Career and technical education has come a long way from the welding and plumbing of a generation ago, the New York Daily News reports. At the cutting edge of preparing kids for the competitive work world of the 21st century is a new type of public high school where kids are mastering high-tech skills but also studying a rigorous academic program. Five years after entering City Polytechnic High School of Engineering, Architecture and Technology in Brooklyn, students can earn not just a high school diploma but an associate degree from City University of New York…