Career Clusters: Focusing Education on the Future

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Career ClustersFocusing Education on the Future

• The National Association of State Directors
• of Career Technical Education Consortium
• States Career Clusters Initiative

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Career Clusters Presentation Objectives

• Provide an Overview of the Career Clusters
  Initiative.
• Review Career Cluster Resources available from
  the national initiative.
• Discuss Career Cluster Sustainability and
  Implementation.

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Overview

• Career Clusters Initiative

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Career Clusters Definition

• Career Clusters represent a grouping of
  occupations and broad industries based on
  commonalities.

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Career Clusters Titles

• Agriculture, Food Natural Resources
• Architecture Construction
• Arts, Audio/Video Technology Communications
• Business, Management Administration
• Education Training
• Finance
• Government Public Administration
• Health Science

• Hospitality Tourism
• Human Services
• Information Technology
• Law, Public Safety Security
• Manufacturing
• Marketing, Sales Service
• Science, Technology, Engineering Mathematics
• Transportation, Distribution Logistics

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Career Clusters Purposes

• The 16 Career Clusters are an organizing tool for
  schools to offer a broader, more durable
  preparation for the world of work.
• Re-training the Workforce
• Cross-training the Workforce
• Preparing the Emerging Workforce

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Career Clusters Student and Community Benefits

• Help develop workplace, academic and technical
  skills
• Build links to the community
• Add relevance to the curriculum
• Provide real-world learning

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Career Clusters Workforce Development and
Education System Benefits

• Provide a common theme for communication from
  state to state
• Enhance academic achievement of all students -
  leaving no child behind
• Integrate into current Career Technical programs
• Prepare students for entry into
  college/university
• Provide a well-prepared, qualified workforce for
  employers

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Career Clusters Goals

• High Academic Attainment (meet state
  requirements)
• Successful transition to post-secondary education
  and training
• Preparation for Success in Careers (academic,
  skills, technical skills, employability skills)
• Promote/Support Economic Development to Increase
  Productivity
• Enhance Career Development Outcomes

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Resources

• Career Clusters Initiative

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Career Clusters Resources

• Career Cluster/Pathway Model
• Knowledge Skill Components
• ONet Crosswalk Report
• Cluster Profile and Advisory Committee List of
  Existing Credentials
• Validation Overview/Results
• Protocol for Assessment Certification
• Brochures
• www.careerclusters.org, www.nchste.org
• Pam Stacey, 405.743.6850, pstac_at_okcareertech.org

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Career Clusters Model

• Organizes the occupations, within each cluster,
  into pathways that group the cluster occupations
  based on commonalities.

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Career Clusters Framework

• Cluster Level
• Represents the skill and knowledge, both academic
  and technical, that all students within the
  cluster should achieve regardless of their
  pathway.
• Pathway Level
• 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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Career Clusters ONet Crosswalk Report

• Each occupational specialty identified within
  Career Clusters was cross-walked to a related
  ONET occupation.
• ONET is a nationally recognized taxonomy with
  detailed descriptions and a rich database of
  information for each occupation.

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Career Clusters Cluster/Pathway Knowledge
Skills

• Identify existing and/or establish the knowledge
  and skills common across the Cluster as well as
  in each of the Pathways.

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How Do You Differentiate Between Cluster Level
and Pathway Level Knowledge and Skills (KS)?

• Cluster
• KS represent all occupations within the scope of
  the cluster.
• Pathway
• KS represent all occupations within a pathway.

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Cluster Level KS Topics

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

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Format Knowledge and Skills Structure Components

• Structure
• Cluster/Pathway Topics
• KS Statements
• Performance Elements
• Measurement Criteria

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Validation Overview/Results

• What Do We Mean by Knowledge and Skills
  Validation?
• In this initiative, valid means
• Common (common, applicable across pathway or
  cluster)
• Important (relevant, meaningful)
• Accurate (technically correct)

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Validation Process

• Validation by Advisory Committees
• National Web-based Validation or
• Pilot Site Validation
• Continuing Review by Advisory Committees, Pilot
  Sites and Subject Matter Experts

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Career Clusters Advisory Committee

• Membership includes business and industry,
  associations, government agencies, labor and
  secondary and postsecondary educators.
• Membership is broad-based in terms of geographic
  location.
• Membership reflects occupations within each of
  the pathways.
• Membership is responsible for resource
  development.

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Career Clusters Existing Credentials

• Credentials include licenses, certificates, and
  degrees.
• Listing includes both web sites and individual
  credentials.
• Existing credentials, when applicable, were used
  as resources in the development of knowledge and
  skill components.

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Career Clusters Assessment Protocol

• Protocol for Career Clusters Assessment
• Minimum criteria/expectations
• Content
• Form
• Applications and Uses
• Administration
• Validity and Reliability

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Career Clusters Certificate of Achievement
Protocol

• Minimum criteria/expectations
• Defines the purpose and scope of certificate
• Bases issue on assessed learner proficiencies
• Confirms knowledge skills of certificate to the
  public
• Contains date and issuing organization

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Career Clusters Brochures

• Description of how to pursue education and career
  success in the cluster
• Career Pathways at a glance
• Overview of each Pathway
• Sample occupations
• Overview of credentials
• Employment outlook

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Sustainability and Implementation

• Career Clusters Initiative

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Career Clusters Sustainability

• National Association of State Directors of Career
  Technical Education Consortium
• Assessment
• States Voluntarily Reporting Student Enrollment
  by Cluster
• Central Distribution System for Resources
• Maintenance/Updating of Web Site
• Continuing, Consistent Process for Review and
  Validation of Knowledge and Skills

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Career Clusters Implementation

• Pilot Site Implementation
• Technical Assistance
• Training and In-service
• Guide to Career Cluster Implementation
• Implementation Briefs by State on the Web Site
• National Career Cluster Institute

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Tips for Implementation

• Making Skill Standards Work Highlights from the
  Field
• Education Development Center, Inc.
• 800-225-4276
• Career Academy Toolkit
• Bright Futures Press
• 919-426-3843
• http//casn.berkeley.edu/formbanklist.html
• Using Skill Standards for Vocational-Technical
  Education Curriculum Development
• http//v-tecs.org/Documents/Using20Skill20Standa
  rds.pdf

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Tips for Implementation (cont.)

• Arts, A-V Technology and Communications
• www.artavcomm.org
• Health Science
• www.nchste.org
• Information Technology
• www.edc.org/EWIT/bltext.htm
•  

• Manufacturing
• www.mfglinks.org
• Transportation, Distributionand Logistics
• http//tdlcluster.org
• All Clusters
• www.careerclusters.org

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Tips for Implementation (cont.)

• Use resources to enhance existing programs.
• Use resources as frameworks to create/develop
  programs.
• Use resources for career academies, small
  learning communities, schools within schools,
  charter schools, home schooling and magnet
  schools.

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Identify the Stakeholders and Challenges Leading
to Cluster Implementation

• Teachers with decreasing enrollments
• Teachers charged with increasing academic
  performance
• Parents and students lacking knowledge of
  opportunities
• Business and Industry needs for qualified workers
• Post high school trainers and educators looking
  for feeder programs

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Present Career Clusters as a Solution to
Stakeholder Challenges

• Potential enrollment increases with broader
  programs that appeal to more students.
• Contextual learning increases academic
  performance for all students.
• Enhanced guidance services are available for
  parents and students through the cluster models
  identification of many jobs.
• Broader preparation meets Business and Industry
  needs for qualified workers.
• Career Cluster Knowledge and Skill structures
  provide the linkage from post high school
  trainers and educators to feeder programs.

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Conduct Clusters Rollout Planning with
Stakeholders

• Analyze current delivery system.
• Review curriculum content.
• Identify instructor knowledge, skills, and
  abilities.
• Determine desire to change the system.
• Present Career Cluster Principles for Success.

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Career Cluster Principles for Success in
Technical and Academic EducationWhat does a
Career Cluster program look like?

• 1. The curriculum includes the cluster foundation
  knowledge and skills.
• 2. The curriculum includes pathway knowledge and
  skills.
• 3. Academic and technical instructors jointly
  plan the curriculum.
• 4. The specific state academic standards
  reinforced in the curriculum are clearly
  identified.
•  

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Principles for Success (cont.)

• 5. Communication (reading, writing, and
  presenting) activities are pervasive in the
  curriculum.
• 6. The curriculum reflects multiple careers
  associated with the cluster. 
• 7. The curriculum reflects the economic
  development plans of the local/state community.
• 8. Instructors provide direct support to students
  in developing a career/educational plan.
• 9. Data is collected and used for quality control
  and improvement.

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Conduct Clusters Rollout Planning with
Stakeholders (cont.)

• Identify where changes are needed/desired.
• Determine barriers using Rollout Planning
  process.
• Identify resources (human, policy, fiscal) needed
  to overcome barriers.
• In matrix format, present delivery system
  elements/content vs. desired cluster
  elements/content.

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Assess Acceptance/Buy-in of Implementation Staff

• Determine resources needed (human, policy,
  fiscal) to assure staff buy-in.
• Determine the availability of needed resources.
• Assess implementation challenges given available
  resources.

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Develop Implementation Plan

• Identify resources needed (human, policy,
  fiscal).
• Identify time frame for implementation.
• Identify individuals responsible.
• Identify specific goals, objectives, and time
  line.
• Identify assessment processes to be used.
• Determine if credentials will be awarded.

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Implementing Career Clusters

• Review implementation plan with
  stakeholders/community.
• Revise plan responding to feedback.
• Access resources needed.
• Confirm the reality of proposed plan
• Implement plan.
• Revise plan according to implementation feedback.

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Contact Information

• www.careerclusters.org
• Pam Stacey
• 405.743.6850
• Pstac_at_okcareertech.org