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 - Page 32 -PART II: OUR CAREER DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM A. The Career Preparation System The region's Career Preparation System is designed to provide all students completing the Michigan educational system with the necessary academic, technical, and work behavior knowledge and skills for success in a career of their choice and lifelong learning. As an integral part of the state's total education system and an equal partner in workforce development and economic development systems, Career Preparation is a continuum from elementary through post-secondary education (K-16) culminating in student acquisition of credentials signifying both academic and career competency achievement and successful transition into employment. Career Preparation in the region is composed of seven interconnecting components, which comprise the system. The great potential provided by Career Preparation is the "system’s" dimension that provides the template for systematically organizing and integrating programs and services which address the needs of students to be lifelong learners and successfully fill the adult role as an employed individual in a career(s) of their choice. Career Preparation Goals The goals of the Career Preparation system are: To expand the educational choices available to students and parents. To ensure that career preparation is an integral part of our educational system. To increase the involvement of the private sector and other community organizations in the Career Preparation System. To establish System standards and accountability statewide to ensure consistent high quality. ...back
Career Preparation Components Each component of Career Preparation in the region reflects significant features that collectively serve to form a system. Quality career preparation is dependent upon aligning each of the seven components to achieve a highly functional and interactive system with the goal of increasing student achievement. The components of Career Preparation are: Academic Preparation Academic Preparation provides all students with opportunities to gain important knowledge and develop critical skills in academic subject matter that will prepare them for adult life roles and continuing education. In the region, the core academic content areas include English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. Academic preparation is a critical component of the Career Preparation System. Success and upward mobility in careers is highly dependent upon the ability to be both academically and technically proficient. A sound academic foundation is important to learning the increasingly complex technical skills required by today's workforce. Career Development Career development is a complex process of acquiring the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for an individual to make work a meaningful, productive, and satisfying part of life. The career development process requires a continuum of planned activities including career awareness, exploration, decision-making, and educational planning. These activities are designed to maximize the capabilities of all learners to explore, to analyze options, to self-assess interests and abilities, to select educational preparation for, gain entry to, and to succeed in career choices throughout the life span. The following elements comprise the region's career development model. Career Pathways The desired outcomes of Career Preparation are student achievement and ultimate success in a career(s) of choice. Six Career Pathways have been identified to cover all career opportunities regardless of educational requirements. Arts and Communications Business, Management, Marketing, and Technology Engineering/Manufacturing and Industrial Technology Health Sciences Human Services Natural Resources and Agriscience Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling This program is designed to address the needs of all students by helping them to acquire and apply knowledge of self and others, develop competencies in career/life planning, and achieve educational success. It is developmental in design to offer sequentially planned activities which meet the needs of children and adolescents as they grow and progress from one grade level to the next. As an integral part of each school's total educational program, school counselors jointly plan with classroom teachers, administrators, community members, business/industry representatives, and parents and families for the delivery of guidance activities. ...back
At the college level, guidance and counseling is also provided. Personal counseling services are generally available to students upon request. Guidance is available through counselors, academic advisors, faculty members, and staff of career planning/placement offices in the following areas: career awareness, career planning, career decision-making, placement activities, and knowledge/understanding of occupational, educational, and labor market needs, trends and opportunities. Career Awareness Career Awareness introduces students to the broad range of career opportunities. Instructional activities at the elementary and middle school help expand student understanding of the world of work by identifying career areas and specific occupations within them, developing respect for workers in all fields, locating and researching information about specific occupations, and developing an initial understanding of educational and training requirements. Continuing this awareness process, it is desired that high school students are provided current and comprehensive information about careers, including responsibilities and detailed descriptions of typical duties and tasks, projections on employment openings, an understanding of working conditions, current income and benefits ranges, educational requirements, and availability and opportunities for advancement within career path. Career Awareness activities also provide students with a better understanding of the changing nature of careers due to technological advances, the impact of a global economy, and the anticipation of the need for individuals to change careers several times over the course of a lifetime. Career Exploration Career Exploration focuses on learning about the characteristics of various career options through investigation, including direct and hands-on experiences. The process typically begins in late elementary or middle school with activities that include interviewing workers and experimenting with work tasks from various occupational categories to gain insight into the characteristics of these occupations as well as personal interests and strengths. In high school, emphasis is placed on understanding career pathways, exploring employment opportunities and future trends, and engaging in activities which are individualized on the basis of a learner's interests, aptitudes, and preferences. Career Exploration may include both in-school and work-based experiences. In-school experiences may include contextual learning activities, simulated work experiences, guest speakers, and career fairs. Work-based learning exploratory experiences done in collaboration with business/industry typically utilize both paid and non-paid learning strategies. The work-based learning activities allow learners to gain first-hand exposure that aids in the career decision-making process. Providing these experiences requires the active involvement of the community, business/industry, and labor. Career Assessment Career Assessment includes formal and informal measures and inventories that assist learners in understanding their career interests, aptitudes, and abilities. By comparing the results of various assessments and personal observations over time, learners are able to identify their strengths and preferences, determine career directions, and make career decisions including the selection of a career pathway. Counselors oversee the assessment process, provide interpretation to students and their families, and assist students in using results in educational planning. Information gained through Career Assessment is helpful in developing a student's Education Development Plan. ...back
Education Development Plan (EDP) An Education Development Plan is a written description in which a student identifies career goals, lists interests and skills in line with meeting those goals, and documents the experiences, education, and accomplishments they want to pursue to successfully attain them. The purpose of the EDP is to provide every student with a periodically updated and ongoing record of career planning that will guide in taking effective steps to enter a career of choice. It is desired that each student develops a first EDP in the 8th grade in conjunction with their parents, stating an initial career goal and desired work and educational experiences. School counselors verify that EDP's reflect an individual career decision-making process based on career exploration, career assessment information, school performance, and expressed interests. School counselors also facilitate selection and enrollment into general courses and specialized education and training related to the career pathway of choice indicated in the EDP. Career Placement Students preparing to leave high school will need to engage in a series of steps to successfully enter into employment and/or continuing education. While some students may choose to enter either the workplace or post-secondary education, many students may be pursuing activities in both of these areas simultaneously. Depending on their career and educational goals defined in the EDP process and the strategies used following high school graduation to accomplish them, students will require assistance from education agencies in both college and career placement. Students preparing to leave colleges or universities also need to engage in many of these same steps and be provided similar services. Workplace Readiness The following components make up the region's Workplace Readiness System: Career and Employability Skills Career and Employability Skills are the career planning and general workplace knowledge, behaviors, and skills that will help learners move successfully into the world of work and/or continuing education in order to pursue their career goals. Michigan Standards and Benchmarks have been developed for Career and Employability Skills to provide developmentally appropriate content for classroom instruction in various curricular areas, guidance activities, and school/community/workplace involvement. It is desired in the region that the standards and benchmarks incorporate career planning activities such as career awareness, career exploration, and the individual planning and guidance curriculum of the Michigan Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Program. They should also include employers' general workforce expectations as identified in the Michigan Employability Skills Task Force report and the national Secretary's Commission On Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) report. Technology Education Technology Education teaches students at the K-12 level to be technologically literate. Intended for all students, Technology Education covers the entire range of technological systems and ideas. By incorporating and complementing science, mathematics, and other disciplines, Technology Education places student learning into practical and useful real-world contexts. Michigan Technology Content Standards and Benchmarks have been developed for use in the region that provide a basis for building a strong technologically literate population. ...back
Professional & Technical Preparation Preparation for almost all careers requires specific academic and technical knowledge and skills. Requirements for well-paying careers continue to increase making education beyond high school a necessity. Various high school and post-high school options are available for students to attain the necessary specific preparation to become employable. Students may opt for Career and Technical Education programs offered at the high school level to accelerate exposure to career-specific knowledge and skills leading to employment and/or continuing education upon completion of high school. The Career Preparation system also includes advanced specialized programs at colleges, universities, the military, and technical/trade/proprietary schools. Students desiring professional careers often obtain the majority of their career-specific preparation at the college/university level. Through collaboration and written curriculum articulation agreements between K-12 and higher education institutions, a seamless transition for students can be provided from one level of education to another. The following are the region's Professional and Technical Training components. Career and Technical Education Career and Technical Education (CTE) is the component of the Career Preparation System designed to provide knowledge and skill leading to initial employment and/or advanced post-secondary education upon high school completion. CTE is currently composed of 41 instructional programs that fit within one of the six Career Pathways. CTE programs are an optional Career Preparation System component for students. Career Competency Standards Career Competency Standards are business and industry validated standards that identify the academic and technical knowledge and skills needed for successful employment for each CTE cluster or program. These standards provide the basis for aligning curriculum and instruction with workplace needs identified by employers and serve as the basis for Competency Assessment/Testing. Career Competency Standards can also help students select a career area of interest by focusing their attention on the academic and technical knowledge and experience needed for success in the workplace. Competency Assessment/Testing Competency Assessment/Testing is the formal tool used to measure the career competency attainment of students enrolled in Career and Technical Education programs. Competency Assessment/Testing is based on business/industry validated career competency standards, and the results are used for determining grades, creating passports/certificates listing achievements of each program completer, and for program accountability purposes. Student achievement is assessed by both written and performance tests and may include assessment by educators and business/industry representatives. Colleges and Universities Students may opt to earn a degree from a college or university directly out of high school. These institutions may be public or independent and may focus on a liberal arts education, technical education/training, or both. Certificate, Associate Degree, and Bachelor Degree programs are available. ...back
Military For a number of young men and women, volunteering for three years of military service is a preferred alternative providing both employment and the opportunity to prepare for a specific occupations in a chosen career area. Training for over 200 military occupations is available in the armed services. Approximately 92% of these occupations are directly related to careers that can be pursued in civilian life. Work-based Learning Work-Based Learning in the region is a combination of school-based preparation and supervised work site experiences designed in collaboration with business/industry to enable students to acquire attitudes, knowledge, and skills for career and other life roles in real work settings. As a structured, coordinated instructional method, Work-Based Learning brings a real-world context to the student's experience. The following Work-Based Learning techniques may be used to augment career awareness, exploration, and preparation strategies in local education agencies. The most effective strategies build on progressive school experiences linked to students' individual Education Development Plans (EDPs) and long-term career interests. Student Visitor Volunteer Unpaid/Paid Trainee Apprentice In-School Placement At the post-secondary level, each of the Work-Based Learning activities is utilized, but without the restrictions that apply to minors. Accountability The accountability component in the region is a comprehensive measurement system that establishes a clear picture of what should be accomplished, gauges progress, and includes a process to act on the results to assist in improving student performance. The overall purpose of this component is to assist all students to achieve at higher levels and to provide consistent data that could be used to improve the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the education system through the school improvement process. The accountability component is student-centered and standards-based. The development of this component is a work in progress. The identification, selection, adoption, or development and implementation of assessment tools to measure the student performance indicators will require ongoing revision and fine-tuning in the region over the next three years. "Performance Indicators" are measurable aspects of student performance that address the mission of the Career Preparation System. These are the five student performance indicators:
Data and information resulting from the accountability component will be analyzed and used to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses to be incorporated into the development of the district's school improvement plan. This data will also be used to annually update the regional Career Preparation Plan. A peer review procedure for assessing the Career Preparation System in each region will be established by the Michigan Department of Education in collaboration with the Michigan Department of Career Development. Each local Workforce Development Board will establish regional peer review committees that include employers, educators, labor representatives, parents, and representatives of the local Workforce Development Board. Peer review committees are responsible for assurance of the Career Preparation System quality. Data about our regional career preparation system is presented in three separate spreadsheets in the addendum. The first is a compilation of K-12 data encompassing three intermediate school districts: Mason-Lake, Mecosta-Osceola and Newaygo and 17 public school districts: Baldwin Community Schools, Big Rapids Community Schools, Chippewa Hills School District, Crossroads Charter Academy, Evart Public Schools, Free Soil Community Schools, Fremont Public Schools, Grant Public School District, Hesperia Community Schools, Ludington Area School District, Mason County Central Schools, Mason County Eastern Schools, Morley Stanwood Community Schools, Newaygo Public School District, Reed City Area Public Schools, Pentwater Public School District, and White Cloud Public Schools, this data has been aggregated for the entire region. The other spreadsheets disclose data about Ferris State University and West Shore Community College. Both of these institutions offer associate degree and certificate programs of instruction. Students at Ferris State University can pursue advanced instructional programs and earn bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees. ...back
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