Beaufort Co. School District breaks ground on newest CTE building at Bluffton High School

by Aaron Dixon

BLUFFTON, S.C. (WTOC) - Across the Beaufort County School District, a major expansion is underway to grow Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, providing students with hands-on learning experiences designed to prepare them for high-demand jobs.

Three new state-of-the-art CTE buildings are currently under construction across Beaufort County.

These facilities are being built at Bluffton High School, Beaufort High School, and Hilton Head Island High School.

On Friday morning, district leaders officially broke ground on the new nearly 24,000-square-foot facility on the campus of Bluffton High School, located right next to the school’s football stadium. Construction crews actually began preparing the site back in June.

The upcoming Bluffton High School CTE facility is expected to house several diverse programs, including:

Building Construction Trades
Public Safety and Firefighting
Family and Consumer Sciences
Army JROTC
Artificial Intelligence and Advancing Technologies

Expanding Access to In-Demand Careers

District leaders said this push to expand CTE opportunities began a few years ago.

The school district started consulting with local and regional businesses to identify which industries faced the most significant workforce shortages and where jobs are in high demand.

Today, Beaufort County students can choose from up to 32 different professional programs, allowing them to transition seamlessly into college, the military, or directly into the local workforce after graduation.

“We wanted to be mindful of access for our students,” Beaufort County School District Career and Technical Education Director, Karen Gilbert, said. “If they want to be a future plumber or a welder or healthcare provider, that access is easily obtainable.”

Moving Out of the Traditional Classroom

For students, the upcoming facility represents a massive upgrade in space and resources.

Zachary Metsker, a junior at Bluffton High School and a member of the school’s Army JROTC program, is excited to spend his senior year utilizing the new building before pursuing his goal of attending the United States Air Force Academy.

Currently, Bluffton’s JROTC program operates out of a cramped mobile classroom near the active construction site.

“It’s like a close-knit family after a while,” Metsker said of the JROTC program. “My instructors have helped me get out of my comfort zone; they’ve helped me do things I didn’t know I was capable of when I first started joining.”

Metsker noted that the new building will finally provide the JROTC program with dedicated spaces, including an indoor firing range and a large indoor area to run drills out of the elements.