Career Clusters: Focusing Education on the Future

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Career ClustersFocusing Education on the Future

• U.S. Department of Education
• In Conjunction with
• The National Association of State Directors
• Of Career and Technical Education Consortium

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Cluster Initiative Oversight

• National Advisory Committee
• Product review and forwarding
• National Executive Committee
• National Association of State Directors of Career
  and Technical Education Consortium and OVAE
  Representatives

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Career Cluster Definition

• A Career Cluster is a grouping of occupations and
  broad industries based on commonalities.
• The 16 Career Clusters provide an organizing tool
  for schools, small learning communities,
  academies and magnet schools.

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Cluster Advisory Committees

• Evenly distributed membership, business and
  industry, secondary and postsecondary educators
• More the 250 individuals on the advisory
  committees
• Responsible for material development

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The 16 Career Clusters

• Agriculture Natural Resources (Idaho and Iowa)
• Architecture Construction (Pennsylvania)
• Arts, Audio/Video Technology Communications
  (V-TECS)
• Business Administration (South Carolina)

• Education Training (Michigan)
• Finance (North Dakota)
• Government Public Administration (Oklahoma and
  Dist. Of Columbia)
• Health Science (Utah)
• Hospitality Tourism (West Virginia)

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The 16 Career Clusters

• Human Services (Kentucky)
• Information Technology (EDC)
• Law Public Safety (Arkansas)
• Manufacturing (Indiana/V-TECS)
• Retail/Wholesale Sales Service (Ohio)

• Scientific Research Engineering (North
  Carolina)
• Transportation, Distribution, Logistics
  (Illinois)

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Career Cluster Partnerships

• State Education Agencies
• Post-secondary Education (technical schools,
  community colleges, universities)
• Employers/Industry Groups and Associations
  (local, national)
• Other relevant stakeholders (labor, professional
  organizations)

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Career Cluster Framework

• Cluster Foundation
• Represents the skill and knowledge, both academic
  and technical, that all students within the
  cluster should achieve regardless of their
  pathway.
• Cluster Pathways
• Represents the skill and knowledge, both academic
  and technical, necessary to pursue a full range
  of career opportunities within a pathway -
  ranging from entry level to management, including
  technical and professional career specialties.
• Career Specialties
• Represents the full range of career opportunities
  within each pathway.

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Cluster FoundationKnowledge and Skills Areas

• Academic Foundations
• Communications
• Problem Solving and Critical Thinking
• Information Technology
• Organizational Systems
• Safety, Health and Environmental
• Leadership and Teamwork
• Professional Ethics and Legal Responsibilities
• Employability and Career Development
• Technical Foundations

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Career Specialties
CAREER CLUSTER FRAMEWORK
Pathways

Cluster Foundation
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Arts, Audio/Video Technology and Communications
Career Cluster
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Knowledge and Skill Statements

• Developed for all Pathways and Foundation
• Statements of what the learner must know/be able
  to do
• Performance elements that support the statement
• Criteria used to determine performance level

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CLUSTER CROSSWALK
BLS/OES Classification OMB/SOC
Classification ETA/ONET Classification Classifi
cation of Instructional Programs (CIP) U.S.
Department of Ed. Career Clusters
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Career Cluster Development Status

• Form Cluster Consortium with Partners
• Status Complete
• Conduct Research to Identify
• Cluster Occupations
• Status Complete
• Existing Certificates and Standards
• Status Complete at a point in time
• Define the Scope of the Cluster
• Status Complete

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Career Cluster Development Status

• Align Occupations to Identify Cluster Pathways
• Status Complete
• Identify and Validate Cluster Foundation and
  Pathway Knowledge and Skills
• Status Under Development
• States Career Cluster Initiative Completion
  September 30, 2002

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Cluster Project Web Sites

• The Eleven Clusters
• www.careerclusters.com
• AAVTC
• www.artavcomm.org
•  
• Health Science
• www.nchste.org
•  
•  

• Manufacturing
• www.mfglinks.org
• Transportation, Distributionand Logistics
• education.dot.gov/translinkage
• Information Technology
• www.edc.org/EWIT/bltext.htm

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Contact Information U.S. Department of Education

• Scott Hess
• Education Program Specialist
• U.S. Department of Education
• Office of Vocational and Adult Education
• 4090 MES400 Maryland Avenue, SWWashington, DC
  20202scott.hess_at_ed.gov
• www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE/