The Berkeley High Jacket


Newsletter

The best of the Jacket, delivered to your inbox.

News Print
October 10, 2025 Login
Opinion

CTE classes: While evolving, stay essential

BHS Fire Academy students listen to a lecture at Willard Middle School. Fire Academy is one of the many CTE pathways available to BHS students.
By Noa Osler-Cahn, October 10th, 2025

Berkeley High School is one of the largest schools in the Bay Area. Given this, it has unique resources compared to others, providing opportunities for students to explore their passions in a multitude of different fields. With successful athletic and music programs and a surplus of course options, BHS prides itself on its preparation of students for a wide array of career choices. But amidst all these pathways students can take, the Career Technical Education (CTE) classes unlock some of the most unique and beneficial skill sets. CTE classes are meant to set students up for careers right out of high school by integrating an academic curriculum with one that is specific to particular jobs. While BHS offers a total of 46 CTE classes, schools nationwide must invest more heavily in them in order to maintain equity and address the growing need for particular jobs.

“(CTE classes) used to be standard,” Cordelia Millerwhite, a CTE Shop Manager at BHS, said, “Because (in the early 1900s) most people did not go to college, the idea was that high school was the early training ground for what people wanted to do and the things that they liked,” Millerwhite said. Up until the 1950s, nearly every high school student took CTE classes, according to an article by Hub & Spoke. As an idea called “tracking” pushed people in different directions, stigmas surrounding CTE courses developed. Tracking is when students are sorted into tracks based on assumptions about their ability, with college-bound students taking advanced courses and others taking vocational training. This system reinforced stereotypes about vocational education, making it seem like a fallback for those who were not “college material.” Although BHS has made clear that it prioritizes both college and career readiness, the school might not fully understand what CTE has to offer. This can lead many students to have inaccurate assumptions about CTE, causing them to miss out on an opportunity to learn in such a special way.

The general notion that everyone learns the same way is false. When schools force students to absorb information in manners that only fit certain learners, some students will end up with a lack of motivation. For example, when kinesthetic learners — people who best understand and remember information through hands-on activities — are given a lecture, pen, and paper, and are expected to understand certain concepts, the education system is setting them up for failure. “CTE creates a space for people who like learning in alternative ways, for people who don’t want to go to college, for people who can’t afford to go to college. It gives them a pathway to having a pretty decent life,” Millerwhite said.

In recent years, the United States has experienced a growing shortage of skilled trade workers. This gap in the workforce is placing significant strain on the economy, leading to project delays, rising labor costs, and risks to the stability of essential sectors. Vocational companies need more workers. Therefore, when those companies come across someone with experience or a passion in trade, it is very likely that said person will get hired. Since high schools have cut back on shop and vocational programs to focus on college preparation, many students are left unaware of well-paying, stable trade jobs. With CTE classes, students are given a direct path to make use of the opportunities in such careers. “I think people are realizing that these jobs are very valuable, that these skills they are learning in CTE classes are life skills, and that Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) isn't going to take away a carpenter's job tomorrow,” Wyn Skeels, Berkeley Unified School District's CTE program manager, said. Unlike programs like math or English, where one can use Chat GPT to solve an answer for them, fields like metalworking remain untouchable by A.I.

All in all, CTE classes set up students for success in life. By providing an education that differs from the standard curriculum, students are encouraged to think critically and develop skills that will benefit their future. From many job opportunities to an overall skillset that prepares people for independent living, CTE classes establish a pathway that deviates from what the majority of people are doing. So, by emphasizing the benefits that CTE classes offer, schools can encourage students to take these CTE classes. At BHS, a school that has many CTE courses, it is important that students realize the resources available and the opportunities that can await them when they take CTE classes.