BTEC holds Corporate Family Event

By Aila Boyd

aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com

Botetourt Technical Education Center (BTEC) hosted a Botetourt Corporate Family Event last Wednesday. The event allowed area employers the opportunity to meet with school and division officials and tour the facility.

“We are very excited to host this event here today,” Dr. Lisa Chen, superintendent, said.

Shaun Sparks, the principal, said that he’s always excited to have visitors at BTEC because it allows him to talk the numerous programs that the school has.

Mike Ketron, supervisor of CTE and adult education, explained that the school needs industry partnerships for every program in order to provide students with a well-rounded experience. He noted that the industry partnerships are, and should be, based on a mutually beneficial partnership.

The total enrollment at the school is 575, including students from Lord Botetourt High School, James River High School, and Craig County High School.

“We have a lot of kids who come here and figure out what they want to do,” Ketron said. “We give them the skills and certifications, but we need to have somewhere for them to go.”

Sparks echoed Ketron’s sentiment by noting that the majority of students who start out at BTEC only know about the types of jobs that their parents work. “We have students who will be going into the workforce, the military, and away to college all coming here on a daily basis,” he said. “We want to expose them to the different opportunities and our partnerships allow us to do that.”

The programs offered at BTEC include: aerospace technology, auto body, auto service, building trades, computer systems technology, cosmetology, criminal justice, cybersecurity, engineering, information systems technology, mechatronics, nurse aide, Teachers for Tomorrow, veterinary technology, and welding.

This past May, 15 students from the school were recognized at the CTE Career Signing Day. Additionally, 160 industry recognized certifications were attained during the 2018-2019 school year.

The school currently has 20 business and industry partnerships. The partnerships allow students the opportunity to learn more about potential career options and gain hands-on work experience.