CCDE's Center for Technical Education Marks 20 Years

By Thijs Messelaar

As the Big Dig--the largest civil engineering project in Massachusetts history--and the new campus center--the largest construction project at UMass Boston in years--both near their long-anticipated completion, thousands of laborers will be looking to find work.

Many might find it beneficial to trade sawdust for chalk dust and embark on new careers as teachers. If they go this route, it's likely they'd be the latest enrollees in courses offered by the Center for Technical Education (CTE), a division of UMass Boston that has set its sights on training these skilled laborers and technicians to be vocational-technical instructors.

According to CTE director Sumner Rotman, nearly 20,000 men and women have made their way through his program. They have taught their trades at a total of 78 vocational-technical and public schools throughout Massachusetts since the center's inception in 1983. These workers decide to make mid-career moves for various reasons, ranging from a lack of work or an injury on the job, or, for those who are already teaching, to help bolster the possibility of promotion.

"Our focus has been on achieving the public mission of cultivating skilled workers," says Rotman. "It only makes sense to have vocational-technical skills taught by those who have made a career using them."

CTE offers a 36-credit program designed to prepare workers with at least six years' experience in their vocational fields to teach others their trades. Graduating students become certified to teach their particular trade in Commonwealth of Massachusetts schools.

Administered by UMass Boston's Division of Corporate, Continuing, and Distance Education, CTE operates under the auspices of the university's Graduate College of Education, which provides expertise in research, curriculum design, and the development of pedagogical competencies.

CTE provides more than just course work. Through lectures, statewide conferences, and job fairs, the center is an occupational matchmaker, helping many students find positions. CTE graduates can opt to put the majority of the 36 credits earned toward an associate's degree program at one of six local community colleges. Students can also then transfer up to 60 credits toward a bachelor's degree at UMass Boston.

CTE has also offered over 100 post-baccalaureate courses as part of its Professional Development for Educators program.

Rotman has worked in the technical education field for over 35 years and has witnessed its increased sophistication, demand, and relevance.
Of course, if you need any more convincing, take a moment to consider the remarkable skills involved in the building of the Big Dig or that spectacular new campus center.

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