The Career & Technical Education (CTE) Department invites students to explore real-world career and job-related skills so they can successfully pursue a wide range of college and career options after high school. Our mission is to build students’ career readiness for lifelong success. CTE students are engaged learners because they are taught through project-based learning with real-world problems. Our instruction combines a problem solving orientation, relevant technical skills in the field of study, and essential life skills including working effectively with others. 

Standards

ETHS standards for Career & Technical Education reflect the following 21st Century skills: Problem-Solving, Critical/Creative Thinking, Collaboration, Communication, and Ethical Reasoning/Mindset. The standards also reflect the mastery of knowledge and skills required within the 7 Career Pathways as recognized by the State of Illinois. Those pathways focus on the following career sectors of our economy: Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources; Arts and Communication; Finance and Business Services; Health Sciences and Technology; Human and Public Services; Information Technology; and Manufacturing, Engineering, and Trades. To learn more about ETHS Career Pathways Programs of Study, click on this link:  https://www.eths.k12.il.us/Page/863

Dual Credit

Students in some CTE courses may dual enroll in both the ETHS class and the equivalent Oakton College course and receive college credit.  Dual credit is currently offered in certain courses in the Career and Technical Education, Fine Arts, and Mathematics Departments. Contact Michelle Vazquez, Post-Secondary Counselor at 847-424-7163 for more information. To learn more, search the online Course Selection Guide for courses marked with the Oakton College Ⓞ symbol, view the Oakton Early College Catalog, or click on this link: Oakton College

Project Lead the Way

The CTE Department at ETHS offers eight (8) nationally recognized Project Lead the Way (PLTW) engineering courses. These rigorous courses use a curriculum developed and maintained by a consortium of leading engineering universities and the private sector to introduce high school students to the many facets of engineering. PLTW courses integrate national academic and technical learning standards and Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) principles to solve real-world problems in a collaborative classroom setting.

PLTW courses offer engineering-related college credit through PLTW affiliated engineering colleges/universities subject to course grade and end of course exam performance. PLTW courses also carry additional grade weighting equal to Advanced Placement courses. To learn more, search the online Course Selection Guide for courses marked with the PLTW Ⓟ symbol or click on this link:  https://sites.google.com/a/eths202.org/pltw-eths/

Requirements

All students must fulfill a total of three (3) credits of Fine Arts and Career & Technical Education (CTE): 1 in Fine Arts and 2 in CTE or 2 in Fine Arts and 1 in CTE. All courses in art, music, and speech arts satisfy the Fine Arts requirement. All CTE courses meet the CTE requirement. 1, 2, and 3 Video Production & Design, 1 Graphic Design, 2 Graphic Design, 3 Graphic Design, Metal Sculpture, and 1 Stagecraft fulfill Fine Arts or CTE credit. All Special Education computer courses meet the CTE requirement. Students must pass a Consumer Education course to graduate from ETHS. The CTE department offers several courses that fulfill this requirement. 

Visit the graduation requirements page for complete details.