Career Technical Education is at the forefront of education reform efforts. This is in response to business and industry demand for a workforce that is both academically and technically skilled at proficiency levels to meet workforce needs. Additionally, the Carl D. Perkins Improvement Act of 2006 mandates the integration of academic standards within career technical content to support business and industry with skilled workers to compete in the global economy. However, shared-time career technical centers often do not employ full-time academically certified teachers, which limits teacher collaboration opportunities to support academic integration. The aim of this qualitative study was to apply a teaching method that employs academic and technical skill content simultaneously using an integrated real-work project-based learning design to determine students' reception to learning academic content while also learning technical skill content. A welding program of study teacher and students participated in this study. Three findings emerged with implications that the integrated project design supports students' academic and technical skill growth, as well as employability skill development. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]