Career And Technical Education Center Opens In Ellicott City

ELLICOTT CITY, MD — Leaders celebrated the grand opening this week of the recently renovated, expanded and newly renamed Career and Technical Education Center (CTEC) in Ellicott City.

Formerly known as the Applications and Research Laboratory, or ARL, the CTEC is the career and technical center for Howard County Public School System high school students. Students from all 13 high schools and Homewood can enroll in one of CTEC's 13 Career Academy programs, which offer participants the opportunity to prepare for college and entry-level employment in specific career areas.

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"Here at the Career & Technical Education Center, students will turn a spark of curiosity into a career that can last them a lifetime. As we open the doors to this new state-of-the-art facility, we are not only opening the doors of this building, but we are opening the doors to every career, every credential, every future that will pass through it in the years ahead," said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball at the celebration.

Each Career Academy offers a recommended sequence of courses, internships and a capstone or research project related to students' career goals, as well as the opportunity to earn college credit or industry certification while in high school.

"The Career and Technical Education Center is special because it represents a critical investment in our students' futures. Howard County Public School students from all 13 of our high schools enroll in programs here - programs that allow them to explore a profession and learn from industry professionals while still in high school, helping them make informed decisions about their future," said Bill Barnes, superintendent of HCPSS.

HCPSS began construction in 2024 with improvements to the building that included:

• An interior renovation to expand capacity and reduce waitlists by adding eight new classrooms;
• New mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems;
• Technology upgrades;
• New windows and roofing; and

• New energy-efficient exterior facade.

The major goal of the project was to reduce waitlists for Career Academy programs, as each program has a limited number of seats available at each grade level. During the regular high school registration window, students may request CTEC Career Academy courses.

If more requests than seats are received for a given course, a randomized computer program is used to enroll students and assign them to courses. This process results in the generation of a waitlist for applicable courses, the school district stated.

In the last decade, enrollment in CTEC's Career Academies has increased by more than 75 percent, from just 825 students during the 2015-2016 school year to nearly 1,450 for the 2026-2027 school year.

With this expansion project, HCPSS CTEC added four new sections this school year, making approximately 120 more Career Academy seats available to interested high school juniors and reducing the program's waitlist. Four additional sections will be added next 2027-2028 school year, bringing the total number of additional students served to roughly 240.