Byron Public School announces new CNA Program
The Byron Public Schools (BPS) is pleased to announce a new opportunity that will begin for the 2019-2020 school year in partnership with Rochester Public Schools (RPS). This fall Byron students will have the opportunity to obtain a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) license at the Career and Technical Education Center (CTECH) in Rochester.
The Rochester Public Schools goal of developing CTECH into a regional education center, focusing on career pathways that are reflective of the region’s employment needs, clearly aligns with the mission and vision of the Byron Public Schools. The CNA program is ideal for students who would like to explore nursing as a possible career and for those who would like to work as a nursing assistant. Byron Superintendent, Dr. Joey Page shared, “students will learn nursing care skills and concepts necessary to take the examination for Nursing Assistant and Home Health Aide with the State of Minnesota. This can lead to the opportunity to be employed in a healthcare facility or client's home, under the direct supervision of a licensed nurse.”
Byron is dedicated to continued development of Career and Technical Education (CTE) for all students. CTE programs are a series of sequenced courses that integrate core academic knowledge with technical and occupational knowledge and skills to provide students with a pathway to post-secondary education and careers. CTE programs help to connect students with high-skill, high-demand science, technology, engineering and math fields where many good jobs are waiting.
Currently, Byron has CTE teachers in the areas of Agriculture, Business, Family and Consumer Science (FACS), and Industrial Technology. The new CNA program will be Byron’s first certificate bearing course. Principal Steve Willman shared “we are very excited to provide this training for students to learn about and enter the health career field. Byron has a strong link to the medical community and now our kids will have the chance to explore this avenue.”
BPS and RPS are already collaborating school districts for the purposes of Achievement and Integration plans. Much of this work is driven by the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, to improve career technical education and create opportunities to enter high-skill, high-wage, or high-demand employment in Minnesota for all learners. This Act provides an increased focus on the academic achievement of career and technical education students, strengthening the connections between secondary and post-secondary education, and improving state and local accountability.