CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW)- Jessica K. Looman, Secretary of Labor of Virginia, and Nicole Overley, the Commissioner of Virginia Works, were on the campus of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Technical Education Center on Wednesday evening as part of the 2026 School-to-Work Signing Day Celebration.  

The event celebrates the commitments made by CATEC students to join the workforce locally, parlaying what they have learned in their school programs, internships, and classes into careers. 

Wednesday night’s event recognized the efforts of 27 CATEC students, from six programs the school offered, earning employment with 20 local businesses.   

Trades and Technical Education Foundation and Virginia Career Work, a 501(c)(3) out of the Piedmont Region, supported the event and provided each student new tools and equipment for their various chosen career fields, each valued at $150.  

CATEC Principal Stacey Heitz explained the rationale of the event, “Like student-athletes signing commitments to attend colleges for sports, CATEC is acknowledging our students who are entering the workforce and the local businesses who seek out our students for employment.”