CTE Spotlight, March 2025

March 2025

Please forward this newsletter to teachers, staff, and colleagues.

Updates

VCOE Career Education

CDE - State

CEC Updates:

Registration for High School Courses opened March 10th.
Counselors who have questions regarding CEC Registration can request the Counselor Connection recording by emailing Office Manager, Nicole Valentine.
Registration for Adult Programming opens April 21st. If you have any graduating seniors who are interested in these programs, information can be found here.

Registration is Open- CCGI Training for Counselors & Administrators:

April 25- Register Here

CalPass Plus Data Uploads:

Upload deadline extended to 05/31/25 due to technical adjustments
The years that need to be uploaded can be found below-

Program Spotlight:

ACHS Product Innovation & Design

The Adolfo Camarillo High School Architecture and Product Design students are partnering with kidSTREAM Children's Museum. The mission of kidSTREAM is to provide an engaging environment where kids play, explore, and discover. Under the leadership of Executive Director, Michael Shanklin, and Guest Experience Director, Dani Hildreth, the former Camarillo library is being transformed into a place where kids and families can engage in hands-on Science, Technology, Reading, Art, Engineering, and Math.

Through this amazing work-based learning opportunity ACHS students are designing, building and constructing future exhibits for the museum. Not only are the students gaining real world working experiences and completing necessary service hours, they are also giving back to a powerful project that is going to have a lasting impact on their community. At the forefront of this collaboration is Architecture and Product Design & Innovation teacher, Peter Watchel. Watchel’s program received the Dewalt Grow the Trades Grant, which is funding the transportation over to kidSTREAM as well as some of the tools that are being used by the students as they help bring the museum to life. Watchel and over 175 students are volunteering for 5 weeks painting, building and getting kidSTREAM ready as part of their SkillsUSA Chapter of Excellence Program. Congratulations to Mr. Watchel and the students of ACHS on a successful and impactful industry partnership!

Students from the ACHS Product Innovation & Design pathway are supporting kidSTREAM as they transform the old Camarillo Library into a 30,000 square foot children's museum. The vision room above was created to give the community an early glimpse of the future of the museum.

Program Spotlight:

Somis Agricultural Automation

Somis Union School District is harnessing the power of automation in agriculture to offer students innovative, hands-on learning experiences that bridge technology and farming. Through powerful collaboration with industry partners such as Value Electric, local farmers and the UCSB MESA program, Somis has made great strides in its goal of developing a CTE program in Agricultural Automation that prepares students for careers in the evolving field of agricultural technology.

Somis leveraged both local and Strong Workforce funds to revamp the existing school garden and outfit it to serve as a farm lab space for this program. This project required the support of an electrician to ensure that the garden would have a sufficient power supply, as well as an engineer to oversee the automation technology. The 6th-8th grade students engaged in hands-on learning right from the start as they cleaned out the planters and prepared them for their project. Currently there are 5 planter boxes they prepared to plant the blueberries that are being provided by Mars Farms. Each planter is outfitted with various sensors which will provide data to the control panel. Students will then analyze the data and make adjustments to ensure they are growing the best blueberry plants. This program represents the next generation of farming in Ventura County, equipping students with the skills to contribute to the local economy through modern automation techniques and sustainable agricultural practices.

Looking ahead, Dr. Vaca, Superintendent/Principal, intends to open the remaining planters in the farm lab to teachers in the K-5 grade levels for hands-on learning experiences. Somis also plans to organize community workshops for the local farming community to demonstrate the work being done with agricultural automation.

6th-8th grade students are learning how to read the data sent from their planter boxes to the control panel with the help of their engineering partner.

Regional Labor Market Information:

Agriculture, Water, and Environmental Technology

805 Industry Days

The end of February wrapped up a wonder 805 Industry Day season. Thank you to all counselors who took the time to come out and learn about the wonderful career education programs that VCCCD has to offer! We look forward to seeing you all next year.

Counselors participated in a hands-on activity at Oxnard College's Fire Academy on 1/31, facilitated by a retired fire captain who now teaches at in the program.

On 2/7, counselors toured the Ventura College Auto Program, which will begin offering a Bachelor of Science degree in Automotive Career Education in the 2025-2026 academic year.

It was a beautiful day at the Moorpark College Zoo! Counselors were able to tour the zoo and hear from the students in the Animal Care and Training Program on 2/28.

Opportunities for Counselors & Administrators

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