CTE committee urges stronger industry outreach, staffing and apprenticeship pilots to grow career pathways

The SeATEC career and technical education advisory committee urged FCPS to strengthen employer partnerships, scale outreach to families and schools, and pilot apprenticeship opportunities and transportation solutions to increase access to CTE pathways.

"Many families and students simply do not know what CTE opportunities exist or how to prepare for them," the SeATEC chair said, urging board members to help amplify CTE features in newsletters and PTA outreach and to encourage middle‑school career investigations that prepare students for high‑school pathways.

The committee called attention to a staffing shortfall: it said two full‑time FCPS staff currently handle most employer outreach across tens of thousands of local businesses. SeATEC recommended exploring grant-funded or third‑party partnerships to scale employer engagement, and suggested the county economic-development authority and trade associations could be natural partners in building internship, apprenticeship and mentoring pipelines.

On apprenticeships, the committee recommended investigating models that accommodate high‑school schedules, address transportation constraints and leverage state incentives where available. Members also submitted updated committee bylaws (first major update since 2014).

Next steps: SeATEC asked the board to support outreach to economic development partners, request staff follow‑up on third‑party options, and work with state and county partners on apprenticeship-friendly policy and funding.