EAST BRUNSWICK – The East Brunswick campus of the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools (MCVTS) is hosting the U.S. Department of Education (DoE) for a photo and video project to promote career and technical education.
A film crew and still photographer toured the campus and set up in the library on Sept. 20 to interview students, faculty members and the principal. The video – expected to run about three minutes – is scheduled to be finished later this year, according to information provided by MCVTS.
“The purpose of the project is to show potential students and their parents the exciting opportunities available today in career and technical education,” said Sean Riordan of Luminary Labs in Manhattan, a strategy consulting firm working with the DoE. “We want any student in the country to look at this and think, ‘I want to do that.'”
Riordan said the campus made a great setting for the project because of the school’s diversity of career majors.
“Many people don’t know how many options there are in career and technical education,” said Julia Lindpaintner of Luminary Labs.
Emily DeBonis, a senior agricultural science major from Milltown, told the film interviewer that she entered MCVTS as a theater major in the School of the Arts, but now wants to be a veterinarian working with exotic animals.
“I didn’t know I would have a passion for agri-science until I was cycling through all the majors,” she said in the statement.
Regardless of their declared majors, MCVTS freshmen rotate through a choice of six different career majors for seven or eight days each. Many change their mind about their majors after being exposed to different careers.
“I actually had no idea what pre-engineering was when I came here,” said sophomore William Farmer of Old Bridge, adding that when he saw all the equipment in the pre-engineering and advanced manufacturing shop – such as a 3-D printer – he became excited.
“I thought, that looks cool,” he said in the statement. “I’m really glad I made that decision.”
Pre-engineering instructor Stephen Mercadante said the career major prepares students for “multiple pathways” upon graduation, including entering the workforce, continuing with post-secondary technical education or attending college.
“These kids learn the skills to be both makers and improvers,” he said in the statement, citing the 30 work stations in his shop. “What’s exciting for me is watching the lightbulbs go on, all these little victories that go on.”
“Today, career and technical education schools are completely different than they were 20 years ago,” Principal Jeffrey Bicsko said during his interview. “The students get to learn while they work. Learning while actually doing things is what separates our students from everyone else.”
Bicsko said the administration relies on input from students and advisory committees from business, industry, labor and academia to continually update career options. The district now has 32 career majors.
“We use experts in the industry to help us buy the equipment we need,” he said in the statement. “We want to focus on 21st century learners, so we have to focus on 21st century careers. We have remarkable instructors teaching remarkable students.”
For more information, visit www.mcvts.net.
