Many
chances to explore CTC programs
Field trips and a new open house give students and
parents more chances to learn about career training
opportunities at HFM BOCES
 Along
with school visits and field trips to HFM BOCES, prospective
students and their parents can look forward to a new Open House
in March, 2010 as an additional way to learn about Career and
Technical Center programs.
Each fall, Career
and Technical Center staff visit the 15 component school
districts of HFM BOCES to talk with tenth grade students about
career training opportunities at BOCES. Current CTC students
share their experiences and tell about the academic
responsibilities, hands-on learning environment and career
opportunities they have discovered in the programs.
After hearing this
presentation on their own turf, interested students are offered
the chance to visit the HFM BOCES facility and see first-hand
what the programs are all about. Each visitor selects two CTC
programs of interest and spends an hour in the classroom with
the teacher and current students. Typical of many CTC programs,
it’s often the students in the program who take the lead and
show the visitors around.
“We run our program
more like a company than a typical school classroom,”
Environmental Conservation instructor Don Lucas. “Our students
really embrace responsibility for the projects going on in the
course.”
Responsibility is a
major expectation for students in any CTC program. Director Jay
DeTraglia welcomes all visiting students with reminders of the
opportunities available through BOCES’ programs, and the
admonition that “good grades, good attendance, and good
behavior” are required elements for success.
 Visiting
students often get hands-on experience in the program they are
exploring. Whether it is in the kitchen, garage or woodlot,
students are quickly immersed in a learning environment that
looks and feels much more like a professional job setting than a
typical classroom.
“Don’t pick a
program because you think it will be easy,” Culinary Arts
instructor Cindy Fratianni warns visiting students to her
classroom. “This is a fast-paced, organized, production kitchen
that prepares and serves 350 meals a day.”
Mrs. Fratianni goes
on to encourage students to think hard about what they want to
do, and to choose a career they will love. She tells students to
talk to people who are doing professionally what they, the
students, would like to do. Students are encouraged to arrange a
return visit through their school guidance counselor to the
program of their choice where they can spend an entire day in
the classroom and get a true sense of what the program is really
like.
 Open
House for prospective students and parents scheduled
Once the school
visitations and field trips to BOCES are over, students and
parents have another opportunity to tour HFM BOCES and ask
questions about any Career and Technical Center program. A
CTC Open House on Thursday, March 4, 2010 from 6-8
p.m. coincides with the time of year when students will make
the decision to enroll in a CTC program for the coming year.
Each school district may have different criteria to determine
eligibility, so the students, in collaboration with their
parents and school guidance counselors, will go through the
process of enrolling in a program by mid-March.
Are you ready for HFM BOCES Career and Technical Center?
From December to
February, students meet with their school counselors to schedule
classes for their junior year. Since attending the HFM BOCES
Career and Technical Center is an option for students in grades
11 and 12, exploring career training opportunities by visiting
the CTC helps students make informed choices about their future.
Students who wish to
attend the Career and Technical Center should: 1) have good
school attendance, 2) have passing coursework in all academic
subjects, and 3) exhibit good conduct in their high schools.
For students who are
unable to visit the CTC on the day of their school’s scheduled
field trip, or for students who decide they would like to
explore additional program opportunities, make-up days are built
into the visitation schedule. If a student needs to set up a
visit on a day other than the scheduled field trip from their
school, this is arranged through their school guidance
counselor.
HFM BOCES Career and
Technical Center offers career training in 16 instructional
programs: Auto Body Repair, Auto Technology, Careers in
Education, Computer Information Technology and Networking,
Construction Technology, Cosmetology, Criminal Justice, Culinary
Arts, Digital Multimedia & Communications, Environmental
Conservation, Equine Science, Foundations of Food Services,
Medical Assisting, New Visions Health Careers, Nurse Assisting,
and Vehicle Repair & Maintenance.
While attending CTC,
students build confidence and competence in developing skills in
their specific career fields. Many programs have eligibility
(articulation) agreements with colleges to earn college credit.
Approximately 67 percent of students planned to continue their
education in college following their successful CTC experience.
A similar percentage of students are prepared to immediately
enter the workforce or a career in the military.
For questions about
HFM BOCES Career and Technical Center, contact Director Jay
DeTraglia at (518) 736-4330. For news and updates that may
benefit CTC students and their parents, visit our
Parent Page
at
http://www.hfmboces.org/CTCparent.htm.
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