Across the globe, businesses and schools are realizing the impact that comes with post-secondary schools focusing on Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs.

More than 150 businesses and industry leaders, instructors and educators have spent the past week at Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) – Elizabethton to participate in the school’s  fifth annual NC3 “Train the Trainer” event. The annual event is one of the largest to take place across the country, welcoming visitors from the country that deal with industries and schools worldwide.

During the week of April 23, attendees were able to visit the school and receive certification to teach a variety of technical-based courses at their work locations as a way to benefit students and regional industries.

John Lee, NC3 master trainer at TCAT – Elizabethton, indicated that the various certifications allow the students to receive more of well-versed educational experience and let employers know that prospective students have the right qualifications to assume a role with their company.

TCAT – Elizabethton has been able to reap the rewards of being associated with NC3 over the past six years. Due to their ability to host the program, the school has seen success with attendance and job placement from students. According to Lee, the goal is to service the needs of the education and industry fields.

“NC3 is a company that brings those two worlds together so we can make that happen,” Lee said Thursday. “We’re only one of five Train the Trainers facilities across the nation. “We feel like it’s a great honor to be considered one of those five locations. The impact from NC3 certification makes a difference in what we’re able to accomplish.”

Stressing the importance of CTE training is happening across the nation but the impact has been greatly showcased in Tennessee. Lee noted that bolstering technical school programs is important to fall in line with the state’s “Drive to 55” initiative to increase the number of Tennesseans with either a college degree or certification to 55 percent by 2025.

While instructors are holding the fort in Elizabethton, TCAT Elizabethton President Dean Blevins had to leave earlier from the event to participate in the state’s Council for Career and Technical Education meeting in Memphis on Friday.

The council, for which Blevins serves as the chairman, is a 15-member advisory board appointed by the governor and the speakers of the state legislature and is charged with examining, reporting on and recommending improvements to the state’s CTE programs at the high school and postsecondary levels.

Just like Train the Trainer, Blevins said the goal is to help promote the benefits of CTE training to a wider audience.

“Given the high priority of career and technical education and the focus on the development of a world-class workforce for Tennessee, career and technical education is center stage. The council must hear from key stakeholders in the continuation and development of quality CTE,” Blevins said in a statement issued to the Elizabethton Star.

The Council is an independent board administratively attached to the Tennessee Board of Regents as its fiscal agent, as a result of changes in the Council’s administrative structure enacted by the state legislature in 2017.

Blevins added the goal for Friday’s meeting is to touch on several topics, including pathways that connect K-12 education programs to postsecondary CTE programs that ultimately connect to the workforce, new and emerging technologies and programs needed in Tennessee, funding for equipment upgrades and other necessary items.