Thirty-seven students enrolled in a range of career-focused programs in Montgomery County Public Schools' (MCPS) Career and Technology Education Program will be honored for their achievements at an awards ceremony on Wednesday, April 25, at 6:00 p.m. at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg. In addition, five local businesses will be recognized with Friends of Career and Technology Education awards for their many contributions to education in the county.

Each winning student will receive a $250 award sponsored by a local business that has made a commitment to support outstanding students preparing to enter the work force. For the third year, one student will receive a $5,000 Technology Education Opportunities Scholarship, made possible by a donation from Douglas Schiffman, president of the Bethesda-based Nine Lives Computer Company, and MCPS' Educational Foundation.

The awards are designed to recognize and encourage students who exhibit outstanding technical, academic, and workplace skills and a commitment to pursuing careers in fields such as biotechnology, electronics, carpentry, medicine, computer maintenance and repair, and professional restaurant management.

"Career-focused education not only provides wonderful opportunities for our students, it also addresses the increasingly more sophisticated needs of the business community," said Dr. Jerry D. Weast, superintendent of schools. "All of the young people receiving awards are excellent students who make many contributions to their schools and communities."

Career and Technology Education courses are available in all high schools throughout the school system and in the Thomas Edison High School of Technology. Study opportunities are divided into five career clusters that reflect local, state, and regional economic development and industry profiles. Career clusters include arts, media, and communications; business management and finance; the fields of engineering, manufacturing, construction, transportation, and technology; health, bioscience, environmental and natural resource systems; and the areas of consumer hospitality, tourism, and human resources.

These career clusters provide a framework for activities that include developing opportunities for career awareness, linking education and business initiatives, and linking classroom and internships as work-based learning.