News

January 22, 2025

Shenendehowa Sophomores Turn to Capital Region BOCES to Build Careers, Education

More than 40 Shenendehowa students recently met with faculty, staff and students on the Capital Region BOCES Career and Technical Education Center – Albany Campus.

The 44 students attended 11 programs, including Diesel Technology, Welding, Automotive Collision Technology, Culinary Arts and Hospitality Tech, Digital Media, Game Design and more.

“I want to get into heavy equipment [repair and operation program] and eventually become a forestry operator,” said Tucker Kean as he met with faculty and students in the Diesel Technology program.

Meanwhile, fellow sophomore Jonah Bailey learned how the Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditions and Refrigeration [HVAC] could give him a competitive boost into a skilled trades career.

“I like hands-on work and I am choosing between Electrical Trades and HVAC, but HVAC seems more like my type of work,” Bailey said.

Once an education path for those students only seeking vocational skills, career and technical education is now a pathway for students looking to build career skills, get a start on their college education or just learn a life skill that will allow them to pay for college. At the Capital Region BOCES Career and Technical Education Center, more than 70% of high school students pursue higher education, while many others directly enter the workforce with a highly technical skill set such as cooking, network cabling or operating heavy equipment.

Students in nearly all of Capital Region BOCES’ 27 programs earn certifications and valuable skills while also working in a real-world setting, such as area businesses. Two new programs are being added for the 2025-26 school year – Plumbing Technology and New Visions: Emerging Technologies – as BOCES opens a third campus. The new campus, the CTE Extension Center, will be located near the current Albany CTE Campus on Watervliet-Shaker Road in Albany.

Enrollment is currently underway for the 2025-26 school year. For more information on career and technical school programs, go to https://www.capitalregionboces.org/career-technical-education/courses-programs/.