One of the most asked questions in a high school classroom is “When am I going to use this in real life?” The honest answer is that in many of the required high school courses, you won’t. CATEC is a unique resource for Charlottesville and Albemarle students in which students take classes that are designed purely for post-high school career fields and focuses on life after high school. CATEC offers numerous programs for students that are completely free of charge. Here is a list of the programs that are offered: Healthcare & Medical Service Academy, Information & Engineering Technology Academy, Auto Body Repair, Auto Service Technician, Building Trades & Electrical, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Emergency Medical Technician, Exploratory, Firefighting, and Music Industry Technology.  

“CATEC is dedicated to preparing its students for quality career employment and lifelong learning,” according to Ms. Kesier, the director of CATEC. Students are given opportunities at CATEC that they would otherwise never be exposed to. These include having internship and job shadowing opportunities while at CATEC, helping along the path of being positioned to gain quality employment right after high school.

Students who attend and complete CATEC courses are given the opportunity to graduate highschool with a recognized certification or credential in their field of choice, which helps significantly after high school according to Ms. Keiser; “The certification or credential is recognized in the industry and signals to the employers that the students have received specialized training and education in a particular field.  Certifications and credentials help the students get good jobs and can help them start at a higher rate of pay.” These credentials that they receive are a vital tool in regards to the path in gaining full-time employment. Students also receive 11 dual enrollment college credits on average for completing their courses. CATEC gives students an opportunity to have a headstart on their career paths before even leaving high school, and helps students along their paths to achieve the jobs in which they seek. Even for students that do not plan on pursuing the specific career path that they work on in CATEC, they learn valuable skills that will last much past the high school classroom.