Pittsburgh Public Schools product Angela Mike received her cosmetology license—before she even finished high school.
How did she do it? Personal desire, of course. But without the special elective-style courses offered by some Pittsburgh Public Schools like Westinghouse, Mike would never have obtained her license so soon.
Almost 30 years later, she’s vowing to make sure all connected with PPS—students, parents, family and friends—know about the district’s current Career and Technical Education (CTE) division.
“It fast-tracks students in career areas that they may be very passionate about,” said Mike, the executive director of the CTE division since 2010. “So if you always dreamed of being an engineer or in the healthcare field, a nurse, a doctor—there are programs you can take in high school and get a jumpstart in your career, three periods a day for three years.”
There are currently 15 CTE programs in six high schools across the district: Perry, Brashear, Carrick, Milliones/University Prep, Allderdice, and Westinghouse. Each school has its own number of programs. For example, Perry has the Cosmetology, Health Careers Technology and Information Technology programs, while Carrick offers Business Administration, Sports and Entertainment (B.A.S.E.), Carpentry, and Culinary Arts, among others.
Other CTE programs include Automotive Body Repair, Automotive Technology, Emergency Response Technology, Engineering Technology, Entertainment Technology, Finance Technology, Machine Operations, Multimedia Production and Coding, and RHVAC.
Mike said over 500 high school students are enrolled in CTE programs. Students have the ability to enroll in CTE programs at their current or home high school, or be transported to another nearby school for the CTE program’s three periods.
Mike’s home school was Allderdice, and attended Westinghouse for the cosmetology program. While a junior or senior can enroll in a CTE program at any time, the district has made an effort to have students begin CTE programs at the outset of their sophomore year.
“It’s critical to get the full three years in because they will leave with technical skills related to that career area, and they can actually go into an entry-level job and be prepared to go into postsecondary education,” Mike said.
PPS hosted an open house for incoming tenth-grade students at Westinghouse High School, June 21, where the students were introduced to some of the CTE programs and its teachers. Incoming Allderdice High School sophomore James Bailey was assisted by incoming Allderdice senior Jasmine Holloway, who has been in the Health Careers Technology program for two years.
“I want to be a nurse, and I want to show these kids what it’s like to be in this program, how fun it is, and what we can do to make the world better,” Holloway told the New Pittsburgh Courier. “I didn’t know anything about health careers,” she said. “I just knew what I saw on TV, and now I know more than I ever could being a high school student.”
In the Cosmetology program, Mike said a student, over the course of three years, could earn the necessary hours to take the Pennsylvania state board cosmetology exam. “You have the ability to leave high school with your cosmetology license,” she said. “Cost-free, right here in your high school. No debt.”
A forgotten aspect about the CTE programs offered, Mike said, is the ability to merge a number of educational elements for students. “For example, in Cosmetology, a student may be asked, ‘What’s the ratio of hair color to peroxide that you need to mix together?’ All the classes they take in school, math, science and English, it becomes relevant, and the light bulb goes on. ‘You mean I’m learning about ratios?’ They didn’t even get it until they get in here (the CTE program),” Mike said. “They use (the skills from other courses) and then there’s a tangible product that comes out from using those different skills.”
Mike said there’s still room for PPS high school students to enroll in a CTE program, along with parents who wish to alert their son or daughter about the advantages of CTE programs. Interested parties can call 412-529-8690, Email cte@pghboe.net or visit the CTE Facebook page at facebook.com/PPS.CTE.
“You leave (the CTE program) with industry certifications…so when I say fast-track, I’m not just saying that,” Mike said. “You really leave with credentials and postsecondary credits.”
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