Happy Career & Technical Education Month! |
February 2023
CCD Center Newsletter
|
|
|
Dear Colleagues,
In his State of the Union address two weeks ago, President Biden made the case to “connect students to career opportunities starting in high school and provide two years of community college, some of the best career training in America, in addition to being a pathway to a four-year degree. In my blog this month, I outline the steps we have taken this month as a Coalition to advance the President’s case for career readiness for all.
Our February newsletter highlights several activities by our Coalition and our members. We begin with a CTE call-to-action with data and steps that you can send to your constituents partnering with you to advance career and technical education. Proudly, we also highlight a giant in national CTE leadership, our own Board member Kimberly Green, Executive Director of Advance CTE. In our CTE month resources section, we also shine a spotlight on one of our favorite tools developed under Kim’s leadership, Advance CTE’s Achieving Inclusive CTE Goal-Setting Tool.
We are excited about your your robust participation this month in our new Pillar Committees:
-
Career Planning, chaired by Julie Lammers
-
Career Advising, chaired by Sharon Givens
-
Work-Based Learning, chaired by Paul Perkins and Dave Wilcox
-
Career Tech, chaired by Matt McQuillen and Casey Welch
-
Accountability, chaired by our Vice Chair of the Board of Directors Dr. Annette Parker, and Dr. Scott Solberg.
We are most grateful to YOU for your robust participation as Pillar Committee Members and hope to see you at our next meeting on March 10, 2023 at 11:00 AM EST. This meeting will lead to the development of recommendations that will be announced at our upcoming Summit on November 1 and 2, 2023.
Eva Mitchell, CEO
|
|
Our Five Pillars of Career Readiness |
|
This month, we are featuring a Q&A with our board member, Kim Green, Executive Director at Advance CTE:
What do you think is the most common misconception about career and technical education?
I think the most common misconception about CTE is that it limits options. CTE helps learners discover what they like to do and how they can leverage their interests and skills into a meaningful and rewarding career pathway. CTE can end cycles of intergenerational poverty by providing a pathway to economic mobility. CTE doesn't limit options, it offers learners limitless opportunities!
What is the most important lesson you have learned in your career?
Authenticity and a humble, learner-mindset are vital to being a servant leader.
What advice would you give to Generation Z'ers looking toward their career path(s)?
Competition is the greatest thief of joy. So stop comparing yourself to others and where they are at or what they have or what they are doing. Instead, focus on what makes you happy, what you find impactful or meaningful work, and go after that with all you have got!
What has been your favorite part of working in career and technical education?
The people. I have been lucky to be surrounded by leaders who supported me, helped me learn and grow and who entrusted me to try bold things to move our field forward. I have been able to work with wicked smart, purpose-driven people who care deeply for the mission of equitably serving learners. I am also very grateful to have experienced CTE in every state in the nation and as result, to have peers and colleagues across the country who I look up to, who I learned from, and who I worked alongside - lifelong friends who inspire me to this day.
|
|
The Boston University Center for Future Readiness recently conducted a policy analysis of four pieces of federal legislation: Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Perkins V, Higher Education Act, and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The purpose of this analysis was two-fold. First, in preparing our second annual Condition of Career Readiness Report, we sought to identify where federal policies can support our career readiness vision. Second, we want to propose ways that our five career readiness pillars can be elevated and clarified so that the various required and allowable activities can be described coherently. These results will also shape discussions to create a new strategic plan for our Center.
Subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates on this analysis!
|
|
Achieving Inclusive CTE Goal-Setting Tool (December 2022, Advance CTE). This resource provides new tools for state and local leaders “to assess learner group data in comparison to the broader student population. With this goal-setting tool, leaders can more intentionally plan to recruit, engage and support underrepresented learner groups to increase access to high-quality CTE programs and career pathways.” This resource consists of:
|
|
States have made substantial commitments to ensure CTE programs are inclusive of learners with disabilities. However, survey responses suggest that additional steps are needed to follow through on these commitments to further the access, success, and outcomes for the full range of learners with disabilities in CTE such as:
Leverage the relationships built through the Perkins V planning process to increase collaboration between CTE, special education, and vocational rehabilitation.
Build the capacity of local leaders to support and guide learners with disabilities into and through high-quality CTE programs.
Effectively use accommodations to foster the success of learners with disabilities.
|
|
- From kindergarten through college, we need to recognize and build on the complementarity among classroom learning, occupational exploration, and work-based learning.
- Beginning in elementary school and continuing through middle school, students should have ample opportunities to explore a wide range of occupations through field trips, career days, and other educational activities.
- In high school and college, students should be exposed to various forms of work-based learning, including internships, work-study programs, apprenticeships, and cooperative education. Paying young people for their participation in internships and other intensive work-based learning opportunities helps ensure that low income students can participate in valuable professional development opportunities.
|
|
[System] Alignment is less complex in CTE programs than it is in traditional high schools because CTE courses teach technical skills sequentially; reinforced by workplace experiences; and often end in occupational certifications for which there are industry assessments.
This eliminates disagreement about what constitutes competency and enables students to progress more rapidly to the next step.
Even within institutions there are silos. Academic course taking and CTE are separated, often tracking or designating students toward one option or the other.
|
|
- Recommendation 1.1 Focus on Equity Related to Participation in CTE Programs- By collecting and disaggregating data on all public school students, we gain an understanding about who is participating in CTE to determine if characteristics of CTE Participants are equally represented among CTE Concentrators and whether CTE participants’ demographic backgrounds are consistent with the community’s student population.
- The national average for high school completion rates among CTE Concentrators has been consistently higher than the general student population. In 2018, states high school completion rates for CTE Concentrators ranged between 89% and 99%.
-
With the exception of students with disabilities (74%) and English Language Learners (75%), over 80% of CTE Concentrators from diverse backgrounds and high need populations are entering a postsecondary training program or degree, joining the military or becoming employed after high school graduation.
|
|
The January 13 State Leaders of Career Development (SLN) meeting featured four guest speakers discussing business mentoring of youth and young adults for career readiness. Moderated by our CEO, Eva Mitchell, our panelists spoke on the different models of mentoring with a focus on the importance of diversity and inclusion by businesses, and engaging businesses to connect with today’s youth and young adults. One interesting suggestion- don’t call them employers! They are businesses and employment of talent is only one function of their role, albeit a critical one.
Listen to the recording, read the notes, and link to the resources shared by Chris Shannon, Director of Youth Programs, South Shore Workforce Investment Board; Brooke Woodson, Director, Diversity & Compliance at Shawmut Construction; Jennifer Fries, Executive Director of ACE Mentor Program of Greater Boston; and Christy Lindor, CEO of Tessi Consulting.
For the recent February and upcoming March 10 meetings, SLN members are invited to join the CCD Center Pillar Committees as they develop the themes and policy statements necessary for quality career readiness under each pillar. Even if you did not sign up at the meeting in September 2022, you are welcome to attend and participate, especially for the first hour on Friday, March 10.
|
|
The CCD Center has a vast catalog of career development resources, including state resources. Discover them by visiting our website resources page.
|
We need your help adding state-by-state resources to our state resources webpage. Resources include state Department of Education information, localized individual and career academic plans (ICAPs), recent publications, and more. |
|
|
901 N. Washington Street, Suite 600
Alexandria, VA 22314
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
