Howard County Executive Calvin Ball Celebrates Grand Opening of Howard County Public School System’s Career & Technical Education Cent...

Formerly known as the Applications and Research Laboratory, or ARL, the CTEC is the career and technical center for HCPSS high school students. Students from all 13 high schools and Homewood can enroll in one of CTEC’s 13 Career Academy programs, which offers participants a unique opportunity to prepare for college and entry-level employment in specific career areas. Each Career Academy offers a recommended sequence of courses, internships, capstone project, or research project related to students' career goals, and the opportunity to earn college credit and/or industry certification while in high school.

“The Career and Technical Education Center is special because it represents a critical investment in our students’ futures. Howard County Public School students from all 13 of our high schools enroll in programs here - programs that allow them to explore a profession and learn from industry professionals while still in high school, helping them make informed decisions about their future, Said Bill Barnes, Superintendent, HCPSS. “I am grateful for to the Howard County Government and County Executive Calvin Ball for dedicating 13 million dollars in pass through funds from the State to support this critical interior renovation and expansion project. Additionally, I appreciate CTEC’s principal Mikaela Lidgard, our Operations Team staff, and the entire construction team who have all dedicated long hours in hot conditions to move this project along so the building can be ready to welcome back our students when they return for the upcoming school year.

In 2023, Ball announced $13 million in pass-through funding from the state to renovate and expand the HCPSS’s then ARL; this funding was part of a $35 million in state pass-through grant that was awarded to Howard County Government by the Maryland General Assembly in 2022. In addition to the $13 million, Ball also included an additional $1 million in his Fiscal Year 2025 Capital Budget to support this renovation/expansion project.

“This center represents something that I have believed throughout my time in public service; there is no single path to success, and our responsibility is to ensure every young person has access to a path that allows them to thrive. The CTEC represents the vision behind the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, which I was thrilled to help advance as Chair of Ways and Means,” said Vanessa Atterbeary, former Maryland State Delegate. “Today is what good public policy looks like when it becomes real. It is the Blueprint becoming opportunity. It is state and local investment becoming classrooms, training, credentials, wages, and careers. Most importantly, it is our commitment to Howard County’s young people to become future filled with more choices and more possibilities.”

HCPSS began construction in 2024, with improvements to the building including the:

Interior renovation to expand capacity and reduce waitlists by adding eight new classrooms;
New mechanical, electrical, and plumbing;
Technology upgrades;
New windows and roofing; and
New energy efficient exterior façade

The major goal of the project was to reduce Career Academy program waitlists, as each program has a limited number of seats available at each grade level. During the regular high school registration window, students may request CTEC Career Academy courses. If more requests than there are seats for a given course are received, a randomized computer program is utilized for enrollment and the placement of students within courses. This process results in the generation of a waitlist for applicable courses.

In the last decade, enrollment in CTEC’s Career Academies has increased by more than 75 percent, from just 825 students enrolled during the 2015-2016 school year to now nearly 1,450 students enrolled for the 2026-2027 school year. With this expansion project, HCPSS CTEC was able to add four new sections for this school year, making available approximately 120 more Career Academy seats for interested high school juniors and reducing the program’s waitlist. Four additional sections will be added next 2027-2028 school year, bringing the total number of additional students served to roughly 240.

Additionally, in the past several years, CTEC’s Academy of Health Professions has expanded to include Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) as an additional program option. As a result of renovations, CTEC will be able to create additional sections for both the Academy of Health Professions’ CCMA and Certified Nursing Assistant pathway.

“On behalf of my colleagues, we are thankful and thrilled to have the newly renovated and renamed Career Technical Education Center open for our students this fall. What is taught here is so critically important to the future of our students and community,” said Jennifer Swickard Mallo, Chair, Howard County Board of Education. “There is no one clear and right path to success in adulthood and this newly renovated building houses untold opportunities. Thank you, Senator Guzzone and the Howard County delegation, Dr. Ball, and the County Council for securing the funding and investing in the Career Technical Education Center.”

Renovations to CTEC also support the Career and Technical Education (CTE) requirements of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future (Pillar 3) by expanding opportunities for more students to participate in college and career readiness courses. Pillar 3 is centered on College and Career Readiness and establishes a new College and Career Readiness (CCR) standard that prepares graduates for success in college and the workforce by ensuring students have the knowledge and skills to complete entry-level credit-bearing college courses and work in high-wage and high-demand industries. The Blueprint aims to:

Have all students meet the CCR standard by the end of their 10th grade year;
Develops CCR-Support pathways to support students in meeting the standard;
Enables students to enter a post-CCR pathway that builds on the student’s strengths; Develops a Career and Technical Education (CTE) system that is aligned with industry’s needs; and
Ensures that prekindergarten through 12th grade curriculum, standards, and assessments are all aligned with the new CCR standard.

HCPSS’s CTE programs and students currently lead the state in the number of Industry Recognized Credentials (IRC) earned annually.

“The IAC congratulates Howard County Public Schools for combining $13 million in State funding with local funding in the renovation of the CTEC facility to support modern, high-quality career-prep studies for students from around the county,” said Laura Smyles, Project Manager, IAC.

In addition to CCR improvements, the County has also partnered with HCPSS to expand opportunities for youth apprenticeships through the Apprenticeship Maryland Program. Apprentices will work in high demand industries while earning wages, high school credit, and completing industry related instruction. For this school year, approximately 75 high school apprentices have been matched with local employers across multiple career paths, including:

Construction and Development – Construction, Electrical, HVAC, Plumbing
Healthcare- Certified Nursing Assistant and Certified Medical Assistant (new position)
Business Management and Finance – Marketing and sales (new position)
Information Technology
Manufacturing and Engineering
Transportation Technologies
Hospitality – Chef and Management
Human Resource Services – Childcare and Educator

Through this program, the County is sponsoring six apprentices in electrical, HVAC, and plumbing with our Department of General Services; a youth engagement specialist with our Office of the Local Children's Board; an information technology apprentice; and an administrative assistant with our Office of Workforce Development.

Department of Fire and Rescue Services’ Station 15 Progress and Partnership

During today’s grand opening event, Ball also highlighted the progress the County is making on DFRS’s new Station 15, which will be located adjacent to HCPSS’s CTEC and Homewood Campus. The land for Fire Station 15 was successfully subdivided in Summer 2026, with construction anticipated to begin within the next six months.

“We are extremely excited about the addition of Fire Station 15 on the Board of Education Campus. This new station will be an important Investment in public safety. Helping us enhance service delivery, improve response times and provide additional emergency response capacity as call volume continues to grow,” said Fire Chief Louis Winston, HCDFRS. “What makes this project especially exciting is the opportunity to bring our public safety and education missions together under one roof. The new fire station will include two EMT instruction classrooms, allowing us to expand the EMT program from one class to two. That means more Howard County students will have the opportunity to participate in this highly successful program and explore a rewarding career in emergency medical services.”

Station 15 represents a new partnership with HCPSS, with it being the County’ first station to feature classrooms where aspiring students can learn technical skills and explore a future career in firefighting or Emergency Medical Services (EMS) care. Once complete, Station 15 will feature two classrooms to support CTEC’s Academy of Health Professions’ Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) pathway program.

Offered in partnership with DFRS, CTEC’s EMT pathway aims to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform emergency medical care in a pre-hospital environment at the basic life support level. The program prepares students to sit for the National Registry Emergency Medical Technician exams, earning an IRC. Upon graduation and successful completion of the EMT certification, students are then eligible to begin Howard Community College’s EMS program, a two-year, Associates of Applied Science – Paramedic curriculum.

The County has invested $18.8 million to advance Station 15, which follows the openings of the Station 14 – Merriweather in 2019 and Station 12 – Waterloo in 2022 and will help further improve response times countywide.

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