Archive for the 'Career Pathways' Category

Drawing on CTEs strengths for high school reform

Published
by
ckendall
on June 4, 2008
in Advocacy, Career Pathways and Career and Technical Education
. 0 Comments

The Southern Regional Education Board released a study called Crafting a new vision for high school: How states can join academic and technical studies to promote learning. This study highlights how today’s career and technical education courses can be rigorous partners in the educational process, bringing relevance to student learning. The introduction packs a punch:

We are convinced that harnessing the applied teaching strategies of career/technical education (CTE) and infusing them into college-preparatory academics can transform our secondary schools into highperforming centers of learning where students are both challenged and engaged. By pursuing this strategy, states can help many more students master both the academic content and the innovative thinking, problem-solving, communication and teamwork skills they will need for postsecondary studies and 21st-century careers.

High-quality CTE programs are far more advanced than their vocational predecessors, and many
restless college-bound students are already attracted to career/technical (CT) courses in which they can apply the academic content they are learning in authentic, hands-on contexts. Students begin to see the “why” behind the knowledge and skills they are expected to gain. They are no longer asked by teachers to “wait and see” how the content of the academic curriculum will be relevant in their lives and careers.

Research shows that good CTE programs can reduce high school dropout rates and increase the earning power of high school graduates. More students stay in school when they can concentrate on career and technical studies. Students who struggle to learn specific academic skills in a traditional classroom environment are often better served through the project-based learning and problem-solving strategies that are hallmarks of today’s best CT courses.

This report is an interesting set of findings, observations, challenges and solutions on partnering CTE with traditional secondary education. Given the pressures of NCLB, CTE can provide a wealth of resources and opportunities to help ALL students succeed.

SREB Report Cover

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Homeland Security in High School?

Published
by
ckendall
on January 8, 2008
in Business, Management, Marketing, and Technology, Career Pathways, Career and Technical Education, Engineering/Manufacturing and Industrial Technology, Health Sciences, Human Services, Information Technologies and Science
. 0 Comments

security imageJoppatowne High School (MD) is piloting a new magnet program in 2007-08, the Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Magnet Program. Students enter as sophomores. Why this new program? The Homeland Security industry is increasing from the 40 billion dollar business of 2004 to a 180 billion dollar industry by 2015. There are many job opportunities in this burgeoning field. Students will pursue work from multiple pathways:

  • Science, Engineering & Technology
  • Homeland Security Sciences, Health & Human Services
  • Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement, Business, Finance and Information Technology, Information/Communication Technology

Intriguing. This is definitely a growing field, and Joppatown highlights where students can continue their post-secondary studies.

Critics wonder if this is education or indoctrination. Mother Jones magazine called Joppatowne “the academy of military-industrial-complex studies.”

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Safety in the Workplace

Published
by
ckendall
on October 29, 2007
in Career Pathways and Safety
. 0 Comments

talking safety image

One of the first modules completed in many Career and Technical Education courses is Safety. Here is a new resource for teachers and students.

The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has released Youth@Work: Talking Safety, a foundation curriculum in occupational safety and health. This curriculum is the culmination of many years’ work by a consortium of partners dedicated to reducing occupational injuries and illnesses among youth.

  • This curriculum is meant to be used in a classroom or other group training setting.
  • The entire curriculum includes instructions for teachers and a step by step guide for presenting the material.
  • This curriculum is meant to be used in a classroom or other group training setting, and has been customized for each state and Puerto Rico to address state-specific rules and regulations.

Materials include a complete lesson book for the instructor (with objectives and instructional sequence), teacher powerpoints, student handouts, videos, certificates, and resources. Available at no cost!

Safety Online overviews this endeavor and indicates,

The activities have been extensively pilot tested, used, and evaluated by numerous high school teachers, job trainers, and work coordinators around the country to teach youth important basic occupational safety and health skills.

Major topics under the curriculum include raising awareness of safety and health risks for young workers, recognizing workplace hazards, understanding options for controlling hazards, dealing with emergencies, understanding one’s rights and responsibilities as a working teen, and empowering the young worker to communicate with his or her employer about occupational safety and health.

The student worksheets look interesting and engaging. I did not view the videos or extensively explore the teacher handbook. The materials look quite promising! Let me know what you think.

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Wednesday Window into CTE: Culinary Arts

Published
by
ckendall
on October 10, 2007
in Career Pathways, Certification and Culinary Arts
. 0 Comments

On Wednesdays we are going to highlight a specific area of study in career and technical education.

Today is Culinary Arts. A highlight of working in a career and technical education center is having the opportunity to tryApple Dumpling the creations made by students, like this Apple Dumpling, made by a student at the Capital Area Career Center in Mason, MI. It is exciting to watch the students create meals, experiment with flavors and textures, and truly learn in a hands-on environment.

Students who enroll in Culinary Arts are able to choose two pathways to their career following graduation: begin working in a restaurant for continued culinary training and employment advancement, or continue training and education in college or at one of many culinary schools in the U.S. and abroad.

With post-graduation training, students can become a chef, sous chef, saucier (sauce chef), poissonier (fish cook), entremetier (vegetable cook), rotisseur (roast cook), grillardin (broiler cook), garde manger (pantry chef), tournant (relief cook or swing cook) or patissier (pastry chef). Additional avenues for those interested in food production include becoming a personal chef, private caterer, events planner or television chef.

Many career and technical education programs offer certification of some sort to students. In the culinary area, the certification may include the National Restaurant Association’s ServSafe or the Culinary Institute of America’s Prochef.

And for those of us who would like to learn how to cook, watch video demonstrations and learn with Julia Child or the Food Network.

 Good news for all students interested in the Culinary Arts, we humans will always have to eat!

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What are the fastest growing jobs in Michigan?

Published
by
ckendall
on September 22, 2007
in Arts and Communications, Business, Management, Marketing, and Technology, Career Pathways, Engineering/Manufacturing and Industrial Technology, Health Sciences and Human Services
. 0 Comments

Michigan’s Department of Labor and Economic Growth has produced brochures highlighting the career outlook in Michigan through 2012. Here are two of interest to us here at the CACC:

Here are the 12 fastest-growing occupations through 2012 here in the mid-Michigan area, with the estimated percentage of job growth:

  • Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software, 66.8%

  • Computer Software Engineers, Applications, 55.2%

  • Home Health Aides, 40.3%

  • Self-Enrichment Education Teachers, 39.7%

  • Amusement, Recreation Attendants, 39.3%

  • Network/Computer Systems Administrators, 38.4%

  • Management Analysts, 38.1%

  • Computer/Information Systems Managers, 37.9%

  • Medical Assistants, 37.4%

  • Personal Financial Advisors, 35.1%

  • Social, Human Service Assistants, 34.1%

  • Pharmacists, 31.9%

Check out the brochures for interesting career trends. Current Michigan Labor Market Information now has projections for 2004-2014 as well as other interesting current statistics.

Michigan is seeing an increase in health care, IT and service industries. Are we considering these trends in our instructional decisions? How can we make our students aware of the opportunities in these fields? Does Michigan still have manufacturing? Of course it does, but manufacturing is not the only game in town anymore. And many of the fields experiencing substantial growth require post-secondary training. The CACC is postioned well to serve as a conduit into many of these fast-growing fields.

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So what are the Career Pathways?

Published
by
ckendall
on August 2, 2007
in Career Pathways
. 0 Comments

pathways.jpgThe Michigan Department of Education (MDE) classifies all career and technical education program within Career Pathways. MDE has aligned its programs to the national United States Department of Career Clusters.  Years ago, career and technical education (often known then as vocational education) focused on manufacturing. Today’s career and technical education includes those traditional manufacturing trades, and has expanded to include things like computer programming and histotechnology.

The Career Pathways provide a way for students to identify an area that interests them, such as manufacturing or health sciences, and then explore the various careers within that broader field.

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