I learned to weld in high school. Not that well to be certain, but I understand the basics. To this day, I recognize the skill needed to lay down a smooth bead.

Back then, Amador County High School, had a mandatory full-year technical education course that split students each nine weeks between auto shop, agriculture shop, drafting, and wood shop. The number of useful skills I was introduced to included welding and basic auto repair, along with how to safely and efficiently use a wide variety of tools. But the value of that course went far beyond simple skills: I gained practical experience in project design and planning, collaboration, and the all-important skill of evaluating outcomes to judge success or failure.

I honestly don’t remember much about many specific high school classes, but I sure remember that course. When my teaching career began, I was disappointed to find that many schools, often for budgetary reasons, had de-emphasized curriculum of this type, known collectively as Career Technical Education (CTE). Sadly, I never taught at a high school that had auto shop. That said, the hands-on CTE courses available, such as masonry and drafting, were popular options for many students, and most schools needed more of them.

Over the past few years, the increased focus on the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) curriculum has had a corresponding impact on CTE. States, districts, and schools across the nation are revising curriculum and opening new schools that focus on the critical skills and knowledge needed to apply STEM learning to technical careers. Students can even graduate from some of these schools ready for work, with critical (and otherwise expensive) certifications in hand.

Now, we don't have a welding app. But SAS Curriculum Pathways, known for our focus on core disciplines, has identified the wide variety of our resources that directly support the CTE and STEM curriculums.

For example, many of our science resources, such as VLab: Cell Division, support both health and agricultural science. Virtual labs allow students to collect data, make observations, analyze findings, and draw conclusions.

Other resources, such as the Pythagorean Theorem audio tutorial, provide students with a quick review of key knowledge that may be needed as part of a project planning process.

And some of our history resources provide interactive and visual experiences related to the implementation of CTE applications through time, such as how roads were built in ancient Rome or the how China’s Great Wall has survived centuries of harsh weather and human interaction.

This Tips and Tricks document provides a complete list of our resources that align to the CTE curriculum, and we’ve created a  Pinterest Board with a broad selection of relevant STEM resources as well.