All students in the San Mateo Union High School District are required to take 10 credits of Career Technical Education as a graduation requirement. These courses prepare students for a career and provide students with the skills necessary to be successful in the future. Students are able to explore specific career pathways, such as engineering and architecture, health science and medical technology and food service and hospitality, all of which have real world applications for their lessons. After finishing a CTE course, most students have a strong understanding of what their next steps after high school could entail, whether they are pursuing advanced training in college or entering the workforce with the skills they learned.
Students who take two years of a CTE course are able to attend an off-site Industry Day where they have the opportunity to network with adults who work in the industry. Second year pathway students have the chance to present their portfolios, listen to industry talks and practice participating in or conducting interviews. This school year, there are four CTE Industry Days open to all students due to them being asynchronous this year. District CTE Coordinator Allison Gamlen works closely with CTE teachers throughout the district and has been planning Industry Days for three years.
“We are training students for real-world experiences,” Gamlen said. “They will learn the basics about how to research a career, create a resume [and] assemble a portfolio of work — those professional skills are transferable to every industry.”
Industry Days not only offer a wide range of professional experiences, but also showcase efforts to diversify different career pathways by seeing typically less represented minorities in successful jobs.
“Many industries have been dominated by people of a certain gender or a certain race or cultural background,” Gamlen said. “Industry Days give students a chance to meet leaders who are shifting the power.”
“CTE days are teaching some of the industry skills, some things you [put on] your resume … [or] portfolio“
Aragon CTE Chairperson Susan Hontalas works to find speakers for the Hospitality Industry Day. The classes she teaches, foods and nutrition and culinary arts, fall under the hospitality, tourism and recreation pathway. Past speakers have ranged from restaurant owners to fast food workers. Hontalas tries to find a wide range of speakers to show her students the different pathways they can take using the skills they have learned from her class and Industry Days.
“CTE days are teaching some of the industry skills, some things that you [put on] your resume, your professional bio or portfolio, and you learn some interview skills that aren’t really taught in any other class,” Hontalas said.
Digital photography teacher Nick Carrillo has been helping organize CTE Industry Days for several years. Carrillo allows all of his students to attend Industry Days because he has seen the impact that they can have on students trying to pick a path after high school.
“The goal is to bring that authentic conversation to each of these kids, so they know what they’re really getting into, because sometimes having a hobby doesn’t [necessarily] translate [into success] in the professional world,” Carrillo said.
Computer science teacher Kris Reiss has been taking his students on engaging and interactive field trips each year for Industry Days, introducing them to all the career paths available to them through using the skills they have acquired in his class.
“I think a lot of students have no idea what you could apply computer science to,” Reiss said. “Most of them have this vague notion of what a software engineer is on TV or maybe they have family members that code, but they might not have thought that you could do so much more and they can see this on the Industry Days.”
Biotechnology teacher Michael Wu helped put together Industry Days in the 2019-2020 school year before they were cancelled.
“The CTE Industry Days give students a better chance to learn how the knowledge you’re learning is applied in the real world,” Wu said.
Senior Marcella Chan has taken both foods and nutrition and culinary arts, which made her eligible to attend the Hospitality and Food Service Industry Day.
“I think even if you’re unsure [of] what you want to do or where you’re looking for jobs, [industry days] are a really good start because [of the] insight [you receive] from people with experience,” Chan said.
CTE Industry Days are an impactful way to teach students the paths they can take after high school, as well as help create networking for the students in college and eventually in finding careers. Having the knowledge of the guest speakers and presentations is valuable for deciding and creating a life after high school.
