EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine August 2017 | Page 36

Career & Technical Educa
= the Talent Pipe
H
by Kelly L. Amy
ow do we come together to solve the complicated skills before they even graduate. Some certifications equate to
problems of filling jobs with a well-trained, skilled college credit through statewide articulation agreements.
workforce? Well, the solutions certainly cannot be
Volusia also offers students the opportunity to be part
found working in isolation. It must be a team approach with of career academies that are small learning communities for
all stakeholders at the table. Our local, state, and national students who share a passion for a particular career path.
economies all depend on this collaborative effort. I would like Academies are a hybrid of CTE courses and core academics
to submit that a critical piece of this collaboration can be found that utilize real world problems and projects to deliver the
in our high schools in Career & Technical Education courses curriculum. Volusia is not new to the career academy model.
and career academies. Academies go back to 1994 when Mainland High School
Let me explain. Volusia County Schools offers students 60
opened the first career academy in the state, the Academy
different Career & Technical Education (CTE) Programs. These of Design and Manufacturing Technology. The 2017-18
modern day CTE programs are not the vocational education school year will open with 41 career academies spread across
courses many of us encountered when we were in high school. Volusia’s 10 high schools.
CTE has evolved into career training for all students, not just
The newest evolution of the career academy model
for those students who are not bound for college as in the past. includes an all-inclusive “wall -to-wall” approach where every
CTE courses provide students with training in a host of career high school student will be part of a career academy. Always
pathways that prepare them for direct entry jobs, certificate the innovator, Mainland High School in Daytona Beach
programs, and further postsecondary education. There are premiered the wall -to-wall model in 2016-17, and Atlantic
multiple entry, exit, and re-entry points for students that High School in Port Orange will open their version of the
allow for career preparation that meets the needs and skills of model in 2017-18. Each school is focusing on implementing
students. With options such as, Health Science, Engineering, a project-based approach to teaching and learning that is
Robotics, Agriscience, Culinary Arts, Marketing, Information centered around career preparation. This career preparation
Technology, Manufacturing, and Education and Training, only happens with a strong partnership with local business
students have some serious choices to make. Students take and industry partners. Guest speakers, job shadows, field
three courses to complete a program that prepares them for trips, and internships are all critical parts of the career
entry level work and offers a foundation to build upon as academy model. Students have the chance to experience
they graduate. and test drive a career while they are still in high school.
In addition, CTE courses offer the benefit of adult level
The overall goal is to insure that all students are prepared
industry certifications, at no cost to the student. Twenty-seven for a career, and they have some real world, work-based
different industry certifications are available for students experiences, to help them make better decisions about next
through their CTE courses. During 2015-16, more than steps beyond high school.
2,000 students earned an industry certification. These are
certifications that build a student’s resume and workplace
| 36 | EVOLVE BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE
Just how do CTE programs and career academies help
the talent pipeline? Volusia County Schools partners with