School District Approves Courses To Strengthen CTE Program

From Pajaro Valley Unified Schools: The Board of Trustees of Pajaro Valley Unified School District recently approved three courses that support the District’s commitment to creating Career Technical Education (CTE) pathways that result in certifications, internships and dual enrollment opportunities, and enrich students’ experience: Auto Body Repair, IT Essentials Plus, and Computer Science Principles.

Dr. Michelle Rodriguez, superintendent, noted that the “PVUSD is focused in ensuring our students are ready for college and career upon high school graduation. These courses, which will be offered starting in the year 2019-20, are representative of robust college and career pathways and we are thrilled that our students will have the option to take these courses.” The Auto Body Repair 1 course is to expand the Transportation industry pathway options at Watsonville High School, will be done in collaboration with Fix Auto, a new local business partnership. The Information Technology (IT) Essentials Plus course will be taught at Watsonville High and Pajaro Valley High and is the first course in a Computer Science & Information Technologies pathway. The third course proposal is for Computer Science Principles course that builds on the Computer Science and IT pathway at Aptos High. Developing effective CTE pathways enhances students’ experience and competitiveness. CTE courses offer hands-on opportunities and can help improve teamwork, problem solving and communication skills. Below is a detailed description of the three courses. Auto Body Repair 1 (5257)

This 180 hour NATEF approved one-year course is designed to inform and instruct students in the basics of auto body repair. Instruction includes theory and techniques related to the process of welding, metal straightening and panel/body alignment on a variety of auto body industry materials including metal, glass and plastic. Students will learn effective customer relations and sales in multiple settings. Estimating damage repair costs and procedures are key components in this course. Students will be prepared for entry-level employment in the auto body repair industry as an auto body repair technician.

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