Forging Futures for 50 Years

Forging Futures for 50 Years: The Career Prep Center Celebrates 50 Years of Skilled Hands and Sharp Minds

By Gina Asaro

In a workshop filled with the buzz of welding torches and the hum of precision machinery, students at the Career Prep Center (CPC) are busy learning and developing skills to prepare them for career paths in manufacturing, automotive, robotics, and aerospace. At the same time, just down the hall in a state-of-the-art professional kitchen, the Culinary Arts students are busy engaging in hands-on experiences to explore their passion for cooking, hospitality and the culinary industry by cooking and preparing a wide variety of dishes to serve their peers and members of the school community.

These are just a couple examples of the hands-on lessons the students at CPC focus on and engage in daily, but this year, they carry the weight of something greater: a legacy. For half a century, CPC has been the foundation of Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs offered within the Warren Consolidated Schools district. Throughout those years, CPC has quietly and expertly been advancing and innovating skilled trades, manufacturing, technology, hospitality, health and human services, art and design, and engineering and business, all of which have helped build, shape, and power Sterling Heights and Warren.

This year kicks off a year-long celebration of its 50th Anniversary, a milestone that honors its past, showcases its vibrant present, and secures its vital future. On September 25th the Career Prep Center held a 50th Anniversary celebration for distinguished alumni and longtime instructors, current students and instructors, members of the Warren Consolidated Board of Education, the Superintendent and members of the community.  To celebrate, attendees enjoyed food and entertainment and had the chance to win prizes.  Attendees also had the opportunity to tour the labs, classrooms and workshops throughout the building and talk with current instructors and students about their programs.  Attendees were able to see firsthand how CPC has grown and evolved over fifty years.  Part of the 50th Anniversary celebration included a time capsule put together by current staff and students.  Guests were able to see a display of the artifacts to be included in the capsule. The time capsule shows how much pride the staff and students have for CPC, and curiosity as to what 50 years from now will bring.

When CPC first opened its doors in 1975, its curriculum was a reflection of its time. The focus was on traditional industrial arts and vocational training, but its mission was timeless: to provide viable, respected, and crucial pathways for students interested in entering high-demand careers, as well as students interested in more traditional post-secondary learning opportunities.

“The core philosophy of what CPC offers hasn’t changed,” says Carlie McClenathan, who has served as principal and CTE Director for the past 8 years. “We are here to provide students with real-world experiences, marketable skills, to connect them to high-demand, high-wage careers, and to support them in whatever post-secondary plan aligns with their interests, skills and future goals”. What has changed, at an exciting pace, is the technology, industries and career fields that CPC now services.

Walking through CPC is like walking through the evolution of CTE. The “Drafting” classroom of 1975 is now the “Pre-Engineering & Computer-Aided Design” lab, where students design complex 3D models and use cutting edge 3D software and printers to bring them to life. The “Typing” class has advanced into “Computer Information Systems,” where students learn coding, programming, and network security, and the Marketing class where students now master digital advertising, e-commerce strategies and learn business management.

The modern CTE experience is far more than just learning a trade. Programs are comprehensive and fully engage students in all aspects of that specific field of study. Graphic Design students don’t just learn software; they operate as a full-service design agency, creating logos, brochures, and advertisements that are used throughout the building and district. The Building Trades program at CPC doesn’t just teach framing, roofing and siding, students build mini house-like sheds that encompass the installation of flooring, fixtures, plumbing, drywall and electrical.

“They learn the skill, but they also learn punctuality, professionalism, project/time management, and teamwork,” says Dave Hayek, the Building Trades instructor. Additional programs, like the Collision Repair program, allows students to learn hands-on skills in a lab designed to simulate current industry standards, while also providing the opportunity to earn multiple certifications, including ASE, I-CAR, and SP2, making students highly employable after completing the program.

This applied learning is perhaps most evident within the Health Science classes. All the Health Science programs at CPC, including Explorations, Internship, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), and Dental, feed directly into local businesses, including local hospitals, clinics (Physical Therapy, Veterinarian, Pharmacy) as well as nursing homes, and dental offices.  These work-based learning opportunities directly address the critical shortages within the healthcare field.

Students accepted into the Health Science Internship program at CPC aren’t just observing.  Students report to Henry Ford Warren hospital three days a week, and under the close supervision of hospital staff, including nurses and doctors, students talk with patients, take blood pressures and other vitals, and assist hospital staff with other tasks, giving them a unique head start for a career within the medical field.

The newest program at CPC is the Teacher Cadet program.  This much needed new program addresses the national teacher shortage and is helping to diversify the teaching workforce.  It provides students with valuable hands-on experiences in classrooms with veteran educators throughout Warren Consolidated Schools. The Teacher Cadet program is vital for recruiting talented students interested in the field of education, by generating a structured pathway for them to enter the profession from high school and help retain them to teach within their own communities.

All the programs at the Career Prep Center keep talent within the community, to help it continue to grow and thrive. CPC isn’t just a school; it’s creating lifelong learners who are invested in empowering a community and transforming and fueling its workforce for generations to come. The 50th Anniversary of CPC is a moment to reaffirm a mission that has never been more relevant than it is now.

The Career Prep Center shows students the future they can build, with both their hands and their minds. Students have opportunities to explore, create, and expand on skills that are helping shape them and their future lives. For fifty years, CPC has been forging the futures of students within Warren Consolidated Schools, and they will continue doing so for another fifty.

Article provided by Warren Consolidated Schools for publication in the Macomb Daily.