“When are we ever going to use this?” This question may cross a high school student’s mind while sitting through a particularly boring lecture or studying for a tough exam. The acceptable answer to this is “maybe when you get to college.” But in the real world? Depending on the classes we take, a lot of what we learn will probably not have much practical application after high school graduation. 

To combat this reality, Culver City High School offers Career Technical Education (CTE) Pathways, which teaches students academic skills that are directly applicable to the workplace and prepares them for further education. These pathways consist of two year-long courses to prepare students for real-life workplaces and for college. 

This mutually beneficial transition from classroom to workplace can be seen in the Patient Care Pathway where CCHS students were hired to work for the Honeybee Pharmaceutical Company by co-founder, co-CEO and lead pharmacist Dr. Jessica Nouhavandi.  

These students package and distribute medicine, and they learn on the job skills such as attention to detail, efficiency, and focus. In a classroom, learning about medicines would consist of a lot of memorization, flashcards, and late-night study sessions, but these students get to learn about them on the job.

Senior Asif Simat said his favorite thing about working at Honeybee is the company’s atmosphere. “I think Honeybee achieves such a positive working environment by focusing on their overall culture, supporting employees’ growth and making employees feel safe and comfortable.”

CCHS currently has nine CTE pathways including Patient Care (medicine), Computer Science Software Systems, Professional Dance, Theatre, Film Production, Stagecraft, Robotics/Engineering, Architectural Design, and Music Technology.  Each pathway instructor has had years of hands-on job experience in their respective subject. More than a third of the CCHS student body is enrolled in CTE pathways and 100 percent of enrolled students graduate. 

“Right now, We need more local businesses to partner with the high school who can involve students in many ways, such as by offering paid/unpaid internships, volunteer opportunities,field trips, and job shadowing,” said Adrienne Madrid, the Career and CTE counselor at CCHS. “They can also volunteer themselves as guest speakers to further educate students.” These CTE pathways will enable all students to have a smooth transition from high school to life after graduation. To all Culver City business owners, now is your chance to make a difference in the quality of our youth’s education!   For more information about CCHS CTE pathways, and if you would like to offer students any of the mentioned opportunities above, please contact Adrienne Madrid at [email protected] or 310-842-4200 ext. 3313.