Recently taking over as principal of Lakes Region Technology Center (LRTC) from Bruce Farr, who retired in June, Kathy Tetreault sees several trends in Career and Technical Education (CTE) for the upcoming school year.
“The most talked about trends revolve around job skills development and broader career pathways for all students,” she said. Some of these job skills are known as “soft skills,” which include critical thinking, problem solving, public speaking, professional writing, teamwork, and digital literacy among others.
“Our staff work diligently to provide our students with multiple opportunities to work on their soft skills through portfolio development and the opportunity to participate in our Work Based Learning program,” she said.
These opportunities are made available through career pathways, many of which are offered through Project Running Start, where students have the option to earn college credits while attending high school at LRTC.
“This allows students to begin their college pathway with credits toward their program at a free or reduced cost,” noted Tetreault, who previously served as Student Services Coordinator at LRTC.
As for thoughts regarding her new role, she acknowledged that her transition comes with some uncertainty due to the ongoing pandemic. “The main focus is allowing our students to remain in school and working toward their career goals,” she said. “Our work is to keep our focus on what is in the best interest of our students and meeting community needs.”
LRTC is one of 28 CTE centers throughout New Hampshire.