1. Career Clusters: Focusing Education on the Future
The National Association of State Directors
of Career Technical Education Consortium:
States’ Career Clusters Initiative

2. Career Clusters: Presentation Objectives
Provide an Overview of the Career Clusters Initiative.
Review Career Cluster Resources available from the national initiative.
Discuss Career Cluster Sustainability and Implementation.

3. Career Clusters Initiative
Overview:
Career Clusters Initiative

4. Career Clusters: Definition
Career Clusters represent a grouping of occupations and broad industries based on commonalities.
includes occupations not usually found in in vocational or career tech education. Such as scientific research and government. In Arts Audio Visual and Communications we are looking at the Performing Arts.
Our charge is to develop these clusters into an organizing tool to help schools and to help students and parents make better career choices and to better prepare students for postsecondary education and work and help students advance at a faster pace.

5. Career Clusters: Titles
Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources
Architecture & Construction
Arts, Audio/Video Technology & Communications
Business, Management & Administration
Education & Training
Finance
Government & Public Administration
Health Science
Hospitality & Tourism
Human Services
Information Technology
Law, Public Safety & Security
Manufacturing
Marketing, Sales & Service
Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
Transportation, Distribution & Logistics

6. Career Clusters: Purposes
The 16 Career Clusters are an organizing tool for schools to offer a broader, more durable preparation for the world of work.
Re-training the Workforce
Cross-training the Workforce
Preparing the Emerging Workforce

7. Career Clusters: Student and Community Benefits
Help develop workplace, academic and technical skills
Build links to the community
Add relevance to the curriculum
Provide real-world learning

8. Career Clusters: Workforce Development and Education System Benefits
Provide a common theme for communication from state to state
Enhance academic achievement of all students - “leaving no child behind”
Integrate into current Career Technical programs
Prepare students for entry into college/university
Provide a well-prepared, qualified workforce for employers

9. Career Clusters: Goals
High Academic Attainment (meet state requirements)
Successful transition to post-secondary education and training
Preparation for Success in Careers (academic, skills, technical skills, employability skills)
Promote/Support Economic Development to Increase Productivity
Enhance Career Development Outcomes

10. Career Clusters Initiative
Resources:
Career Clusters Initiative

11. Career Clusters: Resources
Career Cluster/Pathway Model
Knowledge & Skill Components
O*Net Crosswalk Report
Cluster Profile and Advisory Committee List of Existing Credentials
Validation Overview/Results
Protocol for Assessment & Certification
Brochures
Pam Stacey, ,

12. Career Clusters: Model
Organizes the occupations, within each cluster, into pathways that group the cluster occupations based on commonalities.

13. Career Clusters: Framework
Cluster Level
Represents the skill and knowledge, both academic and technical, that all students within the cluster should achieve regardless of their pathway.
Pathway Level
Represents the skill and knowledge, both academic and technical, necessary to pursue a full range of career opportunities within a pathway - ranging from entry level to management, including technical and professional career specialties.
Career Specialties
Represents the full range of career opportunities within each pathway.

15. Career Clusters: O*Net Crosswalk Report
Each occupational specialty identified within Career Clusters was cross-walked to a related O*NET occupation.
O*NET is a nationally recognized taxonomy with detailed descriptions and a rich database of information for each occupation.

16. Career Clusters: Cluster/Pathway Knowledge & Skills
Identify existing and/or establish the knowledge and skills common across the Cluster as well as in each of the Pathways.

17. How Do You Differentiate Between Cluster Level and Pathway Level Knowledge and Skills (K&S)?
K&S represent all occupations within the scope of the cluster.
Pathway
K&S represent all occupations within a pathway.

18. Cluster Level K&S Topics
Academic Foundations
Communications
Problem Solving and Critical Thinking
Information Technology Applications
Systems
Safety, Health and Environmental
Leadership and Teamwork
Ethics and Legal Responsibilities
Employability and Career Development
Technical Skills

19. Format: Knowledge and Skills Structure Components
Cluster/Pathway Topics
K&S Statements
Performance Elements
Measurement Criteria

20. Validation Overview/Results
What Do We Mean by Knowledge and Skills “Validation”?
In this initiative, valid means:
Common (common, applicable across pathway or cluster)
Important (relevant, meaningful)
Accurate (technically correct)

21. Validation Process Validation by Advisory Committees
National Web-based Validation or
Pilot Site Validation
Continuing Review by Advisory Committees, Pilot Sites and Subject Matter Experts

22. Career Clusters: Advisory Committee
Membership includes business and industry, associations, government agencies, labor and secondary and postsecondary educators.
Membership is broad-based in terms of geographic location.
Membership reflects occupations within each of the pathways.
Membership is responsible for resource development.

23. Career Clusters: Existing Credentials
Credentials include licenses, certificates, and degrees.
Listing includes both web sites and individual credentials.
Existing credentials, when applicable, were used as resources in the development of knowledge and skill components.

24. Career Clusters: Assessment Protocol
Protocol for Career Clusters Assessment
Minimum criteria/expectations
Content
Form
Applications and Uses
Administration
Validity and Reliability

25. Career Clusters: Certificate of Achievement Protocol
Minimum criteria/expectations
Defines the purpose and scope of certificate
Bases issue on assessed learner proficiencies
Confirms knowledge & skills of certificate to the public
Contains date and issuing organization

26. Career Clusters: Brochures
Description of how to pursue education and career success in the cluster
Career Pathways at a glance
Overview of each Pathway
Sample occupations
Overview of credentials
Employment outlook

27. Sustainability and Implementation:
Career Clusters Initiative

28. Career Clusters: Sustainability
National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium
Assessment
States Voluntarily Reporting Student Enrollment by Cluster
Central Distribution System for Resources
Maintenance/Updating of Web Site
Continuing, Consistent Process for Review and Validation of Knowledge and Skills

29. Career Clusters: Implementation
Pilot Site Implementation
Technical Assistance
Training and In-service
Guide to Career Cluster Implementation
Implementation Briefs by State on the Web Site
National Career Cluster Institute

30. Tips for Implementation
Making Skill Standards Work: Highlights from the Field
Education Development Center, Inc.
Career Academy Toolkit
Bright Futures Press
Using Skill Standards for Vocational-Technical Education Curriculum Development

31. Tips for Implementation (cont.)
Arts, A-V Technology and Communications
Health Science
Information Technology
Manufacturing
Transportation, Distribution and Logistics
All Clusters

32. Tips for Implementation (cont.)
Use resources to enhance existing programs.
Use resources as frameworks to create/develop programs.
Use resources for career academies, small learning communities, schools within schools, charter schools, home schooling and magnet schools.

33. Identify the Stakeholders and Challenges Leading to Cluster Implementation
Teachers with decreasing enrollments
Teachers charged with increasing academic performance
Parents and students lacking knowledge of opportunities
Business and Industry needs for qualified workers
Post high school trainers and educators looking for feeder programs

34. Present Career Clusters as a Solution to Stakeholder Challenges
Potential enrollment increases with broader programs that appeal to more students.
Contextual learning increases academic performance for all students.
Enhanced guidance services are available for parents and students through the cluster models’ identification of many jobs.
Broader preparation meets Business and Industry needs for qualified workers.
Career Cluster Knowledge and Skill structures provide the linkage from post high school trainers and educators to feeder programs.

35. Conduct Clusters Rollout Planning with Stakeholders
Analyze current delivery system.
Review curriculum content.
Identify instructor knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Determine desire to change the system.
Present “Career Cluster Principles for Success”.

36. Career Cluster Principles for Success in Technical and Academic Education: What does a Career Cluster program look like?
1. The curriculum includes the cluster foundation knowledge and skills.
2. The curriculum includes pathway knowledge and skills.
3. Academic and technical instructors jointly plan the curriculum.
4. The specific state academic standards reinforced in the curriculum are clearly identified.

37. Principles for Success (cont.)
5. Communication (reading, writing, and presenting) activities are pervasive in the curriculum.
6. The curriculum reflects multiple careers associated with the cluster. 
7. The curriculum reflects the economic development plans of the local/state community.
8. Instructors provide direct support to students in developing a career/educational plan.
9. Data is collected and used for quality control and improvement.

38. Conduct Clusters Rollout Planning with Stakeholders (cont.)
Identify where changes are needed/desired.
Determine barriers using Rollout Planning process.
Identify resources (human, policy, fiscal) needed to overcome barriers.
In matrix format, present delivery system elements/content vs. desired cluster elements/content.

39. Assess Acceptance/Buy-in of Implementation Staff
Determine resources needed (human, policy, fiscal) to assure staff buy-in.
Determine the availability of needed resources.
Assess implementation challenges given available resources.

40. Develop Implementation Plan
Identify resources needed (human, policy, fiscal).
Identify time frame for implementation.
Identify individuals responsible.
Identify specific goals, objectives, and time line.
Identify assessment processes to be used.
Determine if credentials will be awarded.

41. Implementing Career Clusters
Review implementation plan with stakeholders/community.
Revise plan responding to feedback.
Access resources needed.
Confirm the reality of proposed plan
Implement plan.
Revise plan according to implementation feedback.

42. Contact Information
Pam Stacey