Page 41 - spaces4learning, Spring 2023

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HED
The Technical Education Classroom
The demand for careers education and the Career Technical Education (CTE) class- rooms to facilitate that learning is on the rise—and for good reason. According to the U.S. Department of Education, stu- dents who pursue CTE have better edu- cational and labor market outcomes and come away with strong career and aca- demic skills, as well as “soft skills” that are highly desirable in the modern work- place. They tend to have higher full-time employment rates, have access to higher earning potential out of school, and tend to find success in college or university, if that is their chosen path. While CTE classrooms can require a deeper invest- ment, the benefits are clear and quanti- fiable. The challenge often comes more in predicting what a CTE space will need five or ten years from now and creating
a space that can adapt to the unforeseen. An open-concept CTE will often be the most flexible and allow for the space to be adapted down the road as industry-standard tools, equipment, and career demands shift. Providing the infrastructure for change in MEP systems and within the structure of your facility will pay dividends when you don’t need to fully renovate to accommodate a piece of equipment six years from now that doesn’t even exist today. STEM CTE is certainly among the most popular, but there is also a revived interest in culinary and automotive. There is also increased interest in cutting-edge communications spaces and broadcasting studios dedicated to digital and multi-media skills such as podcast production, video and media creation and editing, and computer assembly and programming—core skills in
the technology and media-rich job market. It’s also worth noting that CTE classrooms and programs are rich with opportunities for
community interaction, engagement, and industry partnerships. They create a space for career professionals and local businesses to come in and create programs and projects, develop mentorship relationships, and can function as after-hours community classrooms for formal jobs training or entertaining events. The more adaptive the CTE space, the more easily these programs can be accommodated with moveable surfaces and furnishings, white boards, and glass boards, as well as compatible technology to everyday tools and devices.
We can’t be sure what the careers of the future will demand, or even what technology children will be using in ten years to develop those skills. But we can prepare our facilities for that change by looking at spaces for what they could be rather than what they are. Classrooms can be full of technology and allow movement and engagement with virtual and physical objects. A hallway, stairwell, or shady spot on the grass can be a space for study or group collaboration. A CTE classroom can be more than a dusty workshop; it can become a space for product development, STEM, media, or digital transformation that welcomes the community. If we keep our thinking flexible and our schools adaptable, we can create nimble programs that facilitate creativity, innovation, and inclusion, and allow stakeholders—and the communities that our educational facilities support—to thrive.
Mary Ruppenthal AIA, LEED AP, DBIA, is the K–12 Market Sector Leader at HED.
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