Back
Building Tomorrow’s Workforce Starts Long Before Graduation
From High School to High-Demand Careers: Designing Career and Technical Education for Future Generations
While every career and technical education (CTE) program is unique, the most successful projects begin with the same question: How can a facility create meaningful connections between learning and life after graduation?
A high school student may learn to weld in the morning and earn college credit in another class in the afternoon, which could set them up to step directly into a career after graduation. Across the country, CTE is evolving as high schools and vocational centers expand pathways into industries like healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, construction trades, culinary arts and more.
As career pathways evolve, CTE spaces need to offer students room to explore, practice and build confidence in environments that reflect the work they may one day pursue.
That kind of program and design planning requires conversations with educators, district leaders, industry partners and community members to understand what students need now and what employers may need next. Just as important: these career-centered spaces must stay useful, adapting as careers and programs change over time.
Designing successful CTE learning environments for high school students requires consensus between educators, district leaders and the communities they serve. When those voices shape curriculum programming, planning and design, students gain something more important than specialized labs or equipment; they gain confidence and career awareness. They develop a clearer sense of what comes next. The projects below highlight a selection of FGMA’s CTE design solutions:
Community High School District 155
- Challenge: District 155 sought to expand career pathways while creating learning environments that prepare students for college, industry certifications and the workforce.
- Solution: As District Architect since 2000, FGMA has modernized career-focused spaces across all four high schools, including learning kitchens at three schools and a new Health Careers Lab supporting dual-credit CNA and EKG programs. A digital arts and photography classroom, a commercial culinary lab and business incubator spaces round out the district’s CTE-specific learning environments.
- Impact: Students gain early, hands-on exposure to career pathways that help them discover their interests and build confidence before graduation. Through industry credentials and real-world learning environments, District 155 helps students leave high school with a clearer sense of direction and a stronger foundation for life after graduation.
Thornton Township High School District 205
Challenge: The district needed to respond to student and community requests to add cosmetology and barbering CTE courses to their curriculum.
Solution: FGMA renovated two classrooms for cosmetology and barbering classroom instruction and renovated an underutilized office area in the CTE wing to create a modern salon studio.
Impact: Students are now empowered to gain real-world skills in the dynamic cosmetology and barbering industry while working toward professional licensure during high school. The community also gained access to an affordable salon resource.
South Central Illinois Regional Workforce Training & Innovation Center
- Challenge: South Central Illinois lacked accessible workforce training opportunities for both high school students and adults seeking new career pathways, particularly after the loss of several major employers in the region.
- Solution: The center supports high school students from nine area districts through programs like automotive technology, welding, construction trades, early childhood education, information technology and healthcare. Programs offer dual credit opportunities, industry-recognized certifications or both. The center also supports workforce training and retraining for adult learners.
- Impact: High school students gain a head start on college and career readiness, while adult learners can build new skills that align with local workforce demands. The result is a stronger talent pipeline, expanded economic opportunity and a valuable community resource that supports the long-term growth and resilience of the region.
Collinsville Area Vocational Center
Challenge: Growing demand at the Collinsville Area Vocational Center left students from 10 nearby high schools turned away due to limited space.
Solution: FGMA’s design expands capacity with flexible instructional spaces that can support future curriculum changes. Once complete by the end of 2026, the center will grow from 15 to 23 career pathways and serve hundreds of additional students.
Impact: The expansion creates more workforce opportunities while preserving flexibility and educational quality.
After Graduation: What's Next?
For some graduates, CTE creates a direct path into high-demand careers with marketable skills and industry credentials already in hand. For others, it builds a stronger foundation for continued education, whether through community college, university or advanced training in a field they first explored in high school.
That connection between early career exploration and long-term opportunity is where CTE really shines. In addition to designing high school CTE spaces, FGMA has extensive experience designing career training environments for community colleges, colleges, universities and professional first responder training programs. Together, these projects reflect a larger continuum of learning, from a young student’s first hands-on introduction to a career field to advanced training that supports regional workforce goals.
Explore more of FGMA’s CTE design experience on our [CTE landing page] and learn more about CTE spaces at the higher education level.
At FGMA, CTE design is about helping communities invest in their own future by creating places where student potential transforms into real skills, credentials and career opportunities. The buildings are important; the lives, careers and communities they help shape are what matter most. The buildings are important; the the lives, careers and communities they help shape are what matter most.
News & Insights
All ArticlesBuilding Tomorrow’s Workforce Starts Long Before Graduation
