The front exterior of the proposed Career and Technical Education Center for the Lauderdale County School District.

From aviation technology to an energy academy to advanced manufacturing to teacher preparation, Lauderdale County high school students will have several new career fields to explore if the dream of a consolidated Career and Technical Education Center is realized.

The initial list of programs was derived from local, current and emerging workforce development data, said LCSD Career and Technical Education Director Rob Smith. Consideration was also given to what was already being offered and how the district could fill in the gaps to meet the needs of local businesses and industries.

Programs planned to be housed at the new CTE Center include:

• Advanced Manufacturing — for students interested in working in highly skilled manufacturing jobs. Industrial maintenance and welding will continue to be offered at Ross Collins.
• Aviation Technology — for students who are interested in the field of aviation mechanics or becoming a pilot.
• Educator Preparation — for students interested in becoming teachers and, hopefully, will allow the district to grow its own future educators.
• Culinary Arts — for students interested in working in the culinary arts. It will duplicate a program already offered at Ross Collins, but Lauderdale County only gets seven slots in this program each year and has more than 130 students who have expressed interest in it.
• Construction Engineering Technology — for students who are interested in careers in the construction industry whether in management or as a contractor.
• Energy — for students interested in a career in the power generation and energy field, whether becoming a utility lineman, engineer or working with alternative energy sources.
• Law and Public Safety — for students interested in becoming firefighters or EMTs. Ross Collins also offers a law and public safety program, but for students interested in becoming law enforcement officers.
• Health Clinic — for students interested in working in the healthcare field. Health sciences will continued to be offered at all four county schools, but students in their senior year can get work-based training in the center’s health clinic, we well as work toward healthcare assistant or basic EMT certification through MCC.
• Business, Marketing and Economics — for students who aspire to be entrepreneurs or work in finance and banking. They will get a chance to get work-based learning while staffing a coffee shop open to the public in the center.
• Agricultural Power and Machinery — for students interested in becoming a diesel technician or commercial truck driver this program will put them on a pathway to earn industry-recognized certifications through MCC programs.
• Work Based Learning — the district hopes to increase work-based learning and apprenticeships opportunities for county students in conjunction with local businesses and industries.