TALLAHASSEE – Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp visited with local Career and Technical Education (CTE) students today and challenged them to put their skills to the test by re-designing the student portion of the Florida Department of Education’s (DOE) Web site. The re-design competition is aimed at encouraging students to apply the knowledge and skills they have learned in their CTE course(s) to a real-world project. The winning student submission will be incorporated into the Department’s existing Web site design to be deployed in 2010. “We are living in the age of technology where the mastery of these skills can lead our children into fulfilling and prosperous careers,” said Lt. Governor Kottkamp. “This competition is a wonderful opportunity for our students to display their talent, and I am eager to see the great ideas and designs they are able to come up with.” The contest is open to any student who is enrolled in one or more of the CTE courses that prepare students for a career in Information Technology (IT), Multimedia, Web Page Design, and/or Digital Design (Media). Through Florida’s Division of Career and Adult Education there are nearly 300 Career and Technical training programs including 25 secondary CTE programs specific to information technology and Web design. The contest is open to approximately 84,000 CTE students across Florida. Student submissions will be judged by a panel of technology and design experts, as well as communications and public relations professionals. Members of the judging panel include individuals from Brandt Information Services, CoreMessage Inc., Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Salter>Mitchell, Taproot Creative and Florida Department of Education. “I’m excited to give our students the chance to apply the knowledge they’ve gained through their advanced coursework and training to the re-design of a significant portion of our Web site,” said Education Commissioner Dr. Eric J. Smith. “By integrating student ideas directly into our most important communications source, we can be sure we’re providing students with the information they need and want to know to further their education.” Entries must be submitted via CD and include the name of the student, the student’s high school name and address, the teacher or advisor who assisted in the project and the name of the school district. Submissions must be postmarked by November 20, 2009, and sent to: The Florida Department of Education 325 West Gaines Street, Suite 1524 Tallahassee, Florida 32399 To learn more about CTE programs, visit the Career and Adult Education Division Web site at http://www.fldoe.org/workforce/. For more information about the contest, including the rules and guidelines, visit http://www.fldoe.org/students/Web-contest.asp.