Group items tagged

"A career pathways system is a coordinated system of programs and services supporting students in the transition from school to the workforce, and it can be one part of a comprehensive system to support students' college and career readiness. The College and Career Readiness and Success (CCRS) Center's resource Designing a Career Pathways System: A Framework for State Education Agencies is a four-chapter module intended to help state education agency staff design, implement, and evaluate a career pathways system. Each chapter includes a facilitator's guide, slide presentation, and activity handouts. The four chapters include:"

"The world of work has changed. A high school diploma alone no longer guarantees a decent living wage. A typical career path today does not necessarily follow the traditional course of high school, college, and long-term employment. Rather, according to the most recent available data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average worker today stays at each of his or her jobs for 4.4 years, with the workforce's youngest employees staying less than 3 years. That means that they will have 15 to 20 jobs over their working lives. One reality of today's workforce, however, that has remained the same is that youth need to develop skills to be employed. To be able to acquire these skills and effectively change jobs, and plan and manage multiple careers over one's life time, career development skills are important. The process by which youth get to know their strengths and interests, learn how different jobs connect with those interests, and build these career planning and management skills is called career development."

"Career Technical Education (CTE), previously called vocational education, is the present-day label used to denote specialized material and programs that focus instruction in skilled trades and occupational readiness (Drage, 2009). The aim of career technical education for high school students is to prepare them for college and career endeavors (ACTE, 2009). This goal matches special education career transition goals for students with an IEP. "

"Many students still struggle to graduate on time within traditional school systems, particularly racial and ethnic minority students, English language learners, and students with disabilities. States and schools are shifting their focus to ensure college and career readiness is a realistic and attainable goal for all students. This brief provides an overview of competency-based education (CBE), one model to support college and career readiness for all"

As countless headlines have blared recently, there is a growing demand for what are often called "middle-skill" jobs. Jobs that require more than high school typically but less than a baccalaureate degree; jobs that pay well. Just this week, the USAToday reported on, "Where the jobs are: The new blue collar." Career and technical education (CTE) is the starting point for these and other occupations. But not all CTE we find in today's public schools provides the proper beginning of a career pathway -- a pathway that builds on credentials business and industry recognize and value. What is needed is a revisioning of CTE to meet the more challenging demands of providing students with the skills they need to move through a viable career pathway and continue their education and training to make that pathway a reality. What is needed is high-quality CTE.

"NHCTA is a professional association for the administrators and directors of the career and technical education centers that serve New Hampshire's high school students. NHCTA works closely with the Bureau of Career Development of the NH Department of Education to help guide and implement policies and procedures dealing with CTE programs."

"We believe every young person deserves a pathway to economic success. That's why we're announcing a new $75 million investment to expand high-quality career-focused education programs that lead to well-paying jobs and long-term careers. Failing to prepare young people with the right skills and education for these jobs is not just a missed opportunity for them-it's a missed opportunity for businesses to hire the talent they need to grow and compete."

The Obama Administration last week issued their blueprint for transforming Career and Technical Education (CTE) by reauthorizing the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006.

The access information is as follows: Username: USATEACHER Password: FEBFREE Future Forward, created by USA TODAY Education, offers real-world support for course content through a library of industry-focused articles and RSS feeds, simple and effective vocabulary and reading guides, and mini-assessments categorized by career cluster.

mcst-assessment mcst-employment

"Are you interested in improving your expertise to assist youth with disabilities as they pursue their careers? The Department of Counseling & Personnel Services at the University of Maryland offers a Graduate Certificate in Applied Counseling and Human Services with an emphasis on Career Planning and Placement for Youth in Transition. A limited number of tuition scholarships are available. Program begins Spring 2015."

"In our professional development, we work with interdisciplinary teams to increase their capacity to implement three elements necessary to support college and career competencies (CCC) for all students: Collaboration between all stakeholders (e.g., administrators, general and special educators, counselors, service providers, families, etc.) Multi-tiered instruction and intervention Effective use of data to inform decisions at multiple levels"

Clearinghouse for college and career readiness information by the American Institutes of Research.

"Dedicated to providing excellent career and technical education for New Hampshire students."

"View the CCRS Center's Professional Learning Modules (PLMs), a collection of customizable, content-rich, "train-the-trainer" resources, designed to walk participants through a process for implementing college and career ready initiatives.  The PLM materials include: A facilitator's guide that provides facilitation tips and script for trainers. A meeting agenda with recommended time allotments A PowerPoint slide presentation Professional learning activity handouts"

"Transition skills and academic skills can be taught simultaneously. With this tool, we aligned Common Core College and Career Readiness Standards, Common Core Language Arts Standards, and research-identified skills students need to obtain employment or participate in further education after high school. The activities and annual transition goals are arranged on a continuum to accommodate students with the least support needs to students with more support needs."

"In honor of the 2016 Division on Career Development and Transition (DCDT) in Myrtle Beach, SC we are making a draft version of our Early Steps to Self-Determination curriculum available for preview for a limited time. We hope you are all enjoying the beach, the sunsets and each other. We also hope you enjoy trying out the curriculum. We welcome any feedback that you have for us.  Click below to download."

This website was created by the Center for Independent Futures, a non-profit organization in Illinois. This organization aims to help "adults with disabilities and their families plan, support and sustain new ways of living in their community." The website and organization provides information about having a disability, as well as services and accommodations that they can provide for adults with disabilities. Because the Center for Independent Futures is a non-profit organization, they host a variety of fund raising events each year. These events, as well as other ways to donate to the organization can be found on the website. If I were a special educator working on transition and career development, I would use this website for students who are looking at attending school in Illinois. The site would provide very useful information for the student because it would tell them what kind of supports they can receive in the state and where they can get those supports. Illinois has a variety of colleges and universities, and the Center for Independent Futures would be a very positive support system for new students in the state.