Check Out These Cool & Unusual Careers Your Teen Can Prepare For In High School
10 Career & College Promise CTE pathways you never knew existed (Part 1)
Here in North Carolina, most people know about our first-in-the-nation dual enrollment program, Career and College Promise, and most people also know its biggest selling point: high school students can attend any community college in the state tuition-free, earning college credit and hopefully saving as much as two years off a bachelor’s degree at one of our fabulous UNC-system schools (and others as well). But lesser known than CCP’s college transfer pathway (and, in my opinion, severely underutilized) is its sister program, the Career and College Promise CTE pathway. CTE stands for Career and Technical Education. If your high schooler hasn’t looked into these courses, they’re missing out!
What Are CTE Pathways?
Like CCP’s transfer courses, tuition-free CTE courses confer college credit that can also be recorded on the high school transcript, meaning you earn double the credit. They are available to qualified high school juniors and seniors, and in some cases, freshmen and sophomores as well. But unlike college transfer courses, CTE courses do not generally transfer to a four-year college or university. Instead, they result in a degree, diploma, certificate, or specific workforce credential.
That means your high schooler can use the CTE Pathway to graduate from high school well on their way — or even fully prepared for — an entry-level career in a high-demand industry. Even if four-year-college-bound, they can also use CTE courses to supplement an area of interest or earn a useful credential alongside their degree. Most students can enroll in a CTE pathway even if they are already enrolled in a College Transfer pathway.
What Kinds Of Courses Are Offered?
CTE pathways at most NC community colleges cover a wide variety of popular industries, including accounting and finance, business, culinary arts, IT, and law enforcement — all the kinds of jobs that probably come to mind when you think about community colleges. But today I want to highlight some programs that are a bit more outside-the-box — programs you might not even know existed but that might just be a great fit for your student!
While these programs are only offered at a handful of schools, the beauty of CCP is that it allows students to take classes at any community college in the state. Some of these programs may require in-person work, meaning you’ll need to live within driving distance. But others are fully online, so it doesn’t matter if you live in Manteo or Murphy or anywhere in between!
The pathways below may also be offered at other schools, but colleges only make certain programs available to CCP students. The programs and colleges listed here are all available to high schoolers via CCP.
1. Electrocardiogram (EKG) Tech
Offered at: Sampson Community College
This program prepares students to become a certified EKG Technician and focuses on the anatomy and physiology of the heart. Students will learn to recognize various types of heart dysrhythmia, including sinus, junctional/atrial, and ventricular rhythms and heart blocks, as well as basic capnography as it relates to heart function. They will be trained to operate EKG equipment and interpret results. Students in this program must be 18 years old.
2. Recreational Therapy Assistant
Offered at: Western Piedmont Community College
Recreational therapy assistants use games and activities to rehabilitate and build the skills of clients recovering from illness or injury and those with disabilities. They work in a wide variety of settings, including group homes, hospitals, substance abuse treatment centers, and nursing homes. This program equips students to implement recreational therapy treatments with many types of clients. A total of 13 credit hours in coursework such as leisure education, inclusive programming, and adaptive activities is required.
3. Natural Hair Care
Offered at: Fayetteville Tech, Western Piedmont Community College
This program equips students to pass the tests required by the NC State Board of Cosmetic Arts and to become a licensed natural hair care specialist. Students learn to apply a variety of natural hair care techniques, including twisting, locking, wrapping, extending, blow drying, and use of a thermal iron. They also gain experience with basic hair care topics such as sanitation, anatomy, and hair and scalp disorders. Coursework leads to a certificate in natural hair care.
4. Aquaculture Technology
Offered at: Carteret Community College
The 15-credit-hour aquaculture certificate program includes both classroom instruction and practical exposure to the world of shellfish and fish production. Species commonly produced in North Carolina, including channel catfish, striped bass, rainbow trout, crawfish, clams, and oysters, are highlighted. Students will also learn about the design of production facilities, farm and business management, and marketing.
5. Forest Management Technology
Offered at: Haywood Community College, Montgomery Community College, Wayne Community College
Have a student who loves the outdoors? Forest management programs equip nature-lovers with the skills needed to sustainably manage, produce, and protect natural resources. Students will develop competency in such areas as forest inventory skills, tree identification, timber harvesting, forest ecology, forest restoration, forest fire fighting, and sales, purchasing, and operations in a hands-on environment. This certificate program may also be leverageable into an AAS degree, and possibly even into a bachelor’s degree, upon matriculation, so be sure to ask about advancement options and articulation agreements in place at your community college.
6. Cyber Crime/Digital Forensics/Cyber Forensic Accounting
Offered at: Asheville-Buncombe Community College, Cape Fear Community College, Guilford Tech
This certificate pathway combines interests in criminal justice, law, and information technology, equipping students to investigate cyber crimes, retrieve and seize evidence, and aid law enforcement in the prosecution of cyber criminals. They will learn methods of gathering evidence, creating network security plans, and recovering data and learn to identify ethical issues and trends in the industry. Students who successfully complete the program are qualified for jobs as computer security specialists and consultants to private businesses.
7. Turfgrass Management
Offered at: Brunswick Community College, Catawba Valley Community College, Guilford Tech, Wayne Community College
This program prepares students for careers in golf course and sports field management, lawn care, irrigation design, and sod production. Students learn species identification and habitats, irrigation design and techniques, and equipment operation. Turfgrass management is offered as a certificate (11-18 credit hours) and, at Brunswick, as the more intensive (41 credit hours) diploma program for CCP students. These programs may be leverageable into an AAS or bachelor’s degree in turfgrass management upon matriculation, so be sure to ask about advancement options and articulation agreements in place at your community college.
8. Motorsports Management
Offered at: Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
For students who love NASCAR, motocross, and other forms of racing, the Motorsports Management program could be a good fit. This basic certificate program may prepare your teen for such jobs as race team manager, events coordinator, fabricator, or racing mechanic. Coursework covers technical skills such as engine/DriveTrain and chassis fundamentals, as well as business topics such as marketing.
9. Broadcasting & Production
Offered at: Central Piedmont Community College, Isothermal Community College
These programs lay a foundation in broadcast video and/or audio production and are especially good for students interested in careers in journalism, broadcasting, public relations, film, communications, or advertising. Isothermal’s more comprehensive diploma pathway allows students to concentrate on either video or audio and includes coursework in writing, law, ethics, and sales, in addition to technical courses.
10. Civil Engineering Technology
Offered at: Fayetteville Tech, Sandhills Community College, Wake Tech
Civil Engineering Technology prepares students to work in the planning and design of transportation and utility infrastructure and residential and commercial sites. Students will work with such software as CAD and GIS and learn about construction materials and methods and project planning and management. Coursework may be leverageable into an associate’s or bachelor’s degree upon matriculation, so ask your community college about advancement opportunities and articulation agreements in place.
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