Commission Honors TCSS Career & Technical Education Progress

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The Tuscaloosa County School System (TCSS) was lauded for its progress and advancements in Career and Technical Education on Wednesday by the County Commission as part of a month recognizing the increasingly-popular field of study.

Commissioners heard from students from each TCSS high school, who sang the praises of the resources currently available and what the offerings could mean for their careers.

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Northside High School junior Tristan Braughton, who also serves as the president for the school's chapter of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), said the co-op program offered at his school gave him the opportunity to develop crucial skills while holding down a job during school hours.

"My workplace has taught me many skills, ranging from social interactions with the local community, financial management of a small business and technical training with landscaping equipment, repair, operations and even sales," he said. "These skills have already fostered personal and professional growth."

TCSS currently offers career training programs within its eight middle schools and six high schools, in addition to a partnership with the Tuscaloosa Career and Technology Academy.

One of the amenities, Braughton pointed out, could be seen in the Northport Career Tech Annex on the Tuscaloosa County High School campus, which has four classrooms and an open space for different CTE projects. The nearly $5 million facility went online for students in the spring of 2019, becoming the second of its kind on a TCSS campus, with the other at Brookwood High School.

"The career technical annex at Tuscaloosa County High also provides classes that teach career skills unlike any other school," Braughton said. "Classes such as welding, manufacturing and health sciences are just a few of those available. Many students at County High and Northside attend the classes with determination for success in the futures ahead of them."

TCSS Career Coach LaDonna Beck said the initiative began in 2013, which saw her transfer over to the CTE side to help students by incorporating her experiences from the business world into education.

"We're preparing our students to be college- and career-ready, so we have a very viable workforce available to the different businesses and industries in our community," she said.

This comes at a needed time for the American workforce. According to a report from the National Skills Coalition, 53% of jobs in the U.S. are classified as "middle-skill" jobs that require more than a high school diploma but less than a four-year degree. However, the group reports only 43% of workers meet that criteria.

What's more, talk of a skills gap continues in local economies across the country. While the coronavirus pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the national economy and Main Street alike, careers currently being fostered through CTE programs remain in high demand.

The Progressive Policy Institute reported in the spring of 2019 that there were nearly 1.2 million unfilled openings in professional and business services, in addition to another 1.3 million in education and health services.

As the demand grows, TCSS looks to pivot with it and continue to invest in promoting CTE to its students, with the primary hope of bolstering the local and regional workforce.

TCSS Director of Career Tech Dennis Duncan mentioned that the system was able to add another career coach, Shannon Stubbs, who has been a longtime TCSS employee and previously worked as a counselor.

"This is going to give us much more opportunities to reach our youngsters," he said.

Ryan Phillips is the community publisher for Tuscaloosa Patch. A Tuscaloosa native and graduate of the University of Alabama, Phillips is an award-winning journalist, columnist and editor with previous stops at the Starkville Daily News, Weather.com, the Associated Press, the Birmingham Business Journal and the Anniston Star. To contact Phillips with news tips or advertising inquiries, email ryan.phillips@patch.com.

This article originally appeared on the Tuscaloosa Patch