Posts Tagged ‘talent pipeline’

Partnership Powers Progress | 2024 Fall Meeting Diamond Sponsor: NCAE, CEWD

Friday, October 18th, 2024

The National Council for Agricultural Education (NCAE) and the Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD) have been working together to prepare for the new Energy and Natural Resources Career Cluster and the modernized Agriculture Career Cluster. Both clusters are part of the proposed Cultivating Resources Cluster Grouping that will be released this month.

Here’s what we have learned: 

In partnerships there is strength.

This lesson has remained constant in our collaboration. We have focused on the power of what will be created from two Clusters and how our industries can partner to benefit learners, educators, and each industry. We don’t look at the new Cluster structures as an either/or, but rather an opportunity for powerful integration of careers and workforce development NCAE and CEWD are exploring how they can collaborate beyond the clusters so that “one plus one equals the power of three” for two industries essential to our country. 

What’s old is old again, until it’s new.

NCAE has shared learnings from “energy and natural resources” sitting historically within the agricultural cluster, preparing CEWD to take the baton for the new stand-alone cluster. CEWD, in turn, is using those lessons to make adjacent recommendations for the new Cluster, creating a Framework that will be familiar to instructors and learners. Meanwhile, NCAE is focusing on supporting state and local leaders, as well as agriculture educators with essential resources. While both groups are allowing history (the old) to guide the future, this watershed moment will infuse fresh and modernized teachings (the new) into what will soon be two clusters. A national Framework for the new Energy and Natural Resources Cluster for high school classrooms is expected to be available by the end of 2024 or early in 2025. The Framework for post-secondary and K-8 classrooms will follow shortly thereafter.

Similarities are more significant than differences.

Differences between agriculture and energy are obvious on a broad level. The similarities between the two are less apparent, but notable in comparison.

NCAE and CEWD are proud of the lessons we are learning and the impact that will be felt as we collaboratively build skilled diverse talent pipelines for the future.

The views, opinions, services, and products shared in this post are solely for educational purposes and do not imply agreement or endorsement by Advance CTE, nor discrimination against similar brands, products, or services not mentioned.

By Layla Alagic in Meetings and Events
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Centering CTE in the Time of Disruption: A Conversation with SHRM’s Dr. Alex Alonso

Friday, May 17th, 2024

Advance CTE held a ‘fireside chat’ with Dr. Alex Alonso, Chief Knowledge Officer of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), and Advance CTE Executive Director Kate Kreamer at our 2024 Spring Meeting that saw over 200 state Career Technical Education (CTE) leaders in attendance last month.

The two tackled this burning question of the future of work: How will Career Technical Education (CTE) continue to be the solution to ensuring success and security for all learners, especially amidst the imminent impacts of AI, the green economy, and evolving workplace trends?

Key Trends for the Future of Work

Dr. Alonso first presented newly released research conducted by SHRM drawing from data collected from a vast network of 2000 HR professionals, which, with the help of LLM (Large Language Models), aggregates major trends in the future of work and identifies the challenges facing employers today. Dr. Alonso unpacked several of these major trends, including:

Balancing Operational Efficiencies and Talent Needs

The challenges and problems companies face continue to become increasingly complex. That means that as the skills gap grows, the depth of that gap, or the “skills crater,” also grows, necessitating an even greater urgency for faster and more effective skills development. At the same time, amidst current inflationary pressures, there is a growing imperative to strike a balance between ensuring fair compensation for this high-demand talent and maintaining operational efficiency.

Training an Evolving Workforce

Because employers have a renewed focus on upskilling and reskilling, steps must be taken need to ensure alignment between training programs and the evolving needs of industries. This is a critical opportunity for CTE to be a leader and to meaningfully partner with industry.

Later on, during the fireside chat, Dr. Alonso elevated that the delivery of CTE programs might need to evolve to meet these trends and demands, not just in terms of content but also in how it’s delivered. Kate noted the shifting perspective on digital apprenticeships and virtual work-based learning– what was once seen as a compromise for accessibility is now being reconsidered as a viable content delivery option, especially as more jobs transition to partial or fully virtual settings. 

Realizing the Full Potential of AI

AI has changed and reshaped the way that work is happening. Because it’s evolving right before our eyes, the challenge for employers and educators is to keep pace, all the while ensuring responsible integration into the workforce, particularly given the high potential for its misuse. 

These challenges all point to one major takeaway, in Dr. Alonso’s words: 

The 5th Industrial Age is here, where all facets of work, the workers, and the workplace are re-imaginable.

 

Embracing Change through AI

A significant portion of the fireside chat focused on the specific challenge of realizing the full potential of AI, and the broader theme of embracing change. 

It’s a common worry: the idea that AI could eliminate job opportunities. Kate raised a crucial point: How do we leverage AI to create more opportunities rather than take opportunities away?

Dr. Alonso highlighted that while many job roles may diminish due to technological advancements, even more new jobs will emerge in the economy in the coming years. His argument: AI complements human intelligence rather than replacing it. AI should be viewed as a tool to aid in the creation of these new roles in tandem with human intelligence— “AI plus HI

This dynamic shift isn’t about a loss of jobs, instead, it’s an evolution of industries and professions. Dr. Alonso also noted the attitude toward AI is changing as well; there’s a noticeable transition from apprehension to curiosity. People are increasingly inclined to engage in dialogues about AI, recognizing its potential to enhance both their industry and personal lives.

As we embrace these challenges and opportunities, CTE has a unique opportunity and advantage to equipping the future workforce. Explore further insights on SHRM’s research in their 2023-24 State of the Workplace Report.


Preparations are underway for Advance CTE’s 2024 Fall Meeting in Phoenix, AZ, October 21-23! Visit the event page to save the date and learn more.

Layla Alagic, digital communications associate

By Layla Alagic in Advance CTE Spring Meeting
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Welcome Kevin Imes as the new State Director of Career and Technical Education for Arizona!

Monday, August 14th, 2023

The Arizona Department of Education recently named Kevin Imes the Deputy Associate Superintendent for Career Technical Education (CTE). 

Kevin Imes’ 36-year career in public education covers a diverse range of experiences. From the beginning of his career as a Biology teacher in downtown Phoenix schools to his role in opening a magnet program, an alternative school, a comprehensive high school and a public CTE district from the ground up, Kevin’s expertise in program development lends itself well to his new position as State CTE Director.

In the year ahead, Kevin is focused on strengthening the relationship between secondary and postsecondary institutions in Arizona to improve the transition experience for learners. Kevin would like to eliminate the preconceived stigma around CTE and to promote the benefits of CTE for learner success and its role in social, economic and career mobility.

Kevin is most excited about introducing learners and families not familiar with CTE to the programs and benefits CTE offers. He sees CTE as a solution for eliminating poverty by helping learners of all ages acquire economic independence through CTE program completion.

“I believe we are at the start of a new paradigm where there is truly a collaborative effort between industry and education, both depending on the other, accepting their shared responsibilities in preparing students for their entry into the talent pipeline,” Kevin shared. “We are standing at the edge of educational reform! Looking over the edge. For some, it is frightening to only be able to see the abyss below. But for others, it is a necessary launch pad to reach the new horizon.” 

A lifelong learner, Kevin looks forward to learning and growing with his colleagues in Arizona and across state lines.

When he is not in the office, Kevin enjoys spending time with his family.

Welcome Kevin to Advance CTE!

By Layla Alagic in Uncategorized
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Contribution to Society: Exploring Purpose-Driven Framing for Career Pathways

Thursday, March 23rd, 2023

Beginning a career has always been a daunting proposition for young people. With the coronavirus pandemic causing rapid disruption in the world of education and work, an acceleration of changing workplace trends and 46 million employees quitting their jobs in 2022, the world of work seems more daunting than ever. When taking into account the economic, social and environmental changes, the interests and needs of learners are evolving in new and fascinating ways. While employers are searching for ways to retain dedicated talent, employees are searching for ways to contribute to the society they live in and find purpose-driven work.

Over the past year, Advance CTE sought to connect this gap between the purpose-driven employee and the retention-minded employer through a reframing of career pathway descriptors, exploring whether a Career Technical Education (CTE) program oriented around one’s contribution to their community would prepare learners to be passionate and excited about future work while providing employers with a strong and motivated talent pipeline. 

In Contribution to Society: Exploring Purpose-Driven Framing for Career Pathways, we build the case for this type of framing through research, demonstrating that learners want to talk about their future contributions, but don’t always have the language or the appropriate outlet to do so. Research into occupational identity and social capital similarly reveals that these types of contribution-centered conversations can provide learners with the opportunity to learn about a broad set of careers that could fulfill their professional goals while building the networks they need to be successful. 

To further explore this framing, we commissioned focus groups with learners of different learner levels and conducted in-depth interviews with hiring professionals across six different industries. Through this research, we explored a number of trends:

 

In this white paper, we also share potential implications about the value of a “contribution to society” centered frame for CTE programs, including implications for learners, for instructors and counseling professionals, for administrators and policymakers, and for employers. The white paper also explores directions of future research and work to help validate and implement conversations around a purpose-driven framing for CTE programs. 

CTE programs build the technical and academic knowledge and skills learners need to be successful in the career of their choosing; as learners continue to strive toward a purposeful future, this type of framing could be an effective tool in helping learners navigate their own career journey in a more informed and purpose-driven way. Advance CTE will be launching work later this year to further explore how to elevate and implement a “contribution to society” centered frame in CTE programs and policies. Stay tuned to learn more!

Dan Hinderliter, Senior Policy Associate

By Jodi Langellotti in Publications
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