Grant Career Center recently welcomed the ACTE Shoemaker Institute Leadership Fellowship Cohort, hosting approximately 30 Career Technical Education administrators from across Ohio. The visit focused on learning how rural and small CTE schools deliver high-quality career and technical education—and how those models can be replicated across the state.
Many members of the cohort have toured Ohio’s large, state-of-the-art career tech campuses—the “taj mahals” of CTE—which are impressive, beautiful, and provide outstanding educational opportunities for students. While those schools represent excellence at scale, they are not the reality for most CTE programs in Ohio.
Grant Career Center reflects what many career tech schools across the state look like: smaller, community-rooted, and resource-conscious, yet deeply committed to student success. Our focus is on strong instruction, meaningful industry connections, and real-world learning experiences that prepare students for both the workforce and postsecondary pathways.
The Shoemaker Fellows engaged in thoughtful conversations about leadership, sustainability, and innovation in CTE—recognizing that quality career technical education is not defined by the size of a building, but by the strength of the programs, the dedication of educators, and the outcomes for students. We were proud to share our story and demonstrate how impactful CTE can be in rural and small-school settings across Ohio.