CTSOs have so much to offer students: the development of leadership skills, hands-on experience that is relevant to their field of interest, and work within teams. According to the National Coordinating Council for Career and Technical Student Organizations, CTSOs are also proven to:
Motivate students
Boost GPAs
Make an impact with civic engagement
Build skills for a future career
With so many advantages to CTSO participation, let’s take a closer look at the world of CTSOs and how we can encourage students to get involved.
• There’s something for everyone.
• CTSOs are an extension of the classroom and workplace.
CTSOs reinforce what students have learned in the classroom, so they are a great way to inspire students to review and apply concepts they have learned in school or expand upon what they’ve experienced in a part-time job.
Involvement in CTSOs helps students develop skills that are valued in the workplace. When students join a CTSO, run the activities, and make the decisions, they can:
Improve interpersonal skillsIn an interview or on the job, students will then be able to demonstrate their workforce skills to employers.
• CTSOs open doors for studentsBy competing with other students at the local, state, or national level, networking with future employers, or building new friendships, students will establish relationships that can they tap into during the job hunt or while looking for internships.
Is Your School Making the Most of Its CTSOs?
• Encourage your students to compete at the local, state, and national level.CTSOs offer competitive events in which students can demonstrate their individual, team, or project skills through presentations or hands-on demonstrations.
For example, SkillsUSA competitions range from automotive and cabinetmaking to culinary and welding, where students showcase their skills in action. In the Family and Consumer Sciences discipline, members of FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) take the FCCLA Challenge Tests to showcase the skills and knowledge gained from their FCS courses and through their involvement in FCCLA. HOSA competitive events cover Medical Terminology, Health Professions such as Clinical Nursing, Emergency Preparedness such as CPR/First Aid, and beyond. Not sure where to begin? Check out this guide.
These competitions build student confidence; showcase their creativity, knowledge and skills; and prepare them for further education or careers.
• Build CTSOs into your courses.
Incorporate CTSO activities into your regular coursework by using instructional materials that have projects and built-in activities, such as Event Preparation.
Teachers will save time by having ready-to-implement projects at their fingertips, while students will apply their critical-thinking, problem-solving, communication, and innovation skill sets.
• Get students—and teachers and parents—excited!
Share this video with your students to explain what a CTSO is and why they should join one. Print this poster and put it in the guidance office, share it with other teachers across the school, and use it as a handout for parents at Curriculum Night. If you don’t have all of these organizations at your school, take some time this summer to consider starting one or work with interested students to launch one.
The skills learned through CTSOs can impact a student’s school experience in the short term and their career progress in the long term. Let’s make sure that students are aware of these opportunities and join in. Together, we build careers!
Many G-W resources contain CTSO Event Prep activities, such as Introduction to Health Science and many other Health Science resources, Marketing Dynamics, Hospitality Services, Animal Science, and many more! Talk to your local G-W Educational Consultant to learn more about our CTSO Event Prep resources.