Stephanie Carter, Director CATEC
“For CATEC, the Green Business Alliance represents a collaborative effort that will have a strong positive impact on our students and help us to reduce our carbon footprint.”
About CATEC
CATEC, the Charlottesville-Albemarle Technical Education Center, is a public school dedicated to the mission of preparing high school and adult students for employment in various trades. Opened in 1974, CATEC primarily serves students from Charlottesville City and Albemarle County public schools. We pride ourselves on our partnerships with local businesses, many of whom act as advisors to our programs.
CATEC and Sustainability
CATEC has begun to explore solar energy to offset our electricity needs. In 2018, we partnered with Dominion Power, the NEED Project, and Sigora Solar to install solar panels. Last year, when we replaced our roof, we made sure that the roof is solar ready. Additionally, our Electricity students are currently working on installing another set of solar panels out back that we hope we can use to power-up our Food Bus. Recently, we have had conversations with Tiger Solar that we hope will result in our students learning how to install and provide maintenance for solar panels.
We would like for CATEC to be a model of sustainability and forward thinking. We know that the jobs of today will not be the jobs of tomorrow, and we want our students to be prepared for those jobs. The more that we collaborate with local green businesses, the better we’ll be able to serve our students moving forward.
Future Goals and Projects
In the immediate future, we would like to have solar panels installed on our roof and motion sensors on our lights so that the lights turn off when a room is not being used. Additionally, we are seeking to improve our Auto Technology program by providing students with the opportunity to work on more hybrid and electric vehicles.
Two Culinary Arts Students
Anthony Smith, Vice-Principal, CATEC