Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1531663
16 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2025 I would love to see that. How many classes does Fremont Unified offer for the engineering track? We offer Introduction to Engineering Design (IED), Principles of Engineering, and a new course on Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) on which we are trying to partner with Tesla. It involves robotic arms and CNC routers. Is there a significant or measurable number of your CTE program students going on to technical higher education? e fih requirement for participation and to receive funding for this program is to have a partnership with our local community college; for us, that's Ohlone College. We have a very strong relationship with them. Many of these courses have dual enrollment. By taking the course at the high school level, they also get some college credit and can jump right into an education or degree pathway at that com- munity college ahead of first year students. We have that in Arizona as well, as I'm sure many other states do. It is a huge benefit to students. Over the past 20 years, what changes have you seen in the development of the curriculum? I've seen a lot of development. My dissertation was all about career and technical education and the requirements to teach it, as well as the appli- cability of the subjects. I am a fan of Common Core's mission to make learning relevant. ese standards are intended to address the ques- tion everyone asks at some point while sitting in a classroom, "Why in the world am I learn- ing this? When will I ever use this in real life?" e mission of Common Core was to make that connection. So, I'm a fan of its focus, purpose, and mission. Have we been successful in rolling it out? I don't think so. But CTE does that and more. It answers the "why" question. Lisa, do you have any final words of wisdom you would like to share? I come from the business world and, as far as I'm concerned, business is the foundation for everything. Whether you're an engineer, a doctor, or a lawyer, you have to understand the basics of business. It grows from there to the specific elements for a particular career. My words of wisdom to industry are that you can have a say in all of this, helping to mold your future workforce from an early stage. We want young people to be excited about the jobs of the future. Tech is everything, and everything is tech. I have an alum who is a so- ware engineer who interned at John Deere, and that surprised him—working for an agriculture- based company. at's what I told him: Tech is everything, and everything is tech. You just have to break it down so it's accessible to everyone. Thank you for all you do to prepare our kids to join the tech workforce. My pleasure, Marcy. PCB007