Sheila Butler – Broadview Learning Center Pilot trials for an IET for TEENS and Young Adults with the Retail Industry Fundamentals Certificate from NRF Sheila Butler – Broadview Learning Center

Why I chose this IET I wanted an IET that students under 18 could benefit with obtaining. Most teens and young adults begin their working career in some form of retail. This program is designed to work on soft skills and teach some necessary skills applicable to all retail jobs. I added the ServSafe Food Handling Certificate to the plan though it is not necessary to complete the IET nor does ServSafe stand alone, though a National Retail Fundamental certificate does stand alone. Since I have a 4 day a week Teen Learning Class I made them the pilot group. I would now like to expand it to be used in all of my classes but more in an independent nature, rather than a group class. I will continue to group teach the teens.

How to begin Go to https//nrf.com/career-center/riseup Create a My NRF account. Your director will need one too. Sign up for your Center to be a Partner and a Testing Center. You will also need to train as a proctor and anyone else that is going to do the testing. There is a training and test you must pass online. Go to Additional Resource Tab for more information. Submit your proposal to the State and have it accepted, remember your budget. I have included my syllabus in the handouts. Order your vouchers and online teaching materials; copy any handouts you need from materials. Initial expense was $1000 for 10 tests ($500) and a one time only teacher material fee of $500.

How to begin part 2 Go to https://www.servsafe.com/ Create an account and sign up as a proctor here as well. I had to call to get help setting up vouchers with a purchase order so get this started right away if you choose to include it in your IET. Tests for the Food Handler (not the Manager Course) is $15 and is a short 2 day time commitment.

Results from Pilot – 2 groups First group started out with 8 students, 7 finished but only 4 tested and of those only 1 passed. Disappointed. Second group started out with about 13 but several dropped off quickly, 8 finished but only 5 tested and of those 3 passed. Better but still needs work. There are still 3 former students who I believe would pass if they took it, working on it. Class 3 has 3 students but has not really started yet due to wanting to take HSE before graduation. Class Passed Didn’t Pass Class 1 1 3 Class 2 2 Class 3 In Session

Pros and Cons of the Pilot Reasonably easy to create accounts, partnerships, proctors and test sites. PowerPoints are editable. Learner materials are included. Pairs well with WIN Soft skills and Y.E.S. (Youth Employability Skills) Curriculum Works well in a 3 hour class as part of the class for 15 days. Cons: Hard to juggle online teacher words and PowerPoint – It required me to use my iPad as well as a projector hooked to my computer making me read it from iPad. This was awkward. ServSafe hasn’t happened yet due to difficulty getting vouchers. Material is rather dull. Test is Long – 100 questions and has many of the choose all that apply.

Pros and Cons of the Pilot, Cont. Students who finished were very proud of their accomplishment. It did keep students in class better and helped them complete their academic component. 13/17 who are in class have either passed their HSE or are scheduled for testing in next 2 weeks. 4 are still in class, no student has quit. Cons: WIN Soft skills cannot be done in an hour and are better done independently. Absences are hard to make up. Lack of punctuality caused some issues with first group. Second group did not have this problem. 6 weeks was a little ambitious, most took 8 to finish and a couple are still there finishing.

What I learned It is important that students take unit quizzes and go over and mark correct answers and use these sheets for daily review of missed items. It is very important to review. Active games teach the most, brainstorming sessions are also very good. It is important to get them talking and sharing. They must affiliate with your Center as a Partner for you to see their scores. Material can be a bit dull but telling own stories and games helps. Register for the test at least the day before, as many youth have problems remembering passwords etc.

What I will do differently Make sure to have Vouchers for both NRF and ServSafe before class begins or at least early in the process. Write a letter to parents letting them know how important attendance is to this certificate and explaining the program and benefit. Modify PowerPoints and record the audio part and maybe add some game slides to allow for independent work or group active participation by teacher. This will also make it useable by all classes. Assign Learner program from the beginning. Create a quiz booklet for each student. Plan 1 Y.E.S. activity daily that compliments the topic. Review missed concepts from last class before beginning new Module.

Questions?

sbutler@mccsc.edu 812-327-8531 Sheila Butler Broadview Learning Center Bloomington, Indiana ABE Teacher/PDF Region 8 sbutler@mccsc.edu 812-327-8531