February is National Career and Technical Education Month, where we celebrate the value of CTE and the achievements of CTE programs across the country. According to the Association for Career and Technical Education, High School students who are involved in CTE courses perform better in academics, stay more engaged, and graduate at higher rates in comparison to students who do not take CTE courses.

Elite has a dedicated CTE Program that provides our students with opportunities to explore different career paths or find a career avenue that they are passionate about. Yadira Diaz is one of our Flex Academy Students that is exploring one of her interests, which is cooking!

Yadira is taking a Culinary Arts course through the CTE Program at College of the Desert. She recently earned the award of “Best Plate” in her class, pictured above! Yadira is a wonderful example of gaining the fundamental knowledge and skills that a career-ready student needs in order to prepare for the transition to postsecondary education, career training, or the workforce.

Currently, Elite Academic Academy has four industry pathways for students to choose from and will be launching more program choices in the 2020-2021 school year. Students are able to take the CTE course electives in sequential order to obtain CTE program experience, industry experience, integrated courses, and may also choose to take concurrent courses with their local community college to earn toward program completion and early college credit.

Click the links below to gather more information on the CTE Program and how Elite is dedicated to ensuring all students have the opportunity to reach their career goals.