Sam Robinson is not having the typical school day. The Canajoharie High School senior is spending his days helping to frame, shingle, and roof a variety of sheds and campers. He helps unload deliveries and works to ensure structures are sturdy and secure. Roberts is doing all this through the Construction Technology program at the Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery Board of Cooperative Educational Services’ Career and Technical Education (CTE) program.
"I started last year in 11th grade," he explained. "And it's been a game-changer for me."
The CTE program at HFM BOCES offers students an opportunity to explore career options and get job training. Students gain real-world experience working with customers, getting hands-on with tools and equipment they’ll use in real life, all while completing their high school degree. Canajoharie students can be found styling a client’s hair, performing a dissection of a bovine heart, repairing a car, driving a bulldozer, or cooking up a storm during the average day at CTE.
CTE Principal Michael DiMezza said CTE has 16 different programs that serve around 6.2% of all high school juniors and seniors across Fulton and Montgomery counties. All students get a two-week internship, with 150 different business partners helping out.
"When we look at the typical CTE student, there are students who are looking to advance their career path, students who are looking to change their settings, sometimes looking for a fresh start," DiMezza said. “We have students who sometimes struggle in a traditional setting who come to us and become the best students in the class. So, obviously, we work through that with students all the time because they literally reinvent themselves when they're here."
Roberts said the hands-on nature of the program has been a real highlight. "It's been a really good experience," he said.
"It's nice not to have to sit at a desk all day and actually learn skills that I'll use out there in the real world." "If I get a job in the industry I want, it just helps me have the knowledge to already know more about it," he said. "This helps me know a little more to maybe help me get a better job."
Senior Alexis Wadsworth said she enjoys the ability to get outdoors and work in the environmental conservation program.
“I wanted to change in regular school and I didn't want to just sit in a classroom anymore. And has this kind of met your expectations for what you think? Yeah, it's pretty good. It's more hands-on than a regular school,” Wadsworth said.
Wadsworth said that she would encourage anyone thinking about entering the program to do it.
“You're just outside learning, like real world experiences doing things that you can't do in a normal school,” Wadsworth stated.
Elena Leduc, a senior, has been hard at work in the culinary arts program at CTE. For Leduc, the appeal of the program extended beyond skill-building; it has helped foster a sense of community and camaraderie with her fellow CTE peers.
"I like the people here. They're all really nice," she remarked. "And I've gotten along well."
The program is helping Leduc find her way to a future career as a business owner while giving her valuable real-world experience serving customers.
"I've always wanted to own a café or a restaurant or something like that," she confessed. "I just feel like I want to make a safe place for other people who just want to hang out."
Leduc said students considering the program should take a chance, try something new, and discover the transformative power of hands-on learning and genuine connection.
"Do it, try something new," Elena urged. "If you don't like it? That's okay, too. But if you do come and you end up making good friends and hanging out with the people you have met here, it's a really good experience."
To learn more about CTE courses at HFM BOCES, go to their website or speak to your school counselor.