WHAT IS CONCURRENT CTE?
Concurrent Career & Technical Education is offered to college-ready high school juniors and seniors. These workforce development educational opportunities traditionally are delivered during during standard school hours at Secondary Education Training Facilities located on w-year college campuses. Student learning is accelerated in these programs, shortening time to complete job readiness training or degree completion upon graduation. Barriers of time and distance, however, prevent some school districts from participating in these programs. This is where LiTHIUMLEARNS is stepping in.
PILOT CONCURRENT CTE PROGRAM
IET in Chemical Process Technology
Launched during Fall 2025, the Industrial Engineering Technology program with an emphasis in Chemical Process Technology is a collaboration among Southern Arkansas University, South Arkansas College, and Magnolia High School. Online academic instruction is delivered by a South Ark instructor to students at MHS, with an MHS chemistry teacher serving as an in-class facilitator during the academic periods. Students also receive hands-on training weekly from a South Ark instructor in engineering labs at SAU. Industry partners participate as guest lecturers both in class and during labs to network with students.
Successful completion leads to college credentials, with a Certificate of Proficiency in IET as the year one credential and a Technical Certificate as the year two credential. It also leads to an enhanced Arkansas Diploma, with a Diploma of Merit awarded after successful completion of one year of the program and a Diploma of Distinction awarded after successful completion of two years of the program. The program provides students with skills and credentials attractive to employers in high-demand, high-wage fields. Concurrent CTE is provided to Arkansas high school students at no cost to students or guardians.
LiTHIUMLEARNS plans to expand this program across Southwest Arkansas school districts beginning Fall 2026.
CONCURRENT CTE
CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY
Planned to launch for Fall 2026, this program is a collaboration among the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana, Southern Arkansas University, and regional school districts. Academic instruction will be provided on site at high school campuses by a UAHT qualified instructor, while hands-on lab training will be provided at a construction training facility by a UAHT qualified instructor.
Successful completion leads to college credentials, with a Certificate of Proficiency as the year one credential and a Technical Certificate as the year two credential. It also leads to an enhanced Arkansas Diploma, with a Diploma of Merit awarded after successful completion of one year of the program and a Diploma of Distinction awarded after successful completion of two years of the program. The program provides students with skills and credentials attractive to employers in high-demand, high-wage fields.
Concurrent CTE will be provided to Arkansas high school students at no cost to students or guardians.
STEM EDUCATION
Engage your students with free, ready-to-use classroom resources designed to bring STEM to life. LiTHIUMLEARNS provides scalable experiments, lesson plans, and activities focused on the chemical industry — all created to be simple to implement and impactful for learners at every level. These resources are available here on our website, alongside professional development opportunities and STEM events to help support educators across Southwest Arkansas.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
LiTHIUMLEARNS partners with faculty from SAU, our 2-year higher education partners, regional education cooperatives, and industry partners to deliver chemical industry related professional development workshops to K-12 educators.
STEM laboratory experiments presented at our workshops are free and available to download in the STEM section of our website.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
DURING THE ACADEMIC YEAR
Does your district have professional development dates scheduled during the academic year and need content? Contact LiTHIUMLEARNS to inquire about industry-related professional development for STEM educators, to book the director for a presentation about LiTHIUMLEARNS, or to deliver a workshop on effective communication and networking.
CONTACT LiTHIUMLEARNS
Sheryl A. Edwards
Associate VP for Strategic Initiatives
Director, Government Relations & LiTHIUMLEARNS
Phone: 870-235-5090
Email: saedwards@saumag.edu
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