The Union County Career and Technology Center provides high school students in Union County, S.C., with the academic and technical skills, knowledge and training necessary to succeed in future careers and to become lifelong learners. The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 calls upon states to create sequences of academic and Career Technical Education coursework to help students attain a postsecondary degree or industry-recognized certificate or credential, otherwise known as programs of study. The CATE Center's mission focuses on the following: • Incorporate and align secondary and postsecondary education elements. • Include academic and CTE content in a coordinated, non-duplicative progression of courses. • Offer the opportunity, where appropriate, for secondary students to acquire postsecondary credits. Lead to an industry-recognized credential or certificate at the postsecondary level, or an associate or baccalaureate degree.