Career Tech News

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News for students, families and friends | Winter 2025

Come Explore Career Pathways at our State-Recognized Center

It’s award season in the world of Career and Technical Education (CTE), and North Ed Career Tech is fortunate to be coming away from the annual CTE conference in Grand Rapids with multiple trophies. This year, our Health Sciences program was acknowledged with the Excellence in Practice award for Engaging Instruction. In addition, North Ed guidance counselor Karmin Olds was honored as Counseling and Career Development Professional of the Year. These awards are a tangible reminder of the outstanding work being done throughout our building on a daily basis, and we couldn't be more excited for our students and staff to be recognized.

Career Tech is the place to be, and our hallways and classrooms are certainly indicative of that fact. Students from Engineering Academy to Precision Machining, and Business Careers to Writers Studio are hard at work preparing for their futures. Of course, with February being CTE month, we have even more to look forward to on the horizon.

On Feb. 5 and 6, we will open our doors to more than 1,800 sophomores from our five-county region to experience our 22 state-approved CTE programs. The building will be absolutely buzzing with excited future Career Tech students.

Respectfully,

Pat Lamb

Northwest Education Services

Career & Technical Education Assistant Superintendent

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10th Graders Get a Sneak Peek at Career Tech

In February, Career Tech is welcoming hundreds of 10th grade students from area schools to tour our state-of-the-art facility and get a sneak peek at our 20+ programs. Prior to their visit, each student selected their four favorite programs to explore, helping them to decide whether to pursue enrollment at Career Tech for their junior and senior years.

From Agriscience to Welding and everything in between, there's a Career Tech program for everyone. Students and families may contact Career Tech's main office with questions at 231.922.6273.

Career Tech Enrollment How-To

Career Tech Pre-Registration Application

Beginning Feb. 6, students who would like to attend Career Tech may complete a Career Tech Pre-Registration Application for the 2025-2026 school year, which is located on the North Ed Career Tech website.

High School Counselor

Students who fill out the Career Tech Pre-Registration Application must also notify their local high school counselor that they are seeking Career Tech enrollment.

Notification

In May, local high school counselors will notify students whether they have secured a spot in a Career Tech program. New enrolled students will receive letters by mail in August inviting them to Career Tech orientations on Aug. 26 and 27, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Late enrollment will continue through mid-September for programs that still have openings at that time.

Questions

If students have questions about Career Tech enrollment, speak with a high school counselor or contact our Career Tech school counselors:

Barry Bialik, bbialik@NorthwestEd.org

Karmin Olds, kolds@NorthwestEd.org

Career Tech Calendar of Events

Jan. 20-Feb. 4: National Technical Honor Society Applications

Feb. 5-6: 10th Grade Visits

Feb 28: Career Tech Scholarship Applications Due

March 8: Saturday School

March 24-28: Spring Break, no students at Career Tech

April 3: Career Tech Career Fair

April 12: Saturday School

NTHS Applications Due Feb. 4

Check the National Technical Honor Society page of the Career Tech website for details about spring 2025 NTHS membership! Application window is open from Jan. 20 - Feb. 4.

Career Tech Scholarship Applications Due Feb. 28

Applications for Career Tech scholarships are due Feb. 28. For more information about the many scholarships available, visit the Scholarship section of the

Career Tech website.

Career Tech Scholarship Program

Scholarship Program Inspire Video

Michigan Community College Guarantee

As seniors and their families start to finalize their post-graduation decisions, we wanted to share some new opportunities available to all North Ed Career Tech students at Northwestern Michigan College.

Northwestern Michigan College and the Michigan Community College Guarantee provides high school graduates living in Grand Traverse County free tuition at NMC, plus an additional $1,000 for students with higher financial need. In addition, this guarantee provides students in our surrounding counties (Leelanau, Antrim, Kalkaska and Benzie) reduced tuition at Northwestern Michigan College up to the amount of in-district tuition.

Northwestern Michigan College Career Tech Commitment. Through the generosity of the NMC Foundation, NMC has committed to provide North Ed Career Tech graduates, regardless of county of residence, full free tuition if they are eligible for a Pell grant at any level of qualification. Applicants must complete the FAFSA application to determine eligibility.

Please contact your program counselor for more information.

Engineering Academy Puts the E in STEM

It's recruiting season at Career Tech's Engineering Academy, so spread the word to high school sophomores and juniors who want to get the engineering edge. Students interested in learning more about and applying to Engineering Academy are invited to attend any of the information sessions below. Please register so we can stay in touch.

Thursday, Feb. 13
Tuesday, Feb. 25
Thursday, March 13

Info sessions are 6-7:30 p.m. at Career Tech Engineering Academy, Room 159A, 880 Parsons Road, Traverse City, 49686.

Engineering Academy Flyer

Career Fair Coming April 3

Career Tech will host its 2025 Career Fair on April 3, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

A variety of organizations will be there in an "expo" format to meet and potentially hire Career Tech students who are motivated to learn and work.

It is a great way for students to learn about climbing the employment ladder.

Career Tech and the Career Placement Services department is grateful to the businesses who support the future of the workforce. Organizations may click here to register for the Career Fair by March 21 or by contacting Keri Puffer at kpuffer@NorthwestEd.org. There is no fee to participate.

Chain of Kindness

The newly formed Voices Club at Career Tech is sparking a chain reaction of kindness! Students are writing down their acts of kindness on colorful paper links and adding them to the chain. These positive actions, growing from bulletin boards on opposite ends of the building, will eventually connect, symbolizing the powerful ripple effect of kindness within our school.

Check the Student

Job Board

Did you know there are employment opportunities posted on the Career Tech website? Check it regularly for job postings in Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Leelanau counties. Current students and recent graduates are encouraged to apply.

Career Tech Student Job Board

Career & Technical Education Honors

At the Michigan Career Education Conference in January, our staff and students came away with one award from the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), and two more awards from the Michigan Association of Career and Technical Education (MI ACTE). The awards and recipients include:

MDE Excellence in Practice Award for Engaging Instruction: Health Sciences Program
MI ACTE Counseling and Career Development Professional of the Year: Karmin Olds
MI ACTE Administrator of the Year: Pat Lamb

These awards honor countless years of service and dedication to student success through Career and Technical Education. Please join us in congratulating the Health Sciences team, Mrs. Olds and Mr. Lamb on these outstanding honors.