Going to the Gemba: A Tour Through North Dakota CTE

Big opportunities await across small towns in North Dakota. From agriculture to manufacturing, energy, healthcare and defense, the industrial workforce has a strong presence in the state. Now more than ever, career and technical education is vital to the state's economy.

We took a two-week tour through North Dakota, interviewing leaders in CTE at every corner of the state, to discover what makes North Dakota so unique. Join us on a journey in this unique episode of The TechEd Podcast.

3 Big Takeaways from this episode:

1. The big-yet-small mindset of North Dakota is a huge benefit for CTE: The whole state has a small town feel - "North Dakota nice" they call it. Though the state's population centers are few and far between, everyone is connected with everyone else. The willingness to support and help one another goes beyond neighbors. Industry is willing to partner and support their local career centers; school districts share best practices with one another; and the students benefit in the end. 
2. State governments must allocate more funding to support career and technical education: Go into nearly any school district and they'll tell you their biggest challenge is not having the funds they need. That's not the case in North Dakota. Across the state, educators shared how supportive the state legislature and governor have been in expanding and updating CTE in the state.
3. Growing CTE isn't just about doing more, it's about doing better, too: Educators and employers agree: we need more CTE in our schools. But we can't just keep doing what we've always done. Traditional courses like welding, metals, wood shop and small engines can continue, but we need to upgrade and update our labs to be relevant to industry's fast-moving technology and workforce needs. That means adding mechatronics, IIoT, smart manufacturing, robotics and automation, drones, computer science, and the list goes on.

Speakers Featured in this Episode

• Dale Hoerauf - Bismark Public Schools Career Academy
• Ryan Pierce - Cass County Career and Technical Education Center
• Eric Ripley - Grand Forks Public Schools
• Jeff Rerick - Mandan Public School District
• Steve Holen - Watford City School District
• Pam Stroklund - Minot Public Schools
• Mike Hanson - North Valley Career and Technology Center
• Derrick Bopp - Sheyenne Valley Area Career and Technology Center
• Dan Spellerberg - Southeast Region Career and Technology Center
• Aaron Anderson - Southwest Area Career and Technology Center

Episode page: https://techedpodcast.com/northdakota/

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