NASA’s Career Technical Education Day Highlights Technical Careers

NASA/Mark Knopp At NASA, remaining a global leader in exploration and innovation includes having a skilledand dedicated workforce. Technicians play a critical role in advancing the agency’sresearch and missions, applying hands-on expertise across engineering, fabrication,electronics, and countless other technical fields. To help cultivate the next generation of technical talent, NASA’s Office of STEM Engagementhosted Career Technical Education Day recently at NASA’s Langley Research Center inHampton, Virginia. One hundred high school and community college students from Virginiaand North Carolina attended, eager to explore the technical career paths that help driveNASA’s work. “Many students picture NASA as only astronauts or engineers and therefore never considera career at NASA to be within their reach,” said Bonnie Murray, lead for the Office of STEMEngagement at NASA Langley. “Bringing students from local career and technicaleducation programs to Langley allows them the opportunity to see technicians at work,hear the pathways those technicians followed, and understand how the skills they aredeveloping in their related classes have a place in the NASA workforce.” The event opened with remarks from NASA Langley’s Steve Gayle, who traced his path froman engineering technician co-op in the center’s Fabrication Division and a graduate ofLangley’s Engineering Technician Apprentice Program to his current role as actingassociate director. Gayle encouraged students to embrace challenges, think critically, staycurious, and create their own opportunities as they pursue their career goals. “We need young, bright minds,” Gayle said. “At NASA, we rely on skilled hands-onprofessionals — technicians who operate our wind tunnels, apply their skills in o