EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — You might call El Paso ISD’s Center for Career and Technology Education its secret weapon.
For the past 30 years, CCTE has been teaching students marketable skills and trades while getting them ready for a profession, not just a job, said longtime Principal Matthew Farley.
“We have traditional shops. We have (automotive) collision. We have welding. We have the traditional cosmetology, cosmetology nails but we have unique programs like cyber security, 3D animation, vet tech where kids can become certified vet assistants and actually work with veterinarians in the clinics,” Farley said.
CCTE opened in 1995 at 1170 N. Walnut St., off of Cotton Street, in Central El Paso.
The school serves as a “elective magnet,” meaning it doesn’t offer core courses like math, science or history. Students stay at their home high school, where they take their basic courses and can participate in sports, music and any other extracurricular activity, just like any high-school student.
But they also get to spend part of their school day or week at CCTE taking courses in their chosen field of study.
The school is open to juniors and seniors who are on track to graduate and they can attend any of the district’s high schools. CCTE also has a working relationship with Anthony and Canutillo districts to provide vocational training as well.
What makes CCTE stand out from traditional vocational education or “shop,” as it was known back in the 1960s or 1970s, students who attend get to pick what field they want to study. They don’t have teachers or staff telling them what they should take.
“They get to pick what they want to do,” Farley said. “So they are more inclined to be motivated and do well.”
The school currently offers 23 programs. All offer either a state or national certification. Some are dual credit, meaning they can give students college credit.
Farley said all he has to do is go out and about doing errands to see the impact the school and its programs are having across El Paso.
“When I go through Walgreens, it’s always, ‘Hey, Mr. Farley, how are you doing?'” he said. “There is always some kid behind the cash register, working with the pharmacist, working while they are going to school, handing out medication as a pharmacy assistant.”
He also gets the same reaction when he takes his dog into the veterinarian.
“We have kids all over the city doing things in the professional field they want to end up in,” he said.
Another strength of the program is students get to keep attending their neighborhood high school and attend CCTE part-time, he said.
“Kids get to maintain their neighborhood identity, play basketball, be in the band, do whatever at their home high school but they come here and do what drives them,” Farley said.
Farley said that when he watches or reads the news, he sees a lot of negativity about young people in today’s world, but then he comes into work and has his faith restored in the future.
“Then, I come in here and there are all these kids here. I (breathes deep) say, ‘We are going to be OK.'”
Farley said that discipline problems are rare at his school because everyone wants to be there and has picked their own area of study.
“I have Coronado and Franklin football players sitting next to each other in class on a fall afternoon,” Farley said. “And they know later that night, they will be pounding the crap out of each other on the football field. But guess what? They get along in class. That’s the kicker. They know how to act.”
Farley said the biggest issue or challenge he faces is finding replacements for teachers who end up leaving or retiring — finding someone who has knowledge of a particular field while being able to relate to kids.
As for students, Felipe Carrizales is fairly typical. He is a junior at Franklin High School but is in his first year studying metal trades at CCTE.
“It has given me a brand-new opportunity that I have never had in my life,” Carrizales said. “This is an all-new experience for me. It is the best possible future for myself. It has also given me new life experiences, working with metal, not only welding but also cutting, milling and lathes.”
Diego Kuchmay is a senior at Franklin High who is in the auto collision and auto tech programs at CCTE.
“A lot of people nowadays don’t want to do the typical sitting-down-at-a-desk job,” he said. “A lot of people want to move around and use their hands. This is perfect for those type of people, even if you don’t end up going into the field, but are just giving yourself an idea. ‘You know what? Maybe this isn’t for me. I’d rather do something else.’ Or vice versa, ‘This is exactly what I want to do.'”
Kuchmay said one of the cool things is he can bring in his own projects to work on. Right now, he is working on his own car “just getting it running again,” he said.
He is also working at a mechanic’s shop already, thanks to the experience he has gained at CCTE.
“I have gained a lot of knowledge here,” Kuchmay said.
Dustin Roberts is a senior at Burges High and is in the electrical technology program at CCTE.
Roberts said that he would like to be a church pastor one day and the skills he is learning now will translate to helping to keep his church up and running whenever that happens.
“What are you going to do when your light fixture blows out?” Roberts said. “You are going to have to call an electrician. But if you have already learned how, you can do this yourself.”
Joslyn Espinoza is a senior at the Young Women’s Academy and is in the fire science program.
Espinoza said she wants to be a firefighter and follow in the footsteps of her grandfather who works as a paramedic.
“This school is amazing,” Espinoza said. “I would recommend it to anyone who wants to do something in the trades. If they are really doubting it, they can come here and get hands-on experience. It will really define whether you want to do it or not.”
If you want to learn more about El Paso ISD’s Center for Career and Technology Training, click here.
