Transcript
This transcript was generated using artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
Jason Altmire (00:01)
Welcome to another edition of Career Education Report. I'm Jason Altmire and we talk about career and technical education quite a bit because it's such an important topic and it's in the news literally every single day all across the country. So we wanted to bring on somebody who's working out on this issue all across the country. You've probably seen him at our events at CECU and at other events.
Peyton Holland, he's the executive director of the National Technical Honor Society, has spent his career working on career and technical education issues. So Peyton, we're just very thankful to have you on and looking forward to the discussion.
Peyton Holland (00:41)
It's an honor to be here, Jason. Thank you so much for having me and the work that you all are doing to empower students every day with the skills they need to build the futures they want.
Jason Altmire (00:50)
We're going to get into the Honor Society and the work that you're doing and some very innovative plans that you have for the future. But I think it's really interesting for folks to think about where you came from. You have a background that leads right into this discussion. You grew up in rural North Carolina and got early exposure to some of these fields. Maybe you can talk about how you got your start.
Peyton Holland (01:18)
Be happy to you. I was really blessed and fortunate to grow up in a family that saw the value in skill I mean my dad from the earliest age He has always been hungry to learn every skill that he possibly could he was self-taught welder mechanic You name it he even built the house that we grew up in with his own two hands He cut every board and drove every nail and so it was incredible growing up around someone that you could watch truly build their own future and so I
I just had a deep desire and appreciation to want to be like that as I grew up. And as I got into high school, I wanted to follow in his footsteps and learn as many skills and trades and crafts as I could. And that led me to a masonry class that truly changed my life. You see this in all your work you do in education, Jason, but the instructors that are in current technical education classrooms have an uncanny ability to...
to relate and resonate and impact students, whether they're high school or 70 years old coming in for a fourth or fifth career change. And that masonry instructor pulled me to the side and got me involved in an organization, know, Friends of Ours at SkillsUSA, and it just showed me what it meant to not only believe in myself, but to be able to harness that belief and the skill sets that we were learning in the classroom, whether it was laying brick or whether it was learning how to
and work together as a team to build a foundation for a future for myself. between my dad and George Brackton, that masonry class, I was set up with a deep appreciation for what CTE and the trades can do for students.
Jason Altmire (02:55)
And that masonry class that was in high school, right?
Peyton Holland (02:58)
Yes, sir. I started that as a freshman and didn't have an intention on taking a masonry class. I wanted to take a carpentry class and happened to get funneled into that to learn the foundations of construction education and what to do on a job site. And once Mr. Braxton got ahold of me, there was no turning back.
Jason Altmire (03:17)
And you, think, I wouldn't say it would be surprising to some, but I think it's of interest to some. You have two master's degrees, one of which was from a university in France. And you were just saying in high school, you took this masonry class, you grew up using your hands and you thought about that as your career. Then you evolved in your higher education. You ended up with two master's degrees. How did that all work out? And now you're back.
as a leader in the career education sector. What was your journey to get to this?
Peyton Holland (03:51)
It was really, Jason, driven by a passion for helping other students see the value in learning skill early on. We can talk about the value of education in big broad strokes, and anything we can do to expand our minds and learn new information is great. But when you can learn skill sets that help you not only take care of your family, but
build opportunities for yourself as you move forward. That's impactful. And what Mr. Braxton showed me when I was in that masonry program, when we got involved in student competitions, ⁓ SkillsUSA is a career and technical student organization, FFA, HOSA, the list goes on, they're student organizations that touch every aspect of career and technical education. And they have great competitive event opportunities. But when you go to those events and the leadership development conferences,
I saw something that I had never seen in education before. And it was a group of bright, talented, motivated students that were passionate, that were clear minded about what they wanted to accomplish in their futures. And the energy was palpable every time you stepped into a space with that type of students. And that was the type of energy that Mr. Braxton ran his masonry classroom. And so as I went through that experience and it really transformed my life, I was a shy, quiet kid. When I got to high school, ⁓
I had no plans other than just trying to get through high school and be the least picked on student in that high school. That was my career objective at that point in time. And I would figure the rest out when I got out. Mr. Braxton connected me with a purpose around helping other students find their purpose and find that passion and showed me how career and technical education could be an incredible avenue to do that. So the story to getting to two master's degrees really stems from knowing that
To be able to have that influence, I wanted to be involved and run an organization that influenced students on a daily basis. Went on to be the SkillsUSA North Carolina Executive Director for about a decade. And my purpose in getting those two master's degrees was to set me up to be able to run an association that influenced career and technical education and more importantly had an impact on students. And that's what led me here to NTHS today, the opportunity to work with students in all 50 states across the country.
whether they be in high school, post-secondary, no matter where they are in their career journey, our ability to look at those students and say what George Braxton said to me, he said to this two weeks in the class, he Peyton, I see something special in you. And I don't know that our students hear that enough, Jason, particularly students in the stigma. We can talk about the stigma around the trades in a little bit, but a lot of students that have pursued CTE in the past have done so with an extra weight on their shoulders that
well, you're going that route as opposed to a four-year university route. That's okay. We're going to put you over here. There's a lot of stigma that thankfully we're seeing a completely different side of that in the world today. I think the view of the potential for career paths that don't involve a four-year degree, or at least not initially, has changed immensely. But that weight that you have on your shoulders going into those programs, those students deserve to be told.
There's something special in you. The skill sets that you're learning right now, they're incredible. They are honors worthy and they deserve to be celebrated and recognized by not only the folks in your school, but your community. And you deserve to be looked at as someone that's going to go out and make an impact. So that's what led me here to help do that for students across the country. Jason, I love the work we get to do and to be able to share that message that George Braxton shared with me, gosh, 26 years ago now.
Jason Altmire (07:32)
Let's talk about that work. The National Technical Honor Society is probably something that people who listen to this podcast have heard. Maybe others are less aware of the organization and what it does. So maybe talk about who are the members. I know it represents not only high school, but also post-secondary with related to CTE. So what is the mission of the organization? Who do you serve?
Peyton Holland (07:58)
Yes, sir. We are the Honor Society for Career and Technical Education. Our mission is straightforward. How can we help empower and elevate those students who are pursuing the skills they need to build the futures they want? And that's across all areas of career and technical education. So we're honored to do that at the high school level, at the post-secondary level. And it doesn't matter if it's a for-profit public entity. If career and technical education is being taught in that institution,
We're here to help serve and recognize and empower those students. And we really came from humble beginnings, Jason. We started 41 years ago, a couple of career and technical educators that had some bright, talented, brilliantly skilled students in their classrooms. And they went to the local high school, they were at a tech center and they went to the local high school and said, hey, we've got some bright, talented students. Look at the incredible work they're doing over here. Look at the skillsets they have. We want them to be recognized as honor students and join the honor society.
Well, the high school said, well, I'm sorry, you've got vocational students. They're not eligible to join the honor society here. So Alan Powell and John and Pat Petit decided at that moment, they wanted to bring that recognition to students in their community and help the community understand what was happening in the walls of that tech center and the career skills that were being built. And the fact that these students weren't just going to go out and build careers for themselves, but they were going to be key players in those communities. When you think about
the infrastructures and the systems that keep us comfortable from HVAC systems, our healthcare systems, everything that we interact with that keeps our life and our businesses moving forward is rooted in career and technical education. And they really wanted the community to understand that value. So 41 years ago at a dining room table, NTHS was dreamed up and here we are. 41 years later, we've served over 1.2 million students in that period of time.
Each year we have over 100,000 active members across that secondary and post-secondary market that are engaged with us in chapters all across the country and even across the world.
Jason Altmire (10:02)
So when you say a hundred thousand active members and then you referenced chapters, who are the members? Is it the students? Is it the schools? Is it the chapters? And then what do you have to do to become a member?
Peyton Holland (10:15)
So a school would constitute a chapter. In order to have a chapter at that school, we need an instructor or someone that works within that school that says, we want to take time to celebrate and recognize these students and give them access to resources. They're going to help them pursue their career objectives. So a school would start a chapter. And once that chapter is in place, there's no cost to do that. Any teacher or instructor or
a member of the school staff can be involved in administering and running that chapter, they're able to start nominating and inducting students. In order to be an NTHS, there's a couple of simple national criteria that have to be met. Obviously, you've got to be enrolled in Career and Technical Education. That's who we're here to celebrate. That's who we want to recognize. That's who we want to give access to resources to. And then you have to have a 3.0 GPA, and that can be CTE specific overall.
or a combination of the two, depending on how the school is set up and structured, we leave that flexibility up to the school. And then the school can also, depending on what their structure is, they can have additional criteria. We've got, if go to nths.org and check out Establish a Chapter, it'll give you some of the optional criteria, whether you're post-secondary or secondary, there certain models that can help you engage your members better and serve those students better, so you can add additional components to that. But it's really as simple as starting the chapter,
Nominating and inducting students and once you nominate and induct those students it you kick it off with an induction ceremony to celebrate those students But it's it's not all about the high-five and the handshake that feels good, right? And that's a moment for the community to come in and see not only the incredible students being recognized But a way to bring business and the community members and parents in to see the programs that are taking place on that campus Use that as a way to to showcase your current technical education programs
That recognition is only one component of what goes into a National Technical Honor Society chapter. We're built around four core objectives of career development, leadership development, service, and recognition. So we have tools and resources that our chapters at each school level can use to engage those students in those core four objectives.
Jason Altmire (12:27)
I'm going to talk about scholarships in a minute, but I did want to ask you about those objectives and other ways besides just scholarships and money that you're able to help students. What are some of the resources that you're able to provide?
Peyton Holland (12:40)
think one of the biggest resources, and this was a tremendous experience for me when I was a student in high school and even as I progressed into a university setting, was the ability for students to engage in leadership roles that give them real world experience. Because when a student leaves an educational institution, they're going to go into a business of some sort. They're going to have to collaborate with other individuals. They're going to have to learn how to balance budgets and manage resources. And when you have an opportunity,
to gain experience doing that in an educational setting that's not always in a classroom. Some classrooms do it really well. think career and technical education classrooms are some of the best real world, real life laboratories that exist where they can build those team structures. But when you have this organization that can work hand in hand with those CTE programs to give students those opportunities to serve in a leadership capacity to help coordinate.
with business and industry partners, those career development events, those professional development events that you may want to do on campus. It elevates that experience for the student. And when you get into a job interview scenario, over the last 26 years, I've had the privilege of being able to interview a lot of students and do prep, whether it's scholarship interviews or employment interviews. And a lot of times, one of the most common answers you hear from a student when you ask them, tell me about an experience or a time you experienced conflict in a team.
or tell me about this or that. First words that come out of their mouths are, mm, and you hear a lot of those filler statements. I've been there, I was one of those students. It's so important that within our schools, we give students an opportunity not only to have those rich experiences where they've had that teamwork, they've learned how to work through conflict, they've managed.
even if a small budget for putting an induction ceremony together and coordinating logistics around that, they've had some project management experience in that space. And more importantly, they've not just had that experience, but they have an opportunity to learn to articulate that experience in terms that correlate to what they're going to be doing out in industry. when you think about the value of a student organization in general, and NTHS can play this role really well on the campus, because it brings
all of your programs together. It brings all of CTE together in one place. Oftentimes, and I've seen this a lot over the years, where you have certain departments and programs within an institution, it's pretty siloed. There's not a lot of cross collaboration unless that's a real intentional directive from the administration. When you have an organization like NTHS that gives those students an opportunity to have conversations and collaborate, and maybe you have a construction student that's... ⁓
chatting with an agriculture student or a culinary student. And they start to see, what? I didn't realize that in the culinary industry, HVAC systems were so prominent. The ventilation is critically important in that process. And they start to open up ideas of opportunities in areas they may have not thought about before. Maybe they thought HVAC systems were just something you did in residential construction. But now there's this whole commercial side of it. So it's a great way to open up opportunities for students to see beyond.
what their frame of reference may be in their program, but also to bring your campus together and harness that energy of CTE in one location. So that was a long-winded answer, Jason, to what it can do. But if it weren't for those student engagement experiences and opportunities to get experience at a young age of what leadership roles look like and what it meant to be responsible for something that was not just your grades, I don't think I would have had the same outlook in development.
potential is as I move through my education.
Jason Altmire (16:22)
We hear all the time from employers that very topic. And it starts with soft skills, the ability to just communicate with people, to be able to talk about what you're doing and what your plans are, and to plan and collaborate and interact with people in a way that might make some folks uncomfortable, especially in today's society where everybody's on their phones all the time.
That's one thing, but now you're talking about project management and entrepreneurship and thinking in a business mindset. And that's really important too, because that's what employers are looking for. They're looking for people who can do those things right from the start, but also that they would have the opportunity to rise up and become leaders in a business, in an organization. A lot of people want to run their own business someday. So the fact that you and your organization are
teaching those skills and incentivizing students to think differently about what their career might look like from a leadership perspective, not just using their hands and doing the work, but where can I grow from this point? That's really, really important.
Peyton Holland (17:33)
Thank you. We've seen the value in that day in and day out. And when you think about what it means to a student to be able to not walk in cold into a new job. we, in post-secondary education, we see folks that are coming through for the very first time that have never experienced any kind of career. And you see folks that are seasoned and have been in a career for a number of years, but may have never been put in a...
position of leadership and now they can get a taste and an opportunity to try that on and you see a spark and a light that clicks in their eyes that's different and that's exciting. That's why we do what we do.
Jason Altmire (18:10)
The National Technical Honor Society, according to your website, gives out $335,000 plus each year in scholarships. You said also that there's no cost to membership to join the organization. So where does the funding come from that enables you to be able to award these scholarships?
Peyton Holland (18:31)
So there's no cost for a school to have a chapter. Student membership dues are just a one-time $30 fee. And what's great about that is it's not recurring. You pay that one time and it's not just giving you a year access. You get lifetime access to many of our benefits because again, we're not here to just be a high five and a handshake and here's your certificate, great job. We want to be a part of that student's career journey, even after they walk out of the doors of whatever institution that is.
So our scholarship funds come from those membership dues and also from our partner relationships. So we have business and industry and other organizations and associations that help support those scholarships. Those scholarships, one of the things we're extremely proud of about our scholarship program is not only can it be used to support books and tuition and ongoing training, but it can be used to buy tools, equipment, supplies that that student needs to be excellent in their career.
So if a student has their books and tuition covered and they can buy, you know, think of an automotive student, they can buy wrenches and tools through their program there, or if they're going through official OJT program or an apprenticeship program, we can write those checks to the employers and that counts towards their tool purchase agreement. So we can equip that student with the resources and tools they need to really build their career. So that flexibility is something that we're extremely proud of. And we hold the scholarships for up to three years for our members. So if they...
When it as they're graduating, they want to go out and figure out what other skill sets and resources they need. One of the things we had a challenge with early on when, when I came to NTHS was post-secondary students not applying. And I think this is really pertinent to your audience. Post-secondary students not applying because maybe they're in the last two semesters. They've already got things taken care of. What do I need to apply for a scholarship? Well,
We'll hold it for three years if you find there's a credential or skill that you need to come back. If it's a short term, a two week program, a two day program, an online certification, our scholarships can cover that. And again, if you go to work with an employer that's got an OJT program, we can write that check to the employer and get you tools and equipment to help you get to work faster.
Jason Altmire (20:39)
Yeah, the tools and equipment is a big issue, especially for, let's say, techs. There are some schools that provide tools on the way out the door and student graduates. Congratulations. Here's your tool set. There are some that don't do that. And we have heard that that's an impediment to these folks going out into the job market because they're not working yet. And they
don't have the income and those are expensive can be thousands of dollars in some cases. So you're saying that the scholarship can be used for that type of thing for tools.
Peyton Holland (21:12)
Yes, sir, it sure can. And automotive is one of the prime examples of where our students are taking advantage of that. And when you think about the economics of a student going out and if they have to sign a tool purchase agreement with their employer, so that's a portion of their wages that are coming out. You're trying to get off your feet. You're trying to pay for rent. If that scholarship can help offset that for you in some way, that's huge opportunity to get started and get in the door.
Jason Altmire (21:39)
What's the application process for a student to apply for a scholarship and do they have to state in that application how they would use the money if they're awarded?
Peyton Holland (21:49)
So we have a couple of different avenues and I'll lay out the different paths for that. There's one scholarship by John H. Petit. It's our largest scholarship. give out 275, $1,000 scholarships in that. And the premise behind that scholarship is if students have been inducted into NTHS, we believe they're top quality students, their instructors have told us so, and they deserve an equal shot at an opportunity for a scholarship.
It is one of the simplest scholarship applications any student will ever go through. There's a couple of check boxes to agree to the terms and conditions and say you'd be willing to accept it if you won the scholarship and that's it. We have other scholarships like our friends at NCCR and their Build Your Future initiative of students pursuing a construction pathway and construction education at the post-secondary level. That's a $2,000 scholarship that there's a
essay component to it that you have to do, but it's not a traditional essay. You get to talk about the tools that you love and a project that you've done. So you're not having to come in and pontificate around a high society and this, that, and the other. You actually get to talk about the things that you're excited about and why you want to go into that trade. So we've got some that are as simple as clicking a couple of boxes to apply. We've got some that involve showcasing something that you're passionate about in your trade.
We've got other partnerships. We're talking about the automotive side with the Tech Force Foundation. We've partnered with them and their scholarship application process ⁓ involves need-based elements. So some are need-based. A large portion of them are open to any student. Some are specific to a trade that you want to go to and you've got to show some passion in that. And then we've got partnerships with every one of the career and technical student organizations out there. So if you've got listeners that are members of a CTSO and NTHS,
they can apply for those scholarships and each CTSO runs those applications. there's typically some type of component where students have to verbalize what it is, what objective they want to accomplish with the scholarship and that. So you've got a broad mix. If you don't like to write, there's scholarship opportunities for you. If you're passionate about your trade, there's scholarship opportunities for you to talk about that as well.
Jason Altmire (23:59)
And you did mention this earlier, but just to reiterate, this is for both high school and post-secondary institutions. It can be for a for-profit institution, nonprofit, community college, any public institution. No limitation. It's just the student has to explain what it is they want to do and why they feel they should compete for this scholarship. And then it's up to you all. So the last question I have is who's the
decision-making entity. get all of these applications, the students have made their case, who decides on where those scholarships are awarded.
Peyton Holland (24:36)
Depending on the scholarship, there's a review committee that will review those. our partner scholarships typically involve a review committee from that partner and internal folks at NTHS and an advisor committee that's agnostic of any of the applicants to review and narrow down those scholarship applicants. Then we've got those that are equal across the board. That's a simple selection process that is run in-house and on a
on a more randomized basis to give everyone an equal shot at that. we've got committees of folks that are connected to that trade, to the organization that we share the scholarship with, and then folks that are internal that are helping manage that process as well.
Jason Altmire (25:17)
Was that number I mentioned accurate $335,000 per year?
Peyton Holland (25:22)
That is correct, yes sir, and growing every year.
Jason Altmire (25:25)
Thank you for the work that you do. You are making an incredible difference, not just in the aggregate of this skills gap and the workforce shortages that we all know about and hear about, and you're helping expand that pipeline, but you are making a difference for individuals, for people often who've gone through hard times, who are struggling to decide what they want to do with their lives, and you're helping set them in the right direction, giving them some leadership training on the way and improving them.
as people, not just as workers. I just want you to know that we appreciate the work that you're doing,
Peyton Holland (26:00)
Well, thank you so much and we appreciate the work you're doing. We don't exist if there's not incredible institutions that are out there providing those opportunities with instructors saying, I see something in you. I believe you and we're going to teach you the skill sets to be successful. So thank you to you and all of your member institutions for that work that happens day in and day out.
Jason Altmire (26:19)
And if somebody wanted to learn more about the organization, how would they?
Peyton Holland (26:23)
do
it. Feel free to visit us at nths.org. That's our website. You can click on establish a chapter and that'll walk you through the process. You can also feel free to reach out info at nths.org and we've got a team standing by ready to walk anyone through whether it's a student with a question or schools that are wanting to start a chapter and engage those members. We're standing by and ready to help.
Jason Altmire (26:44)
Our guest today has been Peyton Holland. is the executive director of the National Technical Honor Society. Peyton, thank you for being with us.
Peyton Holland (26:53)
Thank you, Jason. It was a pleasure.
Jason Altmire (26:58)
Thanks for joining me for this episode of the Career Education Report. Subscribe and rate us on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. For more information, visit our website at career.org and follow us on Twitter @CECUED. That's at C-E-C-U-E-D. Thank you for listening.