Giving Compass' Take:

• Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) have been around for decades but are changing now to incorporate both technology and communication skills to respond to the emerging tech workforce. 

• How can CTSOs become more prevalent in school districts that need those pipelines to strengthen employment opportunities?

• Read about why developing tech skills for the future workforce is important. 

As a high-schooler, Kieron Kohlmann knew more about cars than the average person. But even then, he had no idea just how far that knowledge could take him.

In fact, as a young teen, Kohlmann wasn’t even sure he wanted to go to college. But when he joined his high school automotive class in Racine, Wisconsin, he also joined SkillsUSA, a co-curricular that not only taught him how to fine-tune his craft but also sent him to test those skills in competitions around Wisconsin and the country.

Kohlmann is one of millions of students who have participated in Career and Technical Student Organizations, commonly referred to as CTSOs. Most of these organizations exist at schools with career and technical education classes; they give students hands-on experience in subjects ranging from agriculture to health care to technology.

There are nearly a dozen CTSO groups, and most have been around for decades, preparing students for jobs after high school by adding hands-on training to their academic work. But as the workforce has changed, so have the organizations and the students they serve.

That’s why the CTSOs of today teach not just technical skills but also soft skills — leadership qualities like collaboration and communication that businesses today say are necessary for the modern workforce. They also serve a student population that is now more likely to go to college, so their programs must cater to those who want to pursue higher education as well as careers.

Former students who participated in CTSOs in the past 10 years told The 74 that these hands-on activities helped make their learning relevant, uncovered unknown interests, and prepared them for the high-level careers they have today.

Read the full article about Career and Technical Student Organizations by Kate Stringer at The 74