Welcome to Episode 1 of the Career Tech Leaders Show, a podcast by Drone Launch Learning for the people who make Career and Technical Education actually work.
This show is for CTE directors, superintendents, principals, career center leaders, instructors, and anyone building pathways that help students step into real skills, real confidence, and real options after high school. While Drone Launch Learning is known for drone education, this podcast goes way beyond drones because the challenges (and wins) in CTE are bigger than any single program.
In this first episode, David Young sits down with Joe Kolenda, principal of the Guthrie Center, a dedicated CTE campus in Spring Branch ISD on the west side of Houston, Texas.
Joe shares how the Guthrie Center runs as a dedicated career tech campus (students attend five days a week in 90-minute blocks), how they decide which programs to offer, and what’s changing in CTE as workforce needs shift.
You’ll also hear practical insights on funding (including weighted funding and Perkins), work-based learning partnerships, and what it takes to recruit and retain strong CTE instructors, especially when industry salaries compete.