Annual CTE Day connects career and technical student organizations with state leaders

Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSO) are an important pillar of career and technical education (CTE) in Iowa as they work in tandem to prepare students for postsecondary success in high-demand careers.

This partnership was on full display at CTE Day at the Capitol last month as students, advisors and CTSO officers gathered to celebrate CTE in Iowa and share their personal journeys with legislators and state leaders.  

Organized by Iowa ACTE to highlight the benefits and learning as a result of CTE and CTSOs, approximately 400 students, a record number, were on-hand to showcase the transformative work of Iowa’s CTSOs and CTE programs that help students develop technical and professional skills while also exploring in-demand career pathways.

CTSOs provide opportunities for students to develop and refine the skills in practical applications, such as conferences, competitions, workshops, community service and other activities that encourage leadership development and career exploration.

“CTSOs may represent different industries, but they share the same mission: helping CTE students grow into confident leaders and skilled professionals,” said Cale Hutchings, bureau chief for CTE and postsecondary readiness at the Iowa Department of Education. “Events like CTE Day at the Capitol strengthen collaboration across organizations and reinforce the value CTSOs bring to CTE programs statewide.”

In addition to sharing their projects and future plans with legislators, Department leaders and industry professionals in the Capitol rotunda, many of the students took the opportunity to explain why CTE and CTSOs are important to Iowa’s future.

“Our goal is to share what we do as an organization alongside all the other CTSOs that support students and really encourage our legislators to support our programs and support our schools that help us thrive as chapters,” said Anisha Choudhary, a senior at Waukee Northwest High School who serves as the state District 3 Vice President of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA).

By providing hands-on experiences, leadership development opportunities and real-world skill-building activities, CTSOs bridge the gap between the classroom and workforce. Iowa has fully recognized this important link between CTE and CTSOs by requiring that all secondary CTE programs offer a recognized CTSOs aligned to the program of study.

“They're being able to put those skills into practice during their CTSO events, whether it be a speaking event or a conference, they're learning to apply those skills they learn in the classroom,” said Iowa ACTE Executive Director Kristen Bandy. “They can’t just stay in their comfort zone. They’ve got to get out there. I think CTSOs are doing an amazing job at helping students show that and practice those skills.”

As interest and participation in CTE has increased, the growth of CTSOs and their programming has followed a similar trajectory.

“We have four more CTSOs in our school, and interest is skyrocketing,” Anisha said. “Our programs are thriving because we have more support and recognition, and our students have more direction of what they want to do for their postsecondary education.”

CTSOs also directly address and align with workforce needs in their communities, with corresponding growth in those areas. HOSA, which focuses on providing opportunities for students in health care and health sciences, exemplifies how CTSOs often identify and address those needs.

“Last year we had one of the largest membership growths in the nation with 175 percent growth,” said Devanshee Patel, HOSA’s state executive council coach. “Iowa really does have a provider shortage and our organization is trying to directly target that gap. We’re building a pipeline for students to be prepared to go into health care and stay in Iowa to help our state as we’re projected to have a provider shortage in a majority of counties.”

Beyond refining professional skills and providing career exploration and guidance, CTSOs offer invaluable opportunities for students to develop essential professional skills, including public speaking, leadership and networking. One of the most daunting yet rewarding aspects of CTE Day at the Capitol is the chance for students to use those skills to directly engage with lawmakers. 

“Being able to go up to a legislator that you've never met before and say, ‘Hi, here's my name, my school and what I am hoping for you to learn’ is a valuable skill,” Anisha said.“ It can be very intimidating at times, but it's so important to know these are just normal people. They're here to represent you. They want to support you. Being able to network and speak confidently is super important.”

Avery Rouse, a senior at Ames High School who serves as the Iowa DECA Vice President of Community Service, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that advocacy is at the core of their mission.

“I think CTE day is really, really important to all of us,” Avery said. “Advocating for our  organization is one of the biggest reasons why we are organization officers. We want to give these opportunities to as many students as possible because it really does develop you and transfers into future career paths. The 21st Century skills you can learn from these organizations will impact your life in any profession.”

While CTSOs span a multitude of technical fields and career paths, the leadership, interpersonal and professional skills fostered by every CTSO are a common bond during CTE Day at the Capitol. 

“Before joining DECA, I was really shy,” said Abigail Huitt, DECA’s State Vice President of Marketing and a senior at Southeast Polk High School. “Now my communication skills have gotten a lot better through DECA by being able to network with other people and other CTSOs at events like this.”

Those networking opportunities also help events like CTE Day at the Capitol serve as incubators for increased collaboration among CTSOs to advance CTE in Iowa.

“I was just talking with someone from BPA (Business Professionals of America), and we really got to understand each other's organizations, and we do a lot of the same kind of things in our own different way,” Abigail said.

These cross-organizational dialogues foster camaraderie and shared purpose as CTSO officers advocate for their fields and the broader CTE community. 

“There's a huge overlap of the things that we do in between these CTSOs and areas we could all work together,” said Satvika Anbukumar, the HOSA State President who is a senior at Waukee High School. “It's been really eye-opening and interesting to see that there are ways that we can connect and we can work with them in the future.” 

The opportunities for students to connect and share the success of their programs at CTE Day at the Capitol nurtures the continued growth of CTE in Iowa by putting leadership skills into practice, building new perspectives and generating renewed motivation to take back to their schools and CTSOs.