CATEC February 2025 Newsletter

There are lots of ways to know what is happening at CATEC. Keep in touch with us to know what our students are doing and all the ways we are working to improve our local workforce.

• Call us (434) 245-2419
• Visit us www.catec.org
• Download our app CATEC, VA
• Follow us at @CATECHighSchool (Facebook), CATEC High School (YouTube), @CATEChs (Twitter), @catechighschool (Instagram), @catechighschool (TikTok)

Dear CATEC Families,

As February comes to an end, we are looking forward to many exciting events happening at CATEC this spring. February is Career and Technical Education Month, a time to celebrate and advocate for the benefits of CTE programs. Here are a few research-based benefits of CTE:

• CTE is playing an increased role in our nation's workforce.
• 60% of companies report having a difficult time filling their job openings.
• There are 30+ million jobs paying $55,000 or more that don't require 4-year college degrees.

With these important facts in mind, please make sure you're enrolling in CATEC courses for next year. Also, please mark your calendars for school-wide events taking place this spring. More information is to come regarding important details.

Sincerely,

Dr. Stacey Heltz

• March 21: No CATEC High School
• March 31-April 4: Spring Break
• April 8: Automotive Technician Interviews
• April 28: May 2: Interview Week
• May 5: Nurse Assistant Interviews
• May 13: School-to-Work Signing Day Event
• May 21: Completers Ceremony at MLK Jr. Performing Arts Center (CHS)

Please save the date for our 2025 Completers Ceremony. This graduation ceremony is for students who are completing their CATEC course, including both 1-year and 2-year programs. Please ask your instructor if you are eligible to participate this year.

NBC29: Competition Puts Central Virginia Students to the Test

CATEC has a Scholarships webpage dedicated to providing information for CATEC, local, and CTE scholarships. Check out the website because the first round of scholarships is posted and due 3/1/25. Another round will be due in mid-April.

Did you know that CATEC has its own PowerSchool?

You can view your student's current grades and attendance by following this link: CATEC PowerSchool. The PowerSchool Portal is also available on the high school page of the CATEC website.

Families will need to contact CATEC's front office at (434) 245-2419 to obtain login information for accessing their student's account.

Students have received their login details in their trade class and should check their accounts regularly to stay updated on their grades throughout the school year.

The CATEC, VA app provides up-to-date information on all things CATEC. Find out about events, closures, and important documents by downloading the app and setting up push notifications.

School Counseling

Ms. Butler is our School Counselor, and her office is located in the Career and Counseling Corner. She is available to meet with students and families regarding class schedules, dual-enrollment questions, and helps provide support as needed. You can reach her at 434-245-2419 or butlera1@charlottesvilleschools.org.

Workplace Readiness

CATEC values ensuring our students leave with technical trade skills as well as workplace skills that make students prepared to get and keep jobs. Throughout the year, CATEC staff tackles workplace readiness expectations. This month, students focused on WRS #7: Listening and Speaking, #15-#18 Technology, #11 Big Picture Thinking, and #13 Continuous Learning and Adaptability. And that's a wrap!

CATEC hosted District SkillsUSA Competitions on Friday, February 7th. More than 70 students from local career and technical education programs competed in friendly skills competitions. CATEC's students were tough competitors. The following students placed:

Electrical Construction Wiring

• 2nd- Chris Robinson
• 3rd- Aaron Fairbanks

• 1st - Daniel Heetderks
• 2nd - Jackson Kauffman
• 3rd - Jaden Wood

Cosmetology Competitions

Total Fantasy Look Teams

• 1st- Hayden Reed, Emily Reed, A'Kelah Brown
• 2nd- Chaehadeh Pour, Zaniah Walker, Mayte Diego Lopez

Fantasy Manikin

• 1st- Samie Young-Taylor

Cosmetology

• 3rd- Alexia Steppe

• Fire Science
• Homeschooled
• 11th grade
• Attends CATEC to get Fire Science certifications quickly
• Enjoyed live burn experience
• Wants to attend PVCC for 2 yrs to learn about high-end manufacturing
• Volunteers at Earlysville fire dept.
• 4-H counselor

• Carpentry 1/ Electricity 1
• Fluvanna High School
• 11th grade
• Attends CATEC because wants to be an electrician
• Enjoyed using carpentry and electricity skills to build a box for an AC unit
• Plans to work with his dad after graduation
• Swims for FHS and likes fishing

Clinical Hours

CATEC is celebrating its Nurse Assistant program this month because students are completing their clinical placements required for them to sit for their Virginia State Board of Nursing credentialing. Students spent 40 hours performing hands-on patient care at Our Lady of Peace. Students help provide personal care to patients, assist them with feeding, and take vital signs.

Curriculum

In this program, students develop skills for entry into the rewarding career of nurse assisting. Certified Nurse Aides provide patient care under the direction of nursing staff. Students learn technical knowledge about infection control, the body systems and its disorders, bed making and adjusting, positioning, measuring and recording vital signs, and assisting with patient personal care. Students also learn soft skills that ensure patients receive dignified care. This training includes scope of practice, care and security of patients’ personal affects, patients’ rights, diversity and culture sensitivity training, maintaining a safe environment, and assisting with nutrition.

Certifications

Students earn industry certifications, including CPR, and sit for their board of nursing assessments in the spring.

Adult Education Opportunities

CATEC's Adult Education and Apprenticeship Programs offers a variety of medical-related courses that allow adult learners to begin a new career in the healthcare field or enhance their current skills for job advancement. Adult Education programs include Nurse Assistant courses, Registered Medication Aide, Emergency Medical Technician, and many online healthcare classes adult learners can take from the comfort of their homes.

Projected Job Growth

In Virginia, this high-demand field projects a 28% job growth as our population ages and health-related concerns remain high. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there will be nearly 200 thousand job opportunities in the healthcare field every year for the next ten years across the United States. CATEC's High School Nurse Assistant program will be hosting a hiring event on May 4th for local healthcare facilities to hire program students directly out of the program.

Ms. Carter-Payne earned her CNA certification at 16 while in high school and has worked in healthcare ever since. She obtained her Associate’s degree in Nursing at Piedmont Virginia Community College and then went on to get her Bachelor’s at Liberty University. She earned her Master's degree last year. She honed her clinical skills through her initial training in Rehabilitation and Restorative care. Since 2013, she has been in ambulatory care nursing. Payne also teaching Nurse Assistant classes for CATEC's Adult Education and Apprenticeship Program.

College isn’t an option for all. But everyone deserves the same opportunity to pursue a

rewarding career that can provide a good living; the skilled trades are an avenue to that

success. Trades + Tech Education Foundation wants to help connect community learners with

the training to achieve their goals.

Formerly the CATEC Foundation, the Trades + Tech Education Foundation has supported adult

learners and CATEC students studying skilled trades for more than 40 years, through

scholarships and advocacy. The Foundation is now expanding our mission to include

graduating students and adult learners throughout the Piedmont Region by helping them find

the classes, programs, and funding they need to succeed.

In December, we launched our new website www.tradesandtech.org to serve as a resource for

this information connecting learners with available training and certification programs in

technology, healthcare, building and automotive trades, and more. Visitors to the site can

access the scholarship application as well, and plans to include opportunities in

apprenticeships, notifications of job fairs and workshops are in the works.

We hope this website serves as a go-to hub for anyone seeking to find a great career in skilled

labor – an 18 year-old high school senior, a forty-year old career switcher, or an under-

employed healthcare worker. They are vital to our community, to our businesses, and to our

economy. The Trades + Tech Education Foundation would love to help these learners get a

head start on their path forward.

Email: heltzs1@charlottesvilleschools.org
Website: www.catec.org
Location: 1000 Rio Road East, Charlottesville, VA, USA
Phone: 434-245-2419

Facebook: facebook.com/CATECHighSchool
Twitter: @CATEChs