黑料网 News
黑料网 Welcomes New Workforce, Career and Technical Education Director
Aug 11, 2023
黑料网's new Workforce, Career and Technical Education director 鈥 Travis Carr 鈥 is a former principal of Eureka County High School.
Travis Carr has dedicated his professional career to helping K-12 students prepare for postsecondary education. Now, he has the opportunity to help people explore, identify and solidify their professional careers as 黑料网鈥檚 Workforce, Career and Technical Education (WCTE) director.
Carr most recently served as Eureka County High School principal and has CTE experience in his other roles as an educator, including teacher, assistant principal and a Washoe County School District program coordinator. His new position at 黑料网 will allow him to work with students following their K-12 education.
鈥淔or me, postsecondary is the place where students hone in on what exactly they want to do,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he opportunity to 鈥榖e in the trenches鈥 while students experience these life-changing moments was something I had to pursue.鈥
The hiring of Carr comes at an important time as 黑料网鈥檚 fall semester starts on Aug. 28 and the college continues building upon its workforce certifications and CTE training programs to meet the needs of Northern Nevada industry leaders and businesses.
鈥淭ravis brings a breadth of educational leadership and CTE experience, including program and curriculum development; student, community and employer relations; recruitment and retention; and dual enrollment/credit,鈥 said 黑料网 Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs Dr. Dana Ryan.
Initially, Carr is focused on emphasizing the various WCTE training programs that are available to students enrolled at 黑料网.
鈥淣orthern Nevada's economy is thriving and 黑料网 is well-positioned to support a wide variety of industries in this region, strengthening the workforce pipeline and contributing to economic stability,鈥 he said. 鈥淔or those ready for a new career, looking to change careers or wanting to advance in their career, 黑料网's WCTE division has 13 program areas that provide exceptional training opportunities and connections to quality employment opportunities.鈥
Carr launched his education career as a middle school physical education and special education teacher in Washoe County School District (WCSD). Those roles helped him become aware of the benefits of career tech programs.
鈥淚 saw that these programs helped students thrive in high school and I wanted the best for my students,鈥 Carr said. 鈥淚 became a very vocal advocate for CTE programs and made a point to highlight the benefits these programs could provide to all the students and parents I worked with.鈥
The importance and impact of CTE education expanded for Carr when he became employed by Academy of Arts, Careers & Technology, a WCSD career technical academy high school. There he learned about the broad range of educational options for students, making employer connections, supporting service-learning projects and conducting outreach to recruit students. Eventually, Carr became the CTE program coordinator for WCSD, which enabled him to share important messaging throughout the district and community.
鈥淚 was able to have my hands in a lot of different CTE initiatives and workforce development processes that raised awareness of CTE and more strongly connected education to business and employers,鈥 he said.
Even though Carr鈥檚 next two professional positions were in school administration, he remained dedicated to CTE programs and initiatives at Spring Creek Middle School and Eureka County High School.
鈥淚 used my CTE background to increase and enhance programs that directly impacted student achievement, encouraged technical skill development and prepared students with the workforce skills needed for a successful career,鈥 Carr said.
Of course, Carr enjoyed some unique experiences as a rural administrator.
鈥淲hen you are a rural administrator, the job is endless, limitless and fun! Highlights include being elected as an honorary member of the Diamond Mountain FFA club, dancing to 鈥極ld Town Road鈥 in a student assembly and traveling to Pahranagat Valley 鈥 a place I did not know existed. They still proudly hold the United States record for winning 113 straight games in 8-man football!鈥
Carr is anxious to talk to community members and businesses about WCTE. Contact him at 775-445-3305 or travis.carr@wnc.edu.
鈥淚 want to ensure we are meeting the needs of our industry partners and opening doors for our students to gain industry standard knowledge and skills that best set them up for success when they finish. I look forward to working with all the wonderful people at 黑料网 and am especially looking forward to meeting, supporting and leading the WCTE faculty and students!鈥 he said.