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Career Technical Education (CTE)

Career Technical Education (CTE)
Career TechnicalEducation (CTE)

January 2025 January 2025

Boise School District's Career Technical Education (CTE) Program Boise School District's Career Technical Education (CTE) Program

What is Career Technical Education?

Career Technical Education (CTE) prepares students for careers and postsecondary education by providing academic, leadership, and technical skills. CTE programs are guided by industry partners, hands-on opportunities and allow students to explore different career fields.


In Boise Schools, CTE programs are provided at all junior highs, high schools, and at the Dennis Technical Education Center (DTEC). Students in CTE programs have the opportunity to earn industry certifications and/or college credits, and participate in Career Technical Student Organizations, apprenticeships, job shadows, internships, and more!


Program Areas Include:


  • Business and Marketing Education (BME)
  • Engineering and Technology Education (ETE)
  • Family Consumer Science (FCS)
  • Health Professions and Public Safety (HPPS)
  • Individualized Occupational Training (IOT)
  • Natural Resources (AFNR)
  • Trades and Industry (TI)


Did you know we offer 107 CTE courses in the Boise School District? To learn more about Boise School District's CTE Opportunities, click here!

Future CTE Course Offerings Future CTE Course Offerings

We're Exploring Expanding CTE Opportunities!

Boise School District is exploring adding the following pathways and would like to hear from students, families, staff members, community members, and industry partners! Please complete this short survey expressing interest in the following pathways.


  • Aviation: Aircraft Pilot and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) (e.g. airplane pilot, helicopter pilot, drone pilot)
  • Aircraft Maintenance (e.g. airplane repair technician)
  • Cosmetology (e.g. hair stylists, barbers, nail technicians, estheticians)
  • Law Enforcement (e.g. police officers, probation/parole officers, corrections)
  • Powersports Technician (e.g. motorcycles, ATVs, jet skis, boats)
  • Other

Graduated Student Success! Graduated Student Success!

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Bailey - Environmental Health and Safety Coordinator & SkillsUSA National College/Postsecondary Vice President

CTE Classes Taken:

7th grade: Engineering Technology 7, Young Living

8th grade: Engineering Technology 8, Teen Living II

9th grade: Engineering Technology 9

10th grade: Precision Machining I

11th grade: Precision Machining II

12th grade: Precision Machining III


Current Employment and Elected Leadership Role:

NxEdge as an Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Coordinator and SkillsUSA National College/Postsecondary Vice President


How Bailey Discovered Her Career Passion:

Bailey shared that as a kid she was always interested in building and creating things. When she entered junior high school, she took all three years of the Engineering Technology classes offered. She had an amazing teacher that inspired her to continue on with CTE classes and suggested Precision Machining.


Precision Machining helped Bailey discover her passion for the manufacturing industry and through this class, as a third year student, she was able to get an internship at NxEdge. Bailey shared, "My CTE class taught me good work ethic and how to push myself to find new opportunities."


Joining SkillsUSA Opened Up New Opportunities:

As a junior in high school, Bailey competed in Automated Manufacturing Technology at SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference (SLSC). Her team of 3 earned a gold medal and advanced to the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC) in Atlanta, Georgia. During this time, she also ran for election to the SkillsUSA Idaho State Officer Team, where she was elected as SkillsUSA Idaho's High School President.


As a senior in high school, Bailey competed again with a new team while she supported the development of leadership opportunities for students statewide as a state officer. She re-ran for office, and was elected SkillsUSA Idaho College/Postsecondary State President. Her Automated Manufacturing team won gold and again she advanced to the NLSC for the second time.


As a freshman in college at Boise State University studying Public Health and Safety, Bailey formed a Quiz Bowl team to compete at the SkillsUSA Idaho SLSC; they earned a gold medal and qualified to advance to the NLSC. Additionally, she decided to take her SkillsUSA involvement to the next level and ran to become a SkillsUSA National Officer. She was elected as the SkillsUSA National College/Postsecondary Vice President in front of thousands of members, industry partners, and educators at the SkillsUSA NLSC in Atlanta, Georgia!


Bailey shared, "SkillsUSA has truly changed my life in so many ways. I’m so honored to get to serve this organization at the national level to help inspire others to ignite their potential!"


Bailey's Words of Wisdom:

"Always push yourself to embrace new opportunities. Even if you don’t stick with it, you will always learn new things and grow in new ways that will help you throughout life!"

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Bailey is shown, center, after competing with Automated Manufacturing teammates in 2023 at SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Her Precision Machining instructor, Mr. Goold, is pictured on the right.

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Bailey, left, with her Automated Manufacturing Teammates and instructor, Mr. Goold, after receiving their Gold Medals at SkillsUSA Idaho State Leadership and Skills Conference in 2022.

How to Register for CTE Courses for 25-26 School Year How to Register for CTE Courses for 25-26 School Year

2025-2026 Registration Starts Soon!

CTE courses are available at every junior high and high school in the Boise School District! Additionally, programs at the Dennis Technical Education Center are available to all 10th - 12th graders.


Work with your awesome school counselors to request CTE courses for next year during course selections which will be happening soon!


To learn more about Boise School District's CTE Opportunities, click here! With such a wide range of programs and interests, there's something for every student!

New for 2025-2026: Certified Fiber Optics Technician Course! New for 2025-2026: Certified Fiber Optics Technician Course!

Certified Fiber Optics Technician (ETE 0605)

Open to: 11th and 12th grades

One Year Course; Two Hour Block

Prerequisite: Networking Support I

Credit(s): 4

Location: Dennis Technical Education Center - Busing provided.

Content: This course prepares the student to take the CFOT (Certified Fiber Optics Technician) exam, which is given and graded at the end of class. Students will be able to effectively and efficiently install, terminate, and test multimode or single-mode fiber optic networks to existing standards.

Community Service through CTE! Community Service through CTE!

East Junior High Family and Consumer Sciences

Mrs. Scott's students were busy supporting the community this past semester! They made Thanksgiving Food Donation collection boxes to put in all Hornet Huddle Advisory classes; made bread and donated it to a Boise Police Department station; created No Sew Blankets and donated them to an assisted living group; and created stories featuring characters they designed, sewed into stuffed animals, and donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC).


Here's what Maren Hermanstorfer, Family Services Manager of RMHC of Idaho, had to say about the students' "Fear-Me-Not" stuffed animal and story donations: "Thank you so much for the animals and stories. They are AMAZING! Some even brought a tear to my eye!" She shared that the stuffed animals and stories are provided to families with ill children to brighten their days.


Way to make an impact, students!

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Students decorated the Thanksgiving Food Drive donation boxes for East Junior High
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Students personally delivered their bread to Officer Hudson.
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A Boise Police Department station happily accepted the bread donation from the students!
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Students show off their No Sew Blankets
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Students and Mrs. Scott delivered the No Sew Blankets to an Assisted Living Home
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Student creates a "Fear-Me-Not" stuffed animal for the RMHC
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Students create their "Fear-Me-Not" and use online resources to learn different stitching techniques

Frank Church FCCLA and National Honor Society (NHS)

Students in Mrs. Mileski's Family and Consumer Science classes made 57 tied blankets to donate to Boise School District's Community Schools benefitting students and families districtwide. Mrs. Mileski (pictured below, center front) was incredibly proud of her students' hard work, collaboration, and generosity!

Culinary Students Compete in Food Truck Style Competition Culinary Students Compete in Food Truck Style Competition

Borah High Students Put Their Entrepreneurship and Culinary Skills to the Test!

This Fall, Ms. Beals' Culinary students designed their own food truck business, complete with menus, truck design, and featured menu item. Students worked in teams to develop their business concept and brought their products to life to be judged by Borah staff and District leadership!

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These delicious crepes received a 1st Place for Taste!
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These students were 2nd Place for Taste of their hamburgers.

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This food truck finished 1st for Visual Appeal!

Delicious Careers Discussed Delicious Careers Discussed

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Krispy Kreme Visits Timberline Nutrition and Foods Class

Mrs. Lee welcomed a presentation from Kristy Kreme's General Manager, Nate Bronson, to discuss his career path in baking, different aspects of the baking business, and career opportunities. As a bonus, he brought donuts to share!


We love welcoming industry partners into our classes for extended opportunities for students!

Cookie Sandwiches Require Considerable Engineering Skills! Cookie Sandwiches Require Considerable Engineering Skills!

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West Junior High Students Design and Build Manufacturing Lines

Students in Mr. Kaufman's Engineering Technology 9 class at West Junior High designed and built Cookie Sandwich Manufacturing lines in teams. Given a set of criteria including available materials and product expectations, students had the option to draw designs by hand or build within a CAD program before beginning fabrication of their lines. Students demonstrated many skills, including teamwork, shop/tool safety, and engineering mindset. At the end of the build, students identified areas of success within their design and areas of opportunities for future design considerations.

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Students precisely measure their components to ensure their design is successful during assembly.

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A student begins to set up the bandsaw to cut a piece of wood to the team's design specifications.

Career Exploration - For Teachers! Career Exploration - For Teachers!

Teachers spent the morning learning about ground support equipment at Aero Specialties
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Career Exploration Teachers Learn About Local Careers

7th Grade Career Exploration teachers from across the Boise School District participated in our first annual Career Exploration Industry Tour. This one day activity allowed teachers the opportunity to make connections with our industry partners from across the Treasure Valley including the College of Idaho Micron Center, Aero Specialties, Western States CAT and the National Interagency Fire Center. The day-long tour allowed teachers to meet with industry leaders while increasing their knowledge of industries and careers throughout the Boise area.

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Western States CAT

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College of Western Idaho Micron Center

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National Interagency Fire Center

Junior High Program Spotlight Junior High Program Spotlight

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Engineering Technology at South Junior High

Highlights of the Program:

Mr. Schettler's Engineering Technology program offers awesome learning opportunities for students in grades 7 through 9. Here's what students were doing at the end of Fall semester in each of his classes:


Engineering Technology 7 created "fling machines" and now they are zooming into 3D modeling their very own balloon powered race car so we can 3D print them and race them!

Engineering Technology 8 sent their model airplanes soaring through the air and are now in the middle of creating a mousetrap powered car. With a twist! They'll be jousting each other at the end trying to pop each others balloons!

Engineering Technology 9 smells like wood shavings and sawdust as they finish cutting out their very own electric guitars! We look forward to plugging them in and rocking out very soon!


How do parents/guardians and industry partners get involved in this class?

At South Junior High and across the Boise School District, the Engineering Technology teachers reach out to industry partners and parents/guardians to be involved with our Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). We love to hear from our TAC members to help tailor our projects and curriculum to better help our students prepare for entering an engineering field in the future. Together we work on bringing forward the engineering mindset and problem solving spirit in all of our students.

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Mr. Schettler demonstrates force and how to calculate leverage.

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Students test the force needed to lift objects around the room - in this case, a chair!

High School Program Spotlight High School Program Spotlight

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Fundamentals of Health Professions at Boise High School

Highlights of the Program:

Mrs. Neulist's Fundamentals of Health Professions class is designed to prepare students to explore advanced courses in the Health Sciences pathways: Certified Nursing Assistant, Dental Assistant, Emergency Medical Technician, Medical Assistant, Pharmacy Technician, and Sports Medicine. Students complete a range of hands-on activities and hear from guest speakers in a variety of health-related careers.


Mrs. Neulist, pictured above with her family, is a proud product of the Boise School District as a Borah High School graduate! She holds degrees in Kinesiology and Athletic Training, Secondary Education, and Educational Technology. In Mrs. Neulist's 17 years of teaching at Boise High, she has served as an Athletic Trainer and HOSA Advisor.


HOSA:

Students in Ms. Neulist's classes have the opportunity to become members of HOSA. The mission of HOSA is to empower HOSA-Future Health Professionals to become leaders in the global health community through education, collaboration, and experience. This year, her HOSA students have volunteered at the St. Luke's Fit One Race and also the Boise High Period Project. Students will be competing at the HOSA Regional event in January and qualifying students will move to the state conference in Pocatello, March 5-7.

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Students build muscle cells to enhance understanding

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HOSA Student Leaders

What's Happening at the Dennis Technical Education Center What's Happening at the Dennis Technical Education Center

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Check out the Dennis Technical Education Center's (DTEC) most recent newsletter here to see what's happening at the Career Technical Center designed for high school students, grades 10-12! For more information see: https://dtec.boiseschools.org/

Upcoming Events Upcoming Events

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Rigs and Gigs - 9th Graders Visit DTEC

All 9th Graders from across the Boise School District will have the opportunity to tour the Dennis Technical Education Center (DTEC) and check out CTE programs on January 10th! With registration happening shortly after for 10th grade, you won't want to miss this event. Check with your junior high school counselors for more information.

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Winter at the Warehouse - FCCLA Community Service Event

FCCLA Chapters across Boise School District are participating in the Winter at the Warehouse Event by hosting coat drives at their schools!


Check with your Family and Consumer Science teachers at each school to learn more about how to support the FCCLA chapter! The culminating event will be held on February 8th at the Warehouse Food Hall in Boise.


For more information about the event, check out the event link here.

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DTEC Open House

Come check out the CTE programs at DTEC to learn about exciting opportunities for students to discover their career interests in high school! Families with students in 6th grade and above are invited!


February 12th

5:00 - 7:00pm

3324 S. Milwaukee Ln, Boise, ID 83709


For more information or questions, please call 208-854-5810.

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HOSA Regionals and State Leadership Conference (SLC)

Students in Health Sciences programs will have the opportunity to demonstrate their skills in a variety of technical and leadership competitions held at DTEC on January 24-25th. Students who advance will have the opportunity to travel to Idaho State University in Pocatello on March 5-7th to compete at the state level.


For more information, contact Michele Loftis at michele.loftis@boiseschools.org or see https://www.idahohosa.org/.

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DECA State Career Development Conference (SCDC)

February 10-12th, students in the Business and Marketing pathways will have the opportunity to demonstrate their professional skills in a variety of events held at the Nampa Civic Center.


For more information, contact Heather Asbury at heather.asbury@boiseschools.org or see https://www.idahodeca.org/.

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SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference (SLSC)

Students enrolled in Trades and Industry, Engineering, Natural Resources, Information Technology, Graphic Design, and Commercial Photography programs will have the opportunity to compete in leadership and technical skilled events in the Treasure Valley on April 7-9th.


For more information, contact Debbie Johnson at debbie.johnson@boiseschools.org or see https://skillsidaho.org/.

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FCCLA State Leadership Conference (SLC)

April 16-18th, students enrolled in Family and Consumer Science programs have the opportunity to strengthen their leadership skills and demonstrate their technical skills at JUMP in Boise.


For more information, contact Jaime Mileski at jaime.mileski@boiseschools.org or see https://www.idahofccla.org/.

6th Grade Career Exploration - Postponed to May 19th

The 6th Grade Career Exploration at DTEC will take place on May 19th. All 6th graders will have a chance to get hands-on with CTE programs and learn about the various career fields they can prepare for - while in high school! More information will be shared by each elementary school before the event.

CTE Contacts CTE Contacts

Interested in Learning More or Connecting with CTE? Please Reach Out!

Chelsie Wilson, CTE Program Advocate: chelsie.wilson@boiseschools.org

Jen Keavney, CTE Student Opportunities Coordinator: jen.keavney@boiseschools.org

Brandon Hampton, CTE Career Development Industry Liaison: brandon.hampton@boiseschools.org

Jeff Roberts, DTEC Principal: jeffrey.roberts@boiseschools.org

Chelsie Wilson
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