Advance CTE’s 2018 Spring Meeting opened with a focus on some of the most critical external factors impacting CTE – in particular labor market demand and the upcoming 2018 elections.

The meeting kicked off with a keynote from Nicole Smith of Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce who discussed what “good jobs” are available – specifically those that pay a sustaining wage, offer pathways to advancement and are accessible to individuals with some college but less than a four-year degree – and who currently has access those good jobs. Through a moderated discussion with Chauncy Lennon of JPMorgan Chase & Co., who funded the “Good Jobs Project,” Smith shared some of Georgetown’s major findings, including the rise of health care careers and the fact that women disproportionately “own” about two-thirds of all student loan debt, to the tune of $1 trillion, despite only holding one-third of all good jobs.

The morning then shifted to the first full panel of the meeting, featuring some of Advance CTE’s strongest partners: Steve Bowen on the Council of Chief State School Officers, Anna Davis of National Governors Association and Kermit Kaleba of the National Skills Coalition. With 36 gubernatorial elections happening in 2018, along with a potentially major mid-term election impacting both chambers of the U.S. Congress, all three of the panelists urged Advance CTE and its members to keep up on the positive communications about CTE given its popularity and bi-partisanship. The speakers also encouraged the CTE community to do more to educate policymakers and partners on what CTE, and Perkins, is all about to ensure their support going forward.

Kate Kreamer, Deputy Executive Director, Advance CTE

This year’s 2018 Spring Meeting was the most highly attended in Advance CTE history. We thank each and every attendee and sponsor for bringing their wonderful energy and insight to make this year’s meeting one of the most memorable I’ve had in my time with Advance CTE.

Nearly 250 national, state and local CTE leaders joined us April 4-6 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. Our attendees represented 27 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands and came from every corner of CTE including secondary, postsecondary, workforce development, adult education and even the philanthropic community and other key partners.  

I also want to thank and recognize our sponsors, whose partnership and support helped make our meeting a success:

Diamond Level

• CompTIA
• Certiport
• Lincoln Electric
• Microsoft Imagine Academy
• Oracle Academy

Platinum Level

• Manufacturing Skills Standards Council
• Simulaids

Gold Level

• NC3T
• NOCTI
• Siemens

Bronze Level

• CareerSafe
• Career Solutions Publishing
• CORD
• Fleck Education
• KnowledgeMatters
• MBA Research
• Precision Exams
• RealityWorks
• Vivayic

Not yet a member? Today is the perfect day to join us! Member benefits include discounted meeting registration, which you can use at our next in-person meeting.

We hope to see all of you October 22-24 at our Fall Meeting at the BWI Marriott just outside Baltimore, Maryland!

Andrea Zimmermann, Senior Associate, Member Engagement and Leadership Development

High-quality Feeder System for Manufacturing Registered Apprenticeships

The Manufacturing Skill Standards Council is proud to announce a new High School Pre-Apprenticeship Program for manufacturing, which includes 560 hours of “Earn and Learn” On-the-Job Learning over summer semesters during junior and senior year. It is an excellent preparation for the 3,000-hour Industrial Manufacturing Technician (IMT) Registered Apprenticeship Program that embeds the MSSC Certified Production Technician (CPT).

NEW MSSC HIGH SCHOOL PRE-APPRENTICESHIP

The U.S. Department of Labor recently approved this program as a nationwide quality pre-apprenticeship. An earn-and-learn competency-based program, that takes place over 2 years. It consists of:

• Related Training: 80 hours junior year and 80 hours senior year
• On the Job Learning (OJL): 280 hours (8 weeks) in the summer of junior year and 280 hours (8 weeks) in the summer of senior year, for which the student will receive a stipend.

During Related Training, candidate earns the industry-recognized, nationally portable MSSC Certified Production Technician (CPT) or the hands-on CPT+ based upon the new and highly innovative Amatrol “Skill Boss” training device (see brochure). CPT+ is an additional option under the CPT program.

MSSC suggests that the participating employer pay $2800 per year per candidate for this program: $1000 goes to the high school (or partnering community college) for the Related Training and $1800 goes towards the student summer stipend (about $6.50 per hour). This covers the student’s 80 hours per summer semester of OJL. The 2-year total employer contribution is $5600 per student.

Relationship to Manufacturing Registered Apprenticeships, especially IMT

MSSC CPT is a Related Instruction provider for more than sixty 3,000-hour registered apprenticeship programs in the U.S. for the occupation of Industrial Manufacturing Technician (IMT). While partnered with IMT, the MSSC Pre-Apprenticeship can serve as a high-quality feeder system for most 3,000 hour+ Registered Apprenticeships in manufacturing.

Traditionally focused on two-year colleges, MSSC is becoming increasingly active in high school settings with currently 230 actively participating high schools in the MSSC Certified Production Technician (CPT) and Certified Logistics Technician (CLT) programs. MSSC delivers its training and certification services through 2200 MSSC-authorized Instructors and 1150 MSSC Authorized Assessment Centers, mostly at community colleges and secondary schools, in 49 states.

If you are interested in potentially participating in either the new MSSC High School Pre-Apprenticeship or the IMT U.S. DOL Registered Apprenticeship Program, please e-mail or call Catherine Feeney, MSSC Marketing Manager, cfeeney@msscusa.org 703-739-9000, ext. 2222
The Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC), a 501(c)3 non-profit, is an industry-led, training, assessment and certification system focused on the core skills and knowledge needed by the nation’s front-line production and material handling workers. For details, see www.msscusa.org.

This post is written by Microsoft, a Diamond Level sponsor of the 2018 Advance CTE Spring Meeting.

Technology skills requirements are rapidly changing in the workforce. Skills and learning including technology skills that used to be important for a narrow band of students pursuing computer science or technology curriculum are now priorities across the education spectrum. Jobs require increasing technical skills across all sectors from health care to banking to marketing. In fact, it’s increasingly difficult to think of a position or career that is not touched in some way by technology.

Meanwhile, today’s global youth unemployment rate is 13.1% and rising. 50% of today’s jobs require depth technology skills and this is predicted to increase to more than 77% in less than a decade. According to an IT labor shortage report, there will be 6.2 million new IT jobs by 2022, most in cloud-related fields.  We also know that 71% of jobs classified as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) related are in computing fields or the “T” in STEM. Yet, only 8% of graduates are enrolled in the relevant Computer Science programs in universities. And it’s a challenge that starts earlier and raises a good question as to how Microsoft and others in the industry can collaborate with educators and government leaders in the US and globally to help equip younger learners (and educators) in K-12 with resources to help fill the future pipeline for technical skills.

Microsoft is committed to making this space of technical and employability skills education in schools a priority across the US and in markets around the globe. A key part of that focus is collaboration and alliance with the mission of Career and Technical Education (CTE) in the US and represented in multiple, ongoing partnerships Microsoft has formed with state leaders and CTE programs across the country.

Microsoft’s hallmark Imagine Academy skills program is designed as a partnership opportunity with K-12 high schools as well as middle schools to help deliver meaningful, relevant and valuable skills-based learning programs with outcomes of Economic Development, Entrepreneurship and Employability – factors relevant to governors and policy-makers in states and communities across the US. With schools engaging for the employability skills priority in all 50 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico,

Microsoft and its certification partner Certiport, a Pearson VUE Business, are focused on a highly impactful formula for institutions, educators and students to incorporate both the latest technology skills curriculum and industry validation leading to skills for success and career preparation for students

A key focus of the Microsoft Imagine Academy program is also on state and school leaders looking to transition their education systems to meet the demands of an increasingly competitive global economy. A critical part of that digital transformation in schools is preparing teachers for technology and innovation adoption in the classroom. Microsoft Imagine Academy designed with student outcomes in mind and also built to provide educators the resources they need to bring practical, applied technical learning to the classroom and blended learning experiences globally.

Microsoft Imagine Academy provides industry aligned curricula and certifications to train and validate students and educators competencies for high-demand technologies .The program focus is on four in-demand learning and career pathways of  study: Computer Science, Data Science, IT Infrastructure, and Productivity.

Program courses are available online and can be used for classroom instruction, blended learning and self-paced learning. Each school membership includes access to more than 150 cloud and classroom-based courses for students, staff and educators and helps prepare learners for Microsoft’s globally recognized industry certifications:

• Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS)
• Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA)
• Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP)
• Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE)

Today’s Imagine Academy is utilized in more than 16,000 academic institutions around the world, reaches 8.5 million students and educators annually, and last school year helped deliver 2.3M certification exams in academic institutions around the world.

Thank you to the many state CTE leadership teams Microsoft is already collaborating with for success. Through alliances with state leaders and the energized support of CTE programs nationally, thousands of students each year are participating in the premier Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) championships competition and gaining strong preparation for future college and careers.  Microsoft is proud to support the mission of CTE programs nationally and looks forward to further alliance with state leaders in helping prepare the next generation workforce for success.

“Thanks to the NCDPI’s partnership with Microsoft… teachers are improving their technology knowledge; and students are building the twenty-first century skills that will make them more marketable to future employers.” – Dr. June Atkinson, former North Carolina State Superintendent of Public Instruction

This post is written by Lincoln Electric, a Diamon Level sponsor of the 2018 Advance CTE Spring Meeting.

According to the American Welding Society, 30,000 new welders must enter the workforce each year to keep up with demand and offset retirements, and more than 10 times as many jobs will need to be filled during the next 10 years. This equates into abundant opportunities in a variety of welding disciplines for students looking to begin a career in the trades.

But the welding profession is evolving, as is the definition of knowing how to weld.

To remain competitive globally, today’s manufacturers require welders with experience in more types of welds than ever before, as well as an understanding of robotic automation, advanced equipment, exotic materials, specialized code certification, welding theory and welding procedure specifications.

As the welding profession evolves, so, too, does education.

Welding booths and Statiflex weld fume extraction system at Lincoln Electric’s Welding Technology and Training Center.

In its second century of welding education, Lincoln Electric is responding to this evolution by offering U/LINC®, the industry’s most comprehensive curriculum, immersing students in the latest techniques and theories related to welding and cutting.

Our new Lincoln Electric Welding Technology and Training Center (WTTC) in Cleveland, Ohio, provides students with access to the most innovative welding solutions. In this showcase welding school environment, students learn on the latest advanced equipment, modes and processes. Advanced training is available on waveform technology, automation, production monitoring and metallurgy.

Students will leave the WTTC with both a better knowledge base about welding and about the underlying theories and rules behind specific processes. And educators, who typically come from industry with little or no background in teaching, will learn how to develop lesson plans, engage students, and adopt best practices in lab and classroom activities and take that knowledge back to their own schools. Industrial teams can tailor training around specific weld qualifications, equipment or knowledge needs. Welding, civil and manufacturing engineers seeking professional development will enhance their understanding of design with welding in mind.

Lincoln Electric is excited to play a leading role in the education and development of future generations of welders as we have for more than 100 years. We stand ready to deliver the highly skilled and knowledgeable welding leaders that industry demands.

Learn more about the complete portfolio of Lincoln Electric welding education equipment, curriculum, education discounts, educator professional development, welding simulators and more at:

http://education.lincolnelectric.com