PirateQ 
By Troy Moon, Pensacola State College
Throughout February, Pensacola State College’s Career and Technical Education Student Resources will share its success in sending students straight from the classroom to the workforce.
February is national Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month, and the College will participate with a series of events designed to showcase the program’s effectiveness in job training.
Highlights include a Multicultural Job Fair set for 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, Feb. 1, at the G. Thomas Delaino Student Center on the Pensacola campus. A second job fair is scheduled for Feb. 28 at the Century Center.
Other events include a series of open houses, “Lunch & Learn” speakers and tours of various CTE programs.
“Last year, we just did an open house,” said Deborah Hooks, CTE Student Resources director. “This year we decided we would do something every week. We just want to bring awareness to our program at all of our campuses and centers. And we want people to know what we do in this office, which is everything from providing internships to hosting job fairs, hiring events, and providing scholarships and book loans. There are just a lot of things we do through this office that much of our student population isn’t aware of.”
The PSC month-long observation will including a showcase of CTE student organizations – SkillsUSA, National Technical Honor Society and HOSA-Future Health Professionals.
CTE students are those working towards an Associate in Science degree, a vocational certificate or college credit certificate.
“These are the students who want to go right into the workforce,” Hooks said. “They’re our welding students, our carpentry students, our dental hygiene and massage therapy students. We have a ton of students who are hired right away because these programs at PSC prepare them for immediate employment.”
Here is the schedule for PSC’s CTE Month observance:
Feb. 1: 25th Multicultural Job Fair, Pensacola campus, G. Thomas Delaino Student Center. 9 a.m.-noon.
Feb. 3: Student organization showcase (National Technical Honor Society, Skills USA, HOSA-Future Health Professionals), Pensacola campus, Building 6. 9-11 a.m.
Feb. 4: Student organization showcase (National Technical Honor Society, Skills USA, HOSA-Future Health Professionals), Warrington campus, Building 3400. 8-10 a.m.
Feb. 5: Student organization showcase (National Technical Honor Society, Skills USA, HOSA-Future Health Professionals), Milton campus, Building 4200. 8-10 a.m.
Feb. 7: Tour of Programs, Pensacola campus, Building 18. 2-3 p.m.
Feb. 10: Lunch and Learn – “Ouch: Stereotype Hurts.” Pensacola campus, Building 6. Noon.
Feb. 11: CTE Tour, Building 96. 2-3 p.m.
Feb. 12: Lunch and Learn: Employability Skills. Milton campus, Building 4200. Noon-1 p.m.
Feb. 18: Lunch and Learn: Employability Skills. Warrington campus, Building 3600. Noon-1 p.m.
Feb. 19: Lunch and Learn: Dress for Success. Pensacola Campus, Building 6. Noon-1 p.m.
Feb. 25: Open House, Warrington campus. 9-11 a.m.
Feb. 26: Open House, Milton campus, 9-11 a.m.
Feb. 27: Open House, Pensacola campus, Building 6. 9-11 a.m.
Feb. 28: Job Fair/Open House, Century Center. 9 a.m.-noon.
Food and beverage will be provided at the Lunch and Learn events, at which students can sign up for drawings. (You must attend the Lunch and Learns to receive lunch.) For more information, contact Hooks, 850-484-2161, or Lois Hurd, 850-484-2163 at the CTE office, Building 6, Room 641.
