Nowhere is the pace of change more evident than in the 21st century workplace. As educators, this puts us in an all-out sprint to align our CTE programs with the needs of a workforce so dynamic that jobs can pass into obsolescence in months, not years. We are reframing the learning experience to engage and prepare our students to become today’s most coveted employee — the one who can stop, think and pivot to meet the challenge of the moment.

The 34 schools in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District serve five communities within 150 square miles of primarily agricultural fields and related industries on California’s central coast, 35 miles south of Silicon Valley. More than half of PVUSD’s 16,000-plus students are English language learners, 84 percent of our students are Latinx and our graduation rate is 89 percent.

In 2019, PVUSD assumed responsibility for its Career Technical Education program, formerly an ROP with our county office of education. Since then, and informed by strategic planning with students, staff, industry, partners and community, CTE in our district has been fundamentally re-imagined through changes in structure, resource development, practice, expectations and outcomes.

To manage the scope of internal change needed to realize our district’s vision of CTE, we sought out subject matter experts in systems of teaching, learning and managing change to leverage existing systems that work. The people who built them helped us adapt them to be relevant to our CTE program, and that set us on an accelerated path to progress.

One of our most immediate equity-aligned tasks was to ensure that every PVUSD CTE course was A-G aligned, which took a calendar year to achieve. This equity move was a fundamental step in authentically preparing students for the multiple post-secondary choices they have after high school, whether the transition to higher education or continued training or entering the workforce.

We formed a CTE Teacher Community of Practice (COP) designed explicitly around teaching, supporting, mentoring and evaluating our students in acquiring what we now call human skills, integrating them with every CTE course regardless of discipline.

Our COP teachers meet two to four times a year in person for an entire day to learn and practice teaching these skills within the CTE environment and also participate in structured visits to their colleagues’ classes. In every pathway, students have the opportunity to learn and practice industry-informed skills like time management, active listening, effective speaking, taking initiative, resolving conflicts, working in teams, accountability, and the critically essential skills of flexibility and adapting to change.

We also emphasize the key skill of self-awareness in today’s work environment, including “knowing how I learn.” PVUSD CTE classrooms are safe spaces in which students are encouraged to acquire and practice this skill and gain confidence in requesting support from classmates and others who can and do want to help them, and to manage any discomfort that might come with putting self-awareness into practice.

Our students are also learning the benefits of being adaptable and an activator in today’s evolving workplace. They are learning that when they see something in the workplace they want to know more about, leaning into a curiosity stance by proactively seeking out additional training or education will propel them toward expanded responsibilities, movement to the next job level, or a career pursuit to another place.

A valued advisor from Joby Aviation, one of our engineering pathway partners in the advanced air mobility industry, affirmed in very straightforward terms that our prioritization of human skills comes not a moment too soon. He went as far as to say that an employee’s hands-on skills are “less important than whether they can be on time, look me in the eye, not be reticent to ask for guidance, be confident learners, be accountable, curious, reliable, ask good questions, show self-discipline.” These are the attributes and skills, he said, that enable a new employee to be ready and able to adapt to Joby’s rapidly-changing workplace.

The increasing growth and engagement of PVUSD’s CTE industry partners like Joby also supports our success in ensuring new pathways and courses are aligned to careers that lead to high quality jobs that provide family-sustaining wages here along the Central Coast.

This is especially important as 82 percent of our students come from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, a factor reflective only of their environment but not the least bit reflective of their inherent motivation, aspirations and potential. We work hard to keep that potential kindled in high-interest pathways and courses aligned with accelerating industries such as engineering, climate-related fields, health sciences and STEM fields. Soon, a hybrid engineering/transportation-sector program we’re calling Mobility Tech will come to life from the conversion of the auto shop into a new learning environment that encompasses electric vehicles, hybrids and multiple fuel types.

This and other state-of-the-art programs are being made possible by generous state and federal funding and, over the last five years, by braiding different CTE funding streams such as K-12 Strong Workforce funding, CTEIG, Perkins V, and GSSP grants, accelerating our ability to provide students with the high-quality pathways they should expect from our public school systems.

As our CTE programs continue to expand and mature, we prioritized the development of a four-year strategic plan. This guiding document is grounded in the voices of our students, staff, industry partners and educational community members to ensure everyone in our organization understands what CTE really is and importantly, what it isn’t. In this era of challenge and change, PVUSD’s CTE Program is proving invaluable in upholding our vision and keeping our promise to our students by “Building Skills, Empowering Futures.”

Julie Edwards is CTE coordinator for Pajaro Valley Unified School District.