Henrico CTE students commit to careers on signing day

Henrico County Public Schools hosted its fourth annual Career and Technical Education Letter-of-Intent Signing Day on Tuesday to recognize 50 students who earned industry credentials through the CTE program – and who will use those in their careers immediately after graduation next month.

Students and representatives of their future employers signed letters-of-intent at the ceremony Tuesday, similar to signing day ceremonies for high school athletes committing to NCAA athletic programs. The letters outlined what students must do before and during employment, what the employer will provide in pay and training, and an estimate of the position’s value.

Henrico’s CTE program supports programs and services in 12 middle schools, nine high schools, two Advanced Career Education Centers, two adult education centers, the Academy at Virginia Randolph, and Virginia Randolph Education Center. Students who signed letters of intent on Tuesday are enrolled in several programs spanning multiple career clusters including architecture and construction, hospitality and tourism, and transportation.

Last school year, 99.88% of students in Henrico’s CTE program graduated on time, according to the Virginia Department of Education. Division-wide, 90.5% of Henrico students met the on-time graduation rate, which is defined by the VDOE as graduating four years after entering the ninth-grade for the first time.

Students on Wednesday signed with about 40 companies, including Colonial Honda, Johnny On the Spot Services and Central York Corporation.

“This is a local effort where we took the chance,” said Henrico County Manager John Vithoulkas told students. “You're doing things that go above and beyond that transcend time. I think that is what makes our school system so special.”

Virginia Secretary of Education Amy Guidera congratulated students at the event and called Henrico’s CTE program a “model of excellence.”

Guidera also referenced a scathing report released by the state administration last week that concluded that lowered expectations for K-12 students have masked a downward shift in academic performance.

“This is what today represents, so much of what we were talking about in that report is an expectation that we're going to have high expectations for every single one of our students,” Guidera said at Libbie Mill Library on Tuesday. “We're going to make sure that we don't just have a one size fits all education, but understanding that there needs to be multiple pathways… to make sure that we're serving every single child and youth and also to make sure that we really broaden our definition of success and also be laser-like focused on the fact that the purpose of education is to prepare every single student for success in life.”

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Anna Bryson is the Henrico Citizen’s education reporter and a Report for America corps member. Make a tax-deductible donation to support her work, and RFA will match it dollar for dollar. Sign up here for her free weekly education newsletter.