Exploration to application: Career pathways at all comprehensive high schools

If you are driving on Arapahoe Rd., near 65th street, you may see some heavy equipment bringing life to a recent bond measure- expanding Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs within Boulder Valley School District. While Apex , BVSD’s Career and Technical Education Center, serves as the flagship of the CTE programming in BVSD, you may be surprised to know that career pathways are expanding in each of the comprehensive high schools.

What are Career Pathways?

Beginning in elementary school, educators across BVSD are building career exploration into their instruction. Whether it be interviews with local industry leaders, conducting real-world experiments, or engaging in a “Dare to Dream” week, students are encouraged to see the ways in which their education can one day be applied to the career of their dreams.

By the time students reach middle school, exploration turns to application as students and families begin the process of selecting the courses that fit their interests. That’s where clear pathways come into play, career pathways show a list of aligned courses, what certifications are available as well as college credit and work-based learning opportunities.

Browse all available BVSD Career Pathways

Charlie Fontana is a recent BVSD graduate who participated in a biomedical career pathway beginning in high school via Apex (previously Boulder TEC). She was able to participate in job shadowing (she shadowed the same OBGYN that delivered her!) and got exposure to biomedical lab work, which made her a top pick for a competitive lab assistant position at the University of Washington where she is studying neuroscience, with plans to eventually go to medical school.

“Those opportunities gave me confirmation that medicine is what I wanted to do,” said Fontana. “In college most lab assistants normally have to do a year of grunt work, like billing and cleaning tasks, but because of my experience from working in a lab in high school they sent me straight to the research team.”

“I still wear my high school lab coat to all of my labs in college, research lab included, as a small tribute to the classes that got me to where I am today,” she shared. “I don't think I truly realized the importance and practical implications of the things I was learning in my career pathway courses, and if hearing my story inspires someone to apply to Apex or take a career pathway course at their high school, that would mean a lot to me.”

Accelerate at BVSD

With a clear pathway in front of them, students are able to accelerate their academic experience and, as a result, increase their achievements within the Grad+ framework. Accelerate is a term in BVSD that represents how schools are supporting all students in graduating with more than just a high school diploma. 

Completing a pathway provides students with a clear advantage for their career and post-secondary educational goals, as universities and employers recognize the competitive advantage gained by targeted high school coursework, certifications and the skill development required to complete the pathway. 

An example of a career pathway in a home high school is the CTE Computer Science program at Monarch High School led by educator Jonathon Cihlar.

Jennifer and Jeff Niemann, are Monarch High School parents who say the career pathway CTE courses Mr. Cihlar offers at the school were game-changers for their son Henry’s high school focus, his college major, and intended career path.

“As a cyber professional, I was impressed by the Pilot program and its subsequent AP Cybersecurity courses led by Mr. Cihlar at Monarch High School,” shared Jeff Niemann. “The course provided practical knowledge on how to employ cybersecurity principles.  With these skills and knowledge, students could pursue Sec+ certification, which is immediately useful in the job market.”

“Similarly, the Computer Science classes prepared students for Java & Python programming certifications. These certificates are not only a point of pride with the students, but also a great addition to their resumes. Based on early access to this type of coursework, students can see if they have the interest and/or aptitude for such pursuits. If yes, then they'll be very well-positioned to study Computer Science in college.”

Explore Career pathways at your school

Each of the high schools in BVSD have identified and published the available career pathways at their school. Find out more about the available pathways by visiting our Career pathways webpage.

Browse all available BVSD Career Pathways