Students To Showcase Programs At Event

Students To Showcase Programs At Event

CareerTech s tudents and faculty involved with Family and Consumer Sciences Education on Feb. 14 will showcase their diverse programs to state leaders at the State Capitol .

Family and Consumer Sciences programs blend career preparation with important life skills that help the individual, family and community.

“Our mission is to help students live more productive, healthier and better lives with the valuable life skills they learn in the program,” said Edna Mahaffey, state FACSED program administrator.

More than 46,000 Oklahoma students account for more than 54,000 enrollments in Family and Consumer Sciences programs. (Some students are enrolled in more than one program.) In addition, Family Career and Community Leaders of America, a CareerTech student organization associated with Family and Consumer Sciences, has more than 13,000 members statewide.

The day will include booths in the fourth-floor rotunda to highlight each of the six areas of the program, including financial literacy, parenting, relationships and nutrition. Lawmakers and visitors will get the chance to visit each booth and speak to students and teachers about the program.

“This day at the Capitol gives our students and instructors an opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of our program,” said Mahaffey. “We believe our programs add value to our students’ educational experience in preparing them to be productive citizens.”

The value of CareerTech graduates statewide was revealed recently in a study conducted by the Center for Applied Economic Research at Oklahoma State University. The study showed that students who are CareerTech graduates are hired faster and have better entry-level wages than students who are high school graduates.

The study concluded that CareerTech graduates earn more and save more money during a lifetime and advance quicker in their careers than those with only a high school diploma.

CareerTech was found to not only be beneficial to the individual but the state as well. Oklahoma CareerTech graduates generate $2 billion annually to Oklahoma’s economy.

“Students in Family and Consumer Sciences Education are making valuable connections between learning and application to real-world experiences,” said Phil Berkenbile, state director of the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education. “In this way they are making Oklahoma and its communities even stronger.”

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Posted Feb. 8 2007