This blog series provides readers with insight on the valuable content that is being shared at the Career Clusters ® Institute. Guest bloggers are among teachers, faculty, researchers and other experts that will present at the national gathering in Fort Worth, TX in June. Today’s guest blogger is Gregg Christensen, Entrepreneurship and Career Education Specialist at the Nebraska Department of Education.

43%, 42%, 91%…

Why Infuse Entrepreneurship Education throughout CTE?: The end game of career technical education is to help students achieve greater success in college and career.  In the minds of many though, career conjures up the image of a job working for someone else. The reality is that career technical education should embrace both employment (a job) and entrepreneurship.

Most new jobs created in the United States come from the creative efforts of entrepreneurs engaged in endeavors ranging from micro-businesses to large scale ventures. But, our lead in innovation and entrepreneurship in the global economy is narrowing. Other countries are catching up and surpassing us. Case in point: In 2009, 51% of U.S. patents were awarded to non-U.S. companies.

How can CTE Embrace Entrepreneurship and Innovation?: E4 is a tagline used by the Nebraska Entrepreneurship Task Force (NETForce) to describe the mission to “Educate, Engage and Empower Entrepreneurs.” NETForce is an actively engaged group of collaborating partners focused on the high income, high skill and high demand entrepreneurial career opportunities available to youth and adults. Nebraska Career Education (NCE) is one of those partners.

This session will share examples of how NCE and other NETForce members have strategically and intentionally worked to infuse entrepreneurship education at all levels, K-16 through adult. You will also learn about the exciting new entrepreneurial talent assessment for high school aged youth that is being piloted in Nebraska. After completing the assessment, each student will receive a confidential, customized report that explains how he or she can develop each of 10 entrepreneurial talents and apply his or her entrepreneurial style to succeed in an entrepreneurial role and tap into their entrepreneurial energy. Students will be able to use this information in school, in any career, or in starting a new business. The goal is to offer it nationwide in 2014.

So, do young people and adults see entrepreneurship as a career choice?: Back to the percentages from the start of the blog. Gallup surveyed 1,217 U.S. students in the fifth through 12th grades in 2012 about their business and entrepreneurial intentions as part of their HOPE Index.

The results support infusing entrepreneurship education across all career clusters:

• 43% plan to start their own business,
• 42% say they will invent something that changes the world, and
• 91% of adult Nebraskans believe entrepreneurship is a positive career choice (according to Entrepreneurship in Nebraska-Conditions, Attitudes and Actions).

Gregg’s breakout session is Tuesday, June 11 from 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Ramona Schescke, Member Services Manager

 

Tags: Career Clusters®

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