas or associate-degree credit if students continue at partner colleges. The district’s CTE funding sources include the federal Perkins grant, the Wisconsin CTE incentive grant (Act 59) and other programs; Stenders said he relies primarily on grant funding to support equipment and materials purchases.

On recent achievements, Stenders said Beloit’s SkillsUSA chapter earned a state gold chapter of excellence designation for 2024–25 and that three CTE students were selected for a regional promotional video series. He described district plans to develop a CNA lab at Lloyd Memorial High School and said hospitality will be split into separate culinary and hospitality-management tracks in partnership with Blackhawk.

Stenders said he submitted a Fast Forward grant application that morning requesting $100,000 for an advanced robotic welding cell and end-of-arm tooling to benefit both welding and CNC labs. “We are hopeful,” he said; the district expected to learn whether the application is successful within a month. Committee members praised the expansion and asked follow-up questions about placement and post-graduate outcomes; Stenders noted that the district’s required Perkins post-graduate survey gets a low response rate (around 20%), making long-term placement tracking difficult.

Board members and staff said they would continue to explore partnerships and potential pilot programs that could allow students to graduate with college credit or credentials, and they identified continued employer engagement and grant funding as priorities to sustain program growth.

The committee did not take formal action on the update; it was received as information.