The U.S. Department of Education awards millions of dollars for the Native American Career and Technical Education Program each year. In 2021, Citizen Potawatomi Nation received funds as one of many federally recognized tribes, tribal organizations and Bureau of Indian Affairs-funded schools to advance educational and career opportunities for Indigenous peoples and their communities.

Using NACTEP funds, Workforce & Social Services pays participants to attend specific programs at technical institutes or vocational schools in the department’s six-county jurisdiction.

“We don’t provide a handout; we provide a hand up And I’ve kind of told myself that motto every time I do anything with any client is just, ‘I’m giving them a hand up. This is helping them to create a better future for not only themselves but our community as a whole,’” said CPN Workforce Development & Social Services career advisor Nicole Byrd.

Workforce Development & Social Services hopes to serve 30 clients annually over the next five years for a total of 150 students and expand the program to more technological institutes.

A flyer advertising the NACTEP program through CPN Workforce and Social Services. The NACTEP program provides biweekly stipends to eligible students at local technical schools using funding from the U.S. Department of Education to advance education and career opportunities for Indigenous peoples and their communities.

Visit the Workforce Development & Social Service Department webpage at cpn.news/workforce. Find out more information about the Native American Career and Technical Education Program by emailing Nicole Byrd at nicole.byrd@potawatomi.org or call 405-878-3854.

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