Career and Technical Education Support

Several of the organization's services complement and support the CTE programs available in local districts. Berrien RESA:

• Coordinates Career & Technical Education courses for 15 school districts.
• Coordinates, develops and acts as fiscal agent for Tech Prep Grant for Berrien, Cass and Van Buren Counties.
• Acts as the fiscal agent for Section 61 Added Costs programs and coordinated the distribution of funds to local districts.
• Files all Career & Technical Education documents and reports as required by the state for the local districts.
• Establishes partnerships for new programs and academies with community organizations and businesses.
• Provides the facility for the Building and Trades Program.
• Supports the Professional Health Career (with Lakeland Health) and Energy Production Technology (with Lake Michigan College and American Electric Power/Cook Nuclear Plant) Academies.
• Coordinates materials for the state audit using the TRAC system.
• Develops materials for Career & Technical Education recruiting at local districts (posters and brochures for specific programs, current Career & Technical Education Students and non-traditional students).
• Hosts and maintains a Career & Technical Education website for all programs to be used by local districts (www.berriencte.org).
• Coordinates crosswalks between Career & Technical Education programs and the Michigan Merit Curriculum.
• Provides a Career & Technical Education database for student achievement.
• Maintains the Career & Technical Education Student Task Achievement Record (STAR).
• Prepares students for the Michigan Merit Exam Workkeys test by supporting local districts with the Keytrain system.
• Offers countywide Education Development Plan (EDP) template online for local districts.
• Works with Michigan Works! To provide testing and Career Readiness Certificates.
• Coordinates distance learning activities for Career & Technical Education programs in Berrien County.
• Represents Berrien County on State Career & Technical Education Committees, at the MASSP Career & Technical Education Leadership Commission and in the statewide Career Education Planning Districts meetings.
• Coordinates state data training for local districts.
• Ensures each Career & Technical Education program is articulated with a post-secondary institution.
• Coordinates the Career & Technical Education Awards Banquet honoring students, teachers and business partners from all of Berrien County (in partnership with Lake Michigan College). At the event scholarships are provided to student participants.