Developed with input from nearly 200 national, state and local education and workforce development leaders and supported by 40 national organizations, Without Limits: A Shared Vision for the Future of Career Technical Education lays out five inter-connected and equally critical principles.
Only through shared commitment and shared ownership among leaders and practitioners at all levels can we realize the possibility and aspiration of a new career preparation ecosystem that provides each learner with limitless opportunity. The This Week in CTE blog series will highlight state and local examples where CTE Without Limits has been made actionable. If you would like to highlight how your CTE program creates limitless opportunities for each learner in this blog series, please email Brittany Cannady, bcannady@careertech.org.
This Week in CTE: May 3-7, 2021
Each learner engages in a cohesive, flexible, and responsive career preparation ecosystem
CTE programming in Phenix City, Alabama is anchored by credentials of value and includes opportunities for work-based learning leading to careers defined by high-skill, high-wage and in-demand. Congratulations Kiara and all other learners who are now certified!
Add another to the front line of the health care field. Kiara Covington is now a Certified Clinical Medical Assistant! #CTEWorks pic.twitter.com/QLzipArIOf
— Central High School (@CentralRedDevil) May 6, 2021
Each learner feels welcome in, is supported by, and has the means to succeed in the career preparation ecosystem
Pickaway-Ross Career & Technology Center’s (Ohio) SkillsUSA members will advance to the national competition this year with the help of local industry leaders! CTSO members were able to use skills gained from on-the-job training to compete, virtually, on the state level in leadership and skills-building activities. Through industry collaboration, learners were able to utilize industry machinery in their respective events.
“PRCTC, overall, was well represented by some amazing competitors and delegates,” said Jennifer Widdig, one of Pickaway Ross’ SKillsUSA advisors. “I loved seeing the excitement in the students and how proud they were to show off their skills and trades.”
Read more in this blog entry published on the Pickaway-Ross district blog.
Each learner skillfully navigates their own career journey
As seen in CTE Without Limits, stakeholders across the CTE community must intentionally develop processes to allow labor market information (LMI) to reach learners in ways that are transparent, reliable and filled with real-time information on career opportunities, earnings, and how their educational decisions will impact their access to support services.
This week Advance CTE, in partnership with Education Strategy Group through JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s New Skills ready network, released Practical Guidance for Aligning Career Pathways to Labor Market Data in the Time of COVID-19. This policy brief is the first in a series designed to help build better pathways and offers promising practices for enhancing the career preparation ecosystem locally and state-wide by leveraging LMI to align programs to high-skill, high-wage and in-demand occupations.
More LMI resources can be found in the Learning that Works Resource Center.
Each learner’s skills are counted, valued, and portable
This week we celebrated National Skilled Trades Day!
Today we celebrate #NationalSkilledTradesDay and honor the skilled individuals who are the backbone of our workforce. Our country has and always will depend on a skilled workforce to keep us moving forward. Be sure to thank skilled craftsperson today! pic.twitter.com/sq7jvRdeUf
— National Technical Honor Society (@NTHS1) May 5, 2021
DYK? Today is #NationalSkilledTradesDay! It was established in 2019 to increase awareness of the benefits of skilled trades jobs and to celebrate the skilled trades workers. Thank you for your professionalism and contributions! #SkillsUSA #SkilledTrades #CTE #CTEWorks #waedu pic.twitter.com/Oexfw7M35C
— CTE – Washington (@waOSPI_CTE) May 5, 2021
Each learner can access CTE without borders
Advance CTE released a new policy brief that provides recommendations for CTE leaders on how to address short-and long-term priorities with the new funding authorized through the American Rescue Plan (ARP). Now, there is an opportunity for states to put in place transformative and bold solutions to support each learner in the career preparation ecosystem without limitations. State CTE leaders have a strong foundation to build upon, having recently done the hard work of crafting their Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) state plans. These new federal investments present a one-time opportunity to accelerate change, incubate innovation, disrupt systems that perpetuate inequities, and redesign with intention. States must strategically approach how to operationalize these funds to create a career preparation ecosystem that ensures each learner can access limitless opportunity.
Read the full resource and other COVID-19 state resources here.
Brittany Cannady, Senior Associate Digital Media
Tags: Alabama, COVID-19, Credentials of Value, Federal Policy, Ohio, skillsusa, This Week in CTE