Career Clusters 201
Belinda McCharen, Ed.D.
Careers Conference
January 24, 2011
Participants and Facilitator
• Identify yourself, your position, what you expect
from this workshop
• Experience you have with career clusters
• Identify one thing that makes you unique
Workshop Objectives
 Understand the components of career
cluster implementation
 Deepen understanding of knowledge
and skills, career development and
connections to workforce development
 Develop a tentative plan for
implementation
Let’s Review Career Clusters
What are they and why?
16 Career Clusters
So Why Clusters?
• An organizer to structure career pathways
and career-themed programs of study
• A basis for career-themed standards
(knowledge and skill statements) for
curriculum, instruction & assessment
• A basis for organization of career
development and guidance information
• A strategy to engage the workforce and
economic communities in the education
enterprise
• Tool/framework for seamless transition
What Research Tells Us About
Clusters/Pathways
•
“One possible reason for success might be the
focus on all students, not simply those not
deemed ‘college material.’”
(J. Stone in Jl. Of Career & Technical Education – Fall, 2005)
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Shows positive outcomes on many measures of
high school achievement
Pedagogically sound
Career pathways restructure the school
Pathways also help connect adults to workforce
Critical Components
StudentCentered
Learning
Creative and
Innovative
Teaching
Strategies
Flexible
Schedules
Interdisciplinary
Teams
Parent and
Community
Involvement
Administrative
Support
Workplace
Learning
Education
Partnerships
Shared
Planning Time
Career
Development
Integrated
Curriculum
Industry
Partners
Multi-Measure
Assessment
Professional
Development
StandardsBased
Curriculum
Where Are You In implementing career
clusters?
?
• Have you begun implementing pathways and
programs of study?
• Have you connected to PS and workforce?
• Have you implemented a system of guidance and
advisement to support clusters?
• Share at your table
If you answered yes or still need
work….
• You are ready for Clusters 201
How do you select the clusters offered
Choosing Clusters…
• Identify Focus
▫ student interest
▫ employment demand
▫ continued education opportunities
▫ Perkins requirement
• Determine Scope
▫ K-12, 9-12, 10-14, workforce, etc.
Base on Student Interest
• Identify options for assessing student interest
• When is it done? For which students? How is
data used?
• Are results used for student advisement? Parent
conferences? Academic and college advisement?
Base on courses and expertise
• Which courses do you currently have ?
▫ Did you begin there?
• Is there particular expertise/interest among
faculty?
▫ Did you identify past work experience or interest
to lead the cluster implementation?
Area/Regional Economic Opportunity
• Match clusters/pathways to colleges and
workplace learning options in community
• Match to employment options in
region/community
Perkins Supports “Programs of Study”
Perkins elements:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Secondary and postsecondary elements
Coherent sequence – academic and technical
Opportunity for dual or concurrent enrollment
Leads to an industry- recognized credential
No matter focus you must:
• Establish Advisory Council
▫ stakeholders, transition partners,
industry focused
Implementing Clusters You Must…
• Know why you are implementing clusters
• Use the form in your planner
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Purpose for clusters
Results sought
Outcomes for students
Impact on school/community
Are You?
Or are you?
Discussion?
Questions?
What are they and how have you developed?
Programs of Study
• A program of study is a comprehensive,
structured approach for delivering academic and
career and technical education to prepare
students for postsecondary education and career
success.
▫ OVAE Operational definition of a program of study
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What is Used to Develop the
POS?
 Knowledge and Skills Statements
 Broad statements specifying the
knowledge and/or skills required of
learners/workers in order to
demonstrate competence in a given
career cluster or career pathway
 www.careerclusters.org (16 Career
Clusters Tab)
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With K&S, you also get…….
Performance Element(s)
Specific, measurable statements
that indicate what a
learner/worker must know or be
able to do to meet the intent of
the Knowledge and/or Skills
statement.
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And, you also get…….
Measurement Criteria
Items under each Performance
Element that clarify what is to be
measured and define the level of
performance expected.
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K&S Cluster Topics
 Academic Foundations
 Communications
 Problem Solving/Critical Thinking
 I T Applications
 Systems
 Safety, Health & Environment
 Leadership & Teamwork
 Ethics & Legal Responsibilities
 Employability & Career Development
 Technical Skills
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Why are They Important?
 Used as a basis for course selection, both
academic and career tech/degree major
 Used for course improvement
 Place validity on what students need to
know and be able to do to be successful in
postsecondary education and careers.
 Serve as a roadmap for students, parents
and teachers to get to the world of work.
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What Do We Do With Them?
Use to determine course content
(what you call the course isn’t as
important as what you put in it.)
“Clump” into courses
for example---
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Pathway: Construction
Course #8: Construction Ethics & Legal
Responsibilities
 Exhibit personal accountability, integrity and
responsibility to enhance confidence among coworkers.
 Read regulations and contracts to ensure ethical
and safety elements are observed.
 Use ethical and legal standards to avoid conflicts of
interest.
 Recognize legal and ethical relationships between
employees and employers to establish
workplace/jobsite rules, regulations and guidelines.
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STEPS FOR DEVELOPING POS
1. Bring the partners together.
2. Determine pathways to be developed
a. Target careers (focus)
b. Include as part of POS
3. Identify template format for POS
4. “Clump” the K & S statements into
courses.
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STEPS FOR DEVELOPING POS
(con’t)
5. Write/revise course descriptions based on
K & S.
5. Identify academic courses to support
K&S
5. Crosswalk to ensure appropriate local,
state and national standards are met.
6. Remember the target audience—
Students!
Let’s Share Ideas on POS
POS Checklist
Are both academic and degree major
courses included?
Are both secondary and postsecondary
courses/competencies included?
Does coursework reflect the K & S?
Do courses represent a sequence of
instruction that leads to a degree, certificate
or credential?
POS Checklist, con’t
Do courses represent a coherent and
rigorous program of studies?
Have courses been cross-referenced against
state and national standards?
Does completion of the high school courses
ensure success at the postsecondary level?
Does the high school plan reflect
opportunities for postsecondary enrollment?
Use the checklist
• To identify which attributes you have included in
your programs of study
• Then let’s discuss some of the issues with the
components
How are they developed and implemented?
Individual Career Plan
• Based upon clusters and pathways
• Reflects individual goals and aspirations and
dreams
• Combine academic and career courses
• Provides sequenced structure of high school
courses and connections to
postsecondary/work
• Reviewed annually with students, school and
family
Components of an ICP
• What is critical?
• When should it begin?
• Who should lead effort?
How to use of K & S
Cluster Foundation Skills
Academic
2. Communications
3. Problem Solving &
Critical Thinking
4. Information
Technology Apps
5. Systems
1.
6.
Safety, Health &
Environmental
7. Leadership &
Teamwork
8. Ethics & Legal
Responsibilities
9. Employability &
Career
Development
10. Technical Skills
Cluster/Pathway K & S
• Share how you have used them
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Course revision/development
Basis for programs of study
Postsecondary alignment
Dual credit agreements
Workforce alignment
Connecting education and workforce
Career Pathways System
16 Career Clusters/Pathways
www.careerclusters.org
79+ Career Pathway Models
DOL/Governor’s Industry Clusters
http://www.careeronestop.org/comp
etencymodel/
Connecting career clusters from classroom to workplace
How do career clusters and pathways
connect to:
• Postsecondary education
• Workplace
Competency Models
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Advanced Manufacturing
Aerospace Automation
Bioscience Construction
Commercial Construction
Heavy Construction –
Residential
Energy
Entrepreneurship
Financial Services
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Geospatial Technology
Hospitality/Hotel and Lodging
Information Technology
Long-term Care, Supports, and
Services
Mechatronics
Retail
Transportation
Water Sector
Competency Models
• Competency models benefit all partners and
stakeholders within the workforce investment
system including Workforce Investment Boards,
One-Stop Career Centers, business and industry,
economic developers, educators and training
providers, professional organizations, and students
and their parents
• Should be based on workplace knowledge and skills
progressions
Connections with Clusters
• In which cluster and/or pathway might Energy
fit?
• Can you customize and blend clusters?
• How do you connect “career clusters” and
workplace “pathways”?
• What tools would you use?
16 Career Clusters
What is the role in facilitating career clusters?
Career Development
• System must be in place to support clusters
Career
Awareness
K-6
Career
Exploration
7-9
Career
Preparation
10-12
Career/PS
Transition
12-16
Career Development vs. Counseling
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What is the difference?
Who leads career development?
When should it begin?
How do you know you have a system?
▫ www.ncda.org
National Career Development
Guidelines
• Personal Social Development Domain
• Educational Achievement and Lifelong
Learning Domain
• Career Management Domain
Domain Goals
• Career Management Domain
• · GOAL CM1 Create and manage a career plan that meets
your career goals.
• · GOAL CM2 Use a process of decision-making as one
component of career development.
• · GOAL CM3 Use accurate, current and unbiased career
information during career planning and management.
• · GOAL CM4 Master academic, occupational and general
employability skills in order to obtain, create, maintain
and/or advance your employment.
• · GOAL CM5 Integrate changing employment trends,
societal needs and economic conditions into your career
plans.
Knowledge Levels
• Knowledge Acquisition (K). Youth and adults at the knowledge acquisition
stage
• expand knowledge awareness and build comprehension. They can recall, recognize,
• describe, identify, clarify, discuss, explain, summarize, query, investigate and compile
• new information about the knowledge.
• Application (A). Youth and adults at the application stage apply acquired
knowledge
• to situations and to self. They seek out ways to use the knowledge. For example, they
• can demonstrate, employ, perform, illustrate and solve problems related to the
• knowledge.
• Reflection (R). Youth and adults at the reflection stage analyze, synthesize,
judge,
• assess and evaluate knowledge in accord with their own goals, values and beliefs.
• They decide whether or not to integrate the acquired knowledge into their ongoing
• response to situations and adjust their behavior accordingly.
Indicators
• GOAL CM3 Use accurate, current, and
unbiased career information during
career planning
• and management.
• CM3.K1 Describe the importance of career
information to your career planning.
• CM3.A1 Show how career information has been
important in your plans and how it can be used
• in future plans.
An example of workforce, high school collaboration
Communication is Important
• Situation
▫ Economic development report shows growth of
environmental services related industries
▫ High school has agriscience program with a couple
of related courses but not emphasized
▫ Local university offers an online “dual credit” in
Natural Resources
▫ What are the connections and gaps and how
would you connect them?
What are the steps to connect the
dots?
• Identify who you would bring together
• Tools/materials you would use for curriculum
revision/development
• How would you implement a guidance process
to help students and families be aware of
options?
What are the drivers and barriers for career cluster
implementation?
Force Field Analysis
Opposing and Driving Forces Working For
and Against Career Pathways
Career
Pathways
Opposing Forces for Career Pathways
• Academic Press
• Accountability – NCLB
• Lack of recognition of the value of technical
education and options for postsecondary
education available
• Complexity of implementation
• Lack of understanding of
new workplace
• CHANGE!
Driving Forces for Career Pathways
• Graduation/drop out rates
• Postsecondary remediation rates
• Demands /changes in the labor market
• Evolutionary - School to Work, Tech
Prep
• Perkins IV
• The “New” CTE
• Career academy movement
Will career clusters always remain stable?
How Can K & S Be Used?
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To engage students?
Plan for transitions?
Improve opportunities for students?
Raise student and parent expectations?
Improve terminology among partners?
Strategic Analysis – www.techcast.org
Developing An Action Plan
• Review current status
• Review POS Checklist
• Prioritize next steps
To What Degree
• Are you examining future options for career
clusters?
• Do you have a cluster leadership team to help?
• Do you have goals for improving and updating
pathways?
• Do you have partners to look at employment
trends and relate to pathways?
Sharing Your Plan
QUESTIONS??
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Thank You
• belinda.mccharen@okstate.edu
• Belinda McCharen, Oklahoma State University
• Cell phone: 405.623.6196
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