Career Clusters 101: An Introduction Session #2 – SD School Counselor Professional Development Series October 30, 2008

Why Career Clusters? Technological advances and global competition have transformed the nature of work. Tomorrow's jobs will require more knowledge, better skills, and more flexible workers than ever before. Tomorrow's workers must be prepared to change jobs and careers several times, continually updating their knowledge and skills. To prepare today's students for tomorrow, schools are working to help students achieve in challenging subjects. One key approach to this goal is to provide students with relevant contexts for learning.

Why Career Clusters? Career clusters link what students learn in school with the knowledge and skills they need for success in college and careers. Career clusters identify pathways from secondary school to two- and four-year colleges, graduate school, and the workplace, so students can learn in school and what they can do in the future. This connection to future goals motivates students to work harder and enroll in more rigorous courses.

Why Career Clusters? Students can use career clusters to investigate a wide range of career choices. The career cluster approach makes it easier for students to understand the relevance of their required courses and helps them select their elective courses more wisely.

What are the Career Clusters? A broad set of related occupations used when organizing career information, instruction, and student opportunities. Career Clusters provide a way for schools to organize instruction and student experiences around sixteen broad categories that encompass virtually all occupations from entry through professional levels. sixteen broad categories

We first start with 6 Career Fields Business, Marketing, & Management Environment & Agricultural Systems Communication & Information Industrial, Manufacturing, & Engineering Systems Health Sciences Human Services & Resources

These are divided into the 16 Career Clusters? Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources Architecture & Construction Arts, A/V Technology & Communications Business, Management & Administration Education & Training Finance Government & Public Administration Health Science Hospitality & Tourism Human Services Information Technology Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security Manufacturing Marketing, Sales & Service Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Transportation, Distribution & Logistics

Within the 16 Career Clusters one will find over 500 specific careers.

Who’s going to benefit?

Student Benefits o Learners are more likely to enroll in rigorous and relevant coursework. o Learners experience enhanced counseling and career development services through the cluster models’ identification of many clusters, pathways and specific careers. o Learners experience aligned links from secondary to post-secondary education and work. o Learners better equipped for lifelong successful career transitions, family, and community life.

Teacher Benefits Access current and validated knowledge and skills to frame rigorous curriculum and instruction around. Provide an opportunity to enhance academic and technical achievement and success Provide multiple opportunities for shared planning, articulation, and relationship building with both high school and post-secondary colleagues. Broaden the scope of existing CTE programs to expose and connect learners to a wider range of career options Increase learner career development and post- secondary success.

School Counselor Benefits o Provide a focus for education, college and career planning to be connected (assessment, exploration, courses, and enrollment sequenced) o Individualize students’ LEARNING plans o Help parents and students see multiple education and career options within high school and post-high school opportunities o Integrate new comprehensive school counseling model within and through career cluster framework

Parent and Family Benefits Understand and visualize education and career options/pathways Use information to assist students (and parents or other caring adults) with navigating a career pathway Provide organized structure to enhance enrollment/course sequence, student assessments, career planning and development, and post-secondary transition planning

All Clusters Emphasize Foundation Knowledge and Skills Work readiness skills Ethical and legal responsibilities Being able to work as a team members Problem solving Critical thinking Literacy, communication and math skills Information technology skills

Fit with the SD and National School Counseling Models Model EmphasisClusters Emphasis Academic Development → Skills for Learning Career Development → Skills for Earning Personal/Social Development → Skills for Living

Focus by Level FocusGrade Level Span Career Awareness → Elementary Career Information → Middle School Career Exploration → High School

Focus by Level – Elementary Career Awareness Example Learning Activities: Career Fairs Career Days Guest Speakers Studying Career Field Information

Focus by Level – Middle School Career Exploration Example Learning Activities: Job Shadowing Career Research Career Interviews Field Trips Study Cluster Information, Labor Market Information, and Postsecondary Training Options

Focus by Level – Middle School Career Exploration Example Learning Activities: Develop Initial Personal Learning Plans Choose Clusters that match Interests and Strengths Explore Postsecondary Options in Chosen Clusters Register for Courses Using Personal Learning Plans

Focus by Level – High School Career Planning Example Learning Activities: Investigate Chosen Career Cluster(s) and Knowledge and Skills Specific to those Clusters Service Learning Projects College Fairs Work-Based Learning Apprenticeships/Internships/Mentorships Senior-Year Experiences/Projects

Focus by Level – High School Career Planning Example Learning Activities: Labor Market Information Financial Aid Information Continued refinement of PLP Prioritization of selected Clusters Identify Postsecondary Goals Registration for Courses Using PLP

Role of the School Counseling Program This new movement requires closer, more collaborative relationships between school counselors and students. PLP become the ongoing vehicle to focus these counselor-student sessions. Parental involvement with the PLP heightens parental involvement and in turn highlights to the larger community the important role school counselor’s play in kids lives

Role of the School Counseling Program The PLP also encourages coordination of classroom instruction and out-of-class work experiences which promotes teachers and school counselors working collaboratively to find extended learning experiences for students. School counselors serve as the “hub of the wheel” for these team efforts with students, teachers, and parents

“When school counseling is implemented as a program, it places school counselors conceptually and structurally in the center of education, making it possible for them to contribute directly and substantially to their local school districts’ educational goals.” --Norm Gysbers Lifelong Leader in School Counseling