CRESAPTOWN — From perfecting homemade gingerbread houses to reworking the wiring in a model home, students at the Center for Career and Technical Education were judged on their ability Monday during a Skills Showcase.
The event featured 11th-grade students across 14 different paths who worked on projects they started at the beginning of the school year in August.
Students who advanced during Monday’s showcase will compete in the regional Skills USA competition.
“It goes from this to the regional to the state level, and then we’ve had a number of kids participate at the national level when they win the state,” CCTE Principal Richard King said.
Students are judged on their ability to apply skills they have learned at the career center. Judges were those in the specific fields, many of whom were former career center students.
Upon hands-on course completion, King said many students will be able to enter the workforce directly out of high school.
King said students are able to obtain high-paying positions upon graduation in their specific course of study.
Various partnerships exist with local colleges, unions and career-specific organizations to set students up for success, King said.
Skill paths include health professions, auto collision repairs, automotive technology, carpentry, cosmetology, criminal justice/law enforcement, culinary arts, electrical, graphic communications, HVAC, interactive media production, manufacturing engineering technology, P-TECH and welding.
Career center classes are offered to junior and senior students in the Allegany County Public School system.
The regional Skills USA Competition will be held at the career center Jan. 31. Students from Allegany, Garrett, Frederick and Washington counties will compete.
“… I want to retire from right here. This is one of the good places. We call it one of the best kept secrets in the county,” King said.
Natalie Leslie can be reached at 304-639-4403.