Tech Prep will parallel the College Prep program and will have sufficient rigor to allow students to move back and forth between programs. The planned sequence of courses begins in high school, but the Tech Prep process begins much sooner. Career awareness programs will begin in the elementary schools, showing students many types of options including professional as well as technical careers. The career awareness should grow into career exploration in the middle school years that will provide exposure to a wide variety of career options. Tech Prep includes liberal arts as well as practical arts and is based on contextual learning.
Students have a better understanding of a concept when they learn in context.
Students see videos of how adults use the principles in real life occupations and do hands-on activities to reinforce the learning process. Much of the Tech Prep curriculum is competency based. The competencies allow students, instructors, and employers to see what the students have learned. The competencies are very important in the articulation process. The technical courses in a Tech Prep program are part of an articulation process that eliminates duplication and allows students the smoothest path to completing their educational and career goals.