Bring Your Skills to School: Become a CATE Teacher

South Carolina's Office of Career and Technology Education (CATE) invites you to discover all the opportunities there are to becoming a CATE teacher. Because there is a growing prominence of students taking CATE courses, the demand for CATE teachers is at an all time high. Here are some frequently asked questions that will help you decide if a career in CATE is right for you.

• What Do CATE Teachers Do?
• Why Should I Become a CATE Teacher?
• In what Areas Can I Teach in?
• How Can I Become Certified to Teach CATE

For more information about becoming a CATE teacher, read the booklets Bring Your Skills to School and Make a Difference Every Day (files are in PDF format).

What Do CATE Teachers Do?

In CATE classes, students look to their teachers to offer them not only the skills to tackle a math problem or understand an essay in their English class, but to give them the hands-on training in a variety of specific job areas. These areas may include computer technology, health care, hospitality and tourism, or business management and administration. If you have a background in computer programming, you might teach classes in Information Technology. If you have training as a paramedic or a registered nurse you might teach classes in Health Science. If you are an engineer, you might teach pre-engineering classes. If you have worked as a hotel/restaurant manager or a chef, you might teach courses in Hospitality and Tourism.

"Teaching a child is one thing, but to teach a child something he or she can use to make an honest living is especially rewarding." - George Duncan, Carpentry Teacher, Airport High School, West Columbia

There are many ways your skills and on the job training might match up with the kind of instruction you will provide to your students.

In addition to passing on your specific job skills to your students, as a CATE teacher you will play a critical role in guiding students as they explore their own career interests and gain the confidence to succeed in any setting, including college, the military, or the job market.

Why Should I Become a CATE Teacher?

Teaching is one of today's most rewarding careers. Here are few good reasons to consider becoming a CATE teacher.

• Demand for CATE teachers is at an all-time high, which means that jobs are plentiful.
• CATE teachers are highly respected and valued members of their communities. There are few jobs more gratifying than helping a young person find his or her personal pathways to success in a career and in life.
• CATE teacher find that students tend to be more highly motivated than many of their peers because students choose CATE classes as electives and really want to be in the class. Teachers get to see clear results of their work as students learn to achieve.
• Salaries in South Carolina are competitive. Public school teachers can look forward to earning between $26,000 and $55,000 annually. High demand also means that teaching jobs will offer excellent benefits packages as well, including paid vacation, sick leave, retirement benefits, and ongoing professional training opportunities.
• CATE is your chance to share what you know to a new generation of young people. You can fulfill your responsibility to make sure that your profession continues to survive and thrive in today's global economy

"My two high school business teachers inspired me to major in business in college. I was getting my teaching certification just in case, but when I did a teaching internship, I knew this was what I wanted to do with my life." -Ann Jolly Godfrey, Business Teacher, Cherokee Technology Center, Gaffney

In What Areas Can I Teach? Whatever your background, you are likely to find an area of CATE that fits your specific skill set. CATE programs in South Carolina include the following: Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources; Business, Management, and Administration; Engineering; Health Science Technology; Hospitality and Tourism; Human Services/Family and Consumer Sciences; Industrial Technology; Information Technology; and Marketing, Sales, and Services. How Do I Become Certified to Teach CATE? To teach in South Carolina, you must become certified by the Department of Education's Office of Educator Certification. All applicants must be at least 18 years of age and must successfully complete a comprehensive FBI background check including fingerprinting.

For CATE teachers, there are three basic paths to obtain certification.

The Tradition Academic Path The traditional academic route requires:

Graduate courses for recertification.

Aspiring CATE teachers who pursue this traditional route will find high demand for CATE teachers - particularly women, minorities, and those willing to teach in critical needs areas of South Carolina - which means that many individuals entering the teaching profession may qualify for college scholarships and/or programs that forgive part or all of their student loans.

For more information, www.scteachers.org/Cert/index.cfm

"CATE is important to South Carolina's educational system and economy because it serves as a connection among the classroom, the community, and businesses." -Denise L. Miller Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher, Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School, Bamberg

The Nontraditional Work Experience Path Recognizing that CATE teachers have unique skills and training earned through real-world experience, the state also offers a second route to certification. The nontraditional "work-based" route to CATE teaching certification requires: A minimum of four years combined related work experience and postsecondary education in the CATE subject area the applicant wishes to teach (some areas of CATE specialization, such as Health Science Technology, require a minimum of an associate's degree in a related field of study); Acceptable documentation of achievements in area of specialization; Close administrative supervision of teaching content and techniques for the applicants first few years in the classroom; and Ongoing, state-approved professional development training sponsored by schools and industry after certification. For more information, visit www.scteachers.org/Cert/index.cfm.

"CATE prepares students to meet the demands of the technology-driven job market we have today. Whether students enter the workforce immediately after high school or go to the military or college, they will have the skills necessary to lead successful lives." - Rita K. Beard, Business and Information Technology Teacher, Crestwood High School, Sumter

The PACE Path Another certification option is the Program of Alternative Certification for Educators (PACE). The program enables degreed individuals who otherwise would not meet certification requirements to work in public schools in critical needs subject areas and/or in critical geographic areas where teacher shortages exist, as determined annually by the State Board of Education. For more information go to www.scteachers.org/cert/pace/overview.cfm Learn More For more information on how to become a CATE teacher Read the bookletsBring Your Skills to School andMake a Difference Every Day Contact the personnel or human resources office of a local school system Visit www.myscschools.com/offices/CATE Write to: Office of Career and Technology Education South Carolina Department of Education 912-A Rutledge Building 1429 Senate Street Columbia, SC 29201 803-734-8410