Approximately 1,400 Students Enrolled at BOCES CTE this School Year

ALBANY/SCHOHARIE – Approximately 1,400 high school juniors and seniors are preparing to learn the skills they need for in-demand careers this coming school year at the Capital Region BOCES Career and Technical Education Center. 

The students hail from more than two-dozen school districts in Albany, Schoharie, Schenectady and Saratoga counties and are eager to learn skills to prepare for jobs as diverse as welders, video game designers, graphic designers, fashion designers, nurses, contractors and machinists.

“This is an exciting time,” said Jeff Palmer, Director of Career and Technical Education at Capital Region BOCES. “We are seeing a change in the national attitude towards the skilled trades, and that is reflected in our enrollment, which has steadily risen in the last couple of years.”

In fact, more than 200 students were on a waitlist during the summer to enter one of 16 different programs at the Career and Technical Education Center. That is despite the addition of a Welding and Metal Fabrication program classroom on the Career and Technical Education Center – Schoharie Campus and the expansion of the Early Childhood Education program to include a classroom at Schoharie Elementary School. That classroom will serve aspiring teachers and childcare workers from across Schoharie County.

“The word is out, and people are realizing that you don’t necessarily have to go to college to have a lucrative career. Good-paying jobs with benefits can be had in trades like welding, construction, engine repair and more,” said Nancy Liddle, Capital Region BOCES Managing Program Coordinator-Business & Community Partnerships.

Students returning to BOCES for their senior year say they are eager to learn more skills and earn certifications that will give them a head-start on their careers.

Aspiring pipe welder Tyron Tucker is one of them.

“I like the fact that I am getting ready for my future and am getting a first look at what I want to do for the rest of my life,” said Tucker, a Guilderland High School student. “I am getting experience and job opportunities through BOCES. You can’t ask for anything else.”

Fellow Guilderland student Sunora Todd is excited to earn her certified nursing assistant (CNA) certification and further prepare for a career as a registered nurse.

“I am looking forward to learning more about nursing and being able to graduate and work as a CNA while I go to college,” she said.

Meanwhile Nirvanie Gopie of Schenectady is ready to be a cut above many others in the class of 2025 by having her license to work when she graduates.

“I am looking forward to graduating and getting my license, going to work and going to esthetician school,” she said.

Updated offerings

Besides the new Welding and Early Childhood offerings this year, students returning to the Schoharie Campus also noticed renovations and upgrades to the Automotive Trades Technology, Cosmetology and Culinary Arts and Hospitality Technology classrooms. 

On the safety front, a new driveway configuration was constructed this summer that allows drivers to enter the campus at one location and leave at another. That work will ease congestion and increase the safety for those turning onto, and off, state Route 30A, Palmer said.

Meanwhile, students on the Albany Campus will continue to enjoy the facility, which just opened for the start of the 2022-23 school year. They might also note the construction of the CTE Extension Center taking place nearby, which is slated to house programming and students for the start of the 2025-26 school year.