LEXINGTON, Ky. — A collaborative effort between Fayette County Public Schools and regional partners is working to connect classroom learning with real-world career opportunities through the Career and Technical Education Partnership Council. The council, which convened for its third academic year on July 6, was established by Bluegrass Community Technical College to strengthen alignment between CTE courses in FCPS and industry and community partners. The initiative aims to inspire new business partnerships, enhance K-12 and postsecondary pathways, and build sustainable workforce pipelines. “At the end of the day, it’s about providing opportunities for our students, our industry partners, and our community,” said Amanda Wickersham, the district’s CTE director. The council’s leadership met at FCPS’s John D. Price Administration building, welcoming Alex Lyttle, chief retail officer at Whitaker Bank Corp., as a new co-chair. Lyttle highlighted construction and manufacturing as thriving fields in Central Kentucky, alongside banking and related areas. Attendees included Aaron Thompson, president of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education; BCTC leaders including President Gregory Feeney and Provost Laura Hunt; FCPS Acting Superintendent Bill Bradford; and other district and college officials. The council is preparing to release an “Employer’s Guide to Work-Based Learning” handbook to reduce barriers for business participation. The strategy involves a progressive engagement model: businesses can begin by sending guest speakers to freshman classes, advance to job shadowing for sophomores, and eventually offer internships for older students. FCPS operates three technical centers—Southside, Eastside, and Locust Trace Agriscience Center—and recently announced plans to open The HILL, a new hub for innovative learning in downtown Lexington in August 2025. The merger of the Eastside and Southside technical centers will expand enrollment and develop hybrid programs. “We have to show it’s possible, it’s easy, and they benefit from it,” Wickersham said of business partnerships. Students can explore more at FCPS.net/partners. This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Fayette County Public Schools, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://www.fcps.net/post-details/~board/fayette-county-public-schools-news/post/cte-partnership-council-bridges-classes-careers. View in feeds The post CTE Partnership Council expands opportunities linking students to careers appeared first on The Lexington Times. ...read more read less