Today, Knox County's approximately 17,000 high school students will return to the classroom for a new school year. As they do, 127 of them will take part in a new educational venture designed to bridge a gap between school and employment.
The Career and Technical Education, or CTE, school will open its campus in eastern Knox County to its initial class of students. The school is the result of a partnership between Knox County Schools and Pellissippi State Community College. Its mission is to ease the path between public education and jobs that require some level of technical skill. The curriculum will focus on four areas: educational careers, manufacturing, homeland security and sustainable living.
The school, which will be formally named later, will also play a small role in Governor Bill Haslam's stated goal to boost the number of Tennesseans who have a college degree or equivalent technical certification by the year 2025.