CARIBOU, Maine — February is national Career and Technical Education Month and students at the Caribou Technology Center have been busy working in the many programs offered by the education center.
According to guidance counselor Tracy Corbin, CTE Month gives students the opportunity to share with the community all of the great things happening at the Caribou-based regional technology center.
“We have grown to quite a large center, now offering 14 programs to students from our six sending schools. With a student population of just under 200 students, many of our programs are filled to capacity and have waiting lists,” Corbin said.
Students attending programs at the Tech Center seek higher-paying jobs while in high school and college, and have the chance to save money while earning industry certifications. Students also have the opportunity to earn college credits through the center’s dual-enrollment opportunities.
“This generation of students really place an emphasis on saving money and being able to earn more money sooner in life. One of their favorite sayings is, ‘It’s all about the Benjamins’,” Corbin said.
Nick Clark, Easton High School student, attends the health and medical sciences program and is working on earning his CNA, PSS, and BCLS certifications through the Tech Center, which will save him over $1,200 in fees. He’s been accepted into the UMFK nursing program and hopes to someday become a nurse anesthetist.
“I’m taking this course to gain a better understanding of the medical field and to get a head start on my career,” Clark said.
Students will be spared over $30,000 in college tuition through dual enrollment this year, and over $60,000 worth of certifications are earned each year at the Tech Center, according to Corbin.
“Over 80 percent of our seniors are accepted to one or more colleges and universities each year, and over 40 percent of our students gain employment in a related field before graduating from high school,” Corbin said.
The Caribou Technology Center services approximately 190 students from Caribou, Presque Isle, Limestone, Fort Fairfield, Washburn and Easton; offering courses in agriculture, auto body repair, automotive technology, commercial driver’s license, computer servicing, criminal justice, culinary arts, food services, graphic arts, health and medical sciences, large equipment, marketing and business, residential construction, and welding and metal fabrication.
Corbin says CTE students are two and a half times more likely to be employed while in college than college prep students, and that 18 out of 20 of the fastest growing occupations require skills learned at a CTE institution.
