The nation’s 1,100-plus Catholic high schools have typically focused on preparing for
college. But that’s beginning to change. Catholic schools are now exploring career and technical education to prepare students for the workforce.
Mercy Catholic Career & Technical High School in Philadelphia is the only Catholic CTE in
the country. The Sisters of Mercy school is celebrating its 75th anniversary.
It’s the role model for St. Peter’s Catholic Career & Technical High School in Houston,
which is in its second year. The school has about two dozen first- and second-year students and will add a junior class next year. Principal Marc Martinez hopes to increase enrollment as the school becomes better known.
First-year students take a career development course and, as sophomores, choose a career
pathway: business, information technology, early childhood education or construction. Martinez said that the school is close to UTHealth Houston, the University of Texas’s medical center, and plans to expand into health sciences.
“Being the first in Texas, there was no blueprint for what a Catholic Career Technical
School would look like,” Martinez said. “We looked at our industry needs in Houston and Texas
to determine what programs to offer.”
And Martinez reached out to Mercy CTE.
Mercy provides role model
Mercy President Howie Brown said the school hasn’t always been a traditional high school.
For the first two decades, Mercy was a technical institute where students studied for three years to earn certificates in the trades. In the early 1970s, the school moved to a new location and
added the academic courses necessary for a high school.
The 350 students choose from one of seven career pathways: advertising & design, building
trades, business, cosmetology, culinary & pastry arts, health occupations and IT solutions.
Brown said about a third of the graduates go to a four-year college, a third go to a
community college or technical school and a third enter the workforce.
Brown and Martinez said they spend several hours every week fielding inquiries from other
dioceses and archdioceses looking to expand into CTE.
Brown said he is glad to be a resource for other schools. The interaction also benefits Mercy
by keeping them informed about new ideas and products.
Martinez said that half his time is spent running the school and the other half fielding calls
from other dioceses.
He presented about CTE last year at St. Louis University and will address it again in April at
the National Catholic Educational Association.
CTE is part of Church’s mission
“The Church is beginning to realize that college isn’t the path for all students,” Martinez
said. “Why we stopped having trade schools, I don’t know. There is a demand for it. I’m excited
to lead the charge.”
The Jesuit Cristo Rey Network, founded in 2000, has about three dozen high schools that
offer low-income students a career-focused college preparatory curriculum.
St. Francis Academy in Gainesville, Fla., opened its Health Science Institute four years ago.
It’s the only high school in the Diocese of St. Augustine to offer workforce training.
The program initially offered certification as an EKG technician or pharmacy technician. A
year ago, it added a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certificate.
Janine Plavac, R.N., heads up the institute, which she thinks has strong appeal in a city
home to the University of Florida and two major medical systems.
“It is incredibly difficult for students to get accepted into postgraduate programs such as
nursing, physical therapy, pharmacy and medical school,” Plavac said. “These opportunities to
obtain certifications and then work in their respective fields while in college give them a leg up
on getting accepted to those schools.”
The four-year program includes classwork and hands-on activities. In the fall of their senior
year, they do their classroom work and in the spring, their on-site clinic work, typically after
school or on weekends. The pharmacy tech students work at Walgreens, the EKG students work at UF Health Shands, and the CNA students work at North Florida Regional Medical Center or a long-term care assisted living or skilled nursing facility.
After graduation, they can continue to work while they pursue a degree in their health-
related career.
Catholic CTE continues to evolve
Brown said he expects Catholic CTE to continue to evolve.
“Some are dipping their toes while others are fully integrating it,” Brown said.
CTE means that Catholic schools will have to do things differently: Some career pathways, like nursing and cosmetology, require licensing in many states, which can be a lengthy process.
Teachers need to be experts in their field, which often means they have little classroom experience.
Margaret Scarborough, who teaches certified nursing classes at St. Francis Academy, started
as a teacher but returned to school to become a pediatric oncology nurse. However, she realized she wanted to teach and nurse, which she could do at the Health Science Institute.
Mercy and St. Peter’s rely on industry advisors to craft and update their curricula and find
teachers.
CTE students benefit from career experience
Students face trade-offs as well.
CTE schools teach core classes like English, history and math but can’t offer other courses
like foreign languages and Advanced Placement.
They have less flexibility when it comes to transferring in and out. Each semester builds on
the coursework from previous semesters, so a student cannot transfer in and start from scratch. Students switching between a CTE and a traditional high school will likely lose credits. And traditional schools may not recognize credits in career-related courses.
However, students often have the opportunity to earn money working in jobs related to their
coursework.
“It’s really smart for Catholic schools to consider CTE,” Brown said. “It’s a practical
business decision that helps diversify offerings. It’s grounded in the Church’s mission and values
around the dignity of work and workers. With CTE, you can lean into that, and integrating it is
both practical and purposeful.”
Opinions expressed by SmartBrief contributors are their own.
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