Career Clusters 101 What are they? Why do we care? How do they affect my Business and Marketing program? Where do I begin?

Career Clusters 101 Career clusters … Career fields … Programs of Study … Big Sky Pathways … What great Opportunities!

OVERVIEW Career Clusters—what are they? Why are we instituting them in Montana? Basic definitions of terms Big Sky Pathways—what must they contain? Where do we begin … how do we start? Break-out FOCUS GROUPS by class size Reporting back

What are Career Clusters? Groupings of occupations and industries. A framework that shows the entire world of work. Used as an organizing tool for curriculum design. Blend rigorous academic/technical preparation.

What are Career Clusters? Provide career planning Offer options for students to experience all aspects of an industry. Assists students with transitions All clusters have a common foundation knowledge and skills base.

Sixteen Career Clusters Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources Finance Architecture & Construction Education & Training Arts, AV Tech & Communications Government & Public Administration Business, Management & Administration Health Science Hospitality & Tourism Manufacturing Human Services Marketing Sales & Service Information Technology Sciences, Tech, Engineering & Mathematics Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security Transportation, Distribution & Logistics

Where did they come from? Proposed by the US Department of Education Developed and then adopted by the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education.

In Montana ….. MT Career Clusters Steering Committee formed in 2005 proposed we take the 16 clusters and fold them into: Six Mega-Clusters

Why do we care? Our world has changed …and will continue to. No longer a primarily unskilled labor force. Seamless transition from secondary to post- secondary education. To stay globally competitive, we need to focus on high skill, high demand, high wage careers. Instruction needs to relate to student career interests and their personal aspirations.

Why change? VOCATIONAL EDUCATIONCAREER EDUCATION for some studentsfor ALL students Some jobsALL careers 6 – 7 disciplines6 career fields/16 clusters In lieu of academicsAlign with and support academics High School focusedK-12 & post-secondary focused

Why do we care? Business and industry demand change. Workforce is aging; Baby boomers are retiring. Montana will have a major labor shortage beginning in 2013 and the shortage will continue while the demand for workers will increase. Clusters and ‘Programs of Study’ are part of the new Perkins IV law.

DEFINITIONS A career field Means the overall description of one of the six areas of employment opportunities. Business, Management & Information Systems

DEFINITIONS Each career field shares the common Foundation Knowledge & Skills of all fields and clusters.

DEFINITIONS A career cluster is a list of occupations that fall under the particular career field heading. Montana’s clusters are: Marketing & Sales Management & Administrative Services Hospitality and Tourism Finance Information Technology

DEFINITIONS clusters PATHWAYS FIELD clusters

DEFINITIONS A Big Sky Pathway (aka ‘Program of Study’) Is the sequential, non-duplicative coursework necessary for seamless transition from secondary to post-secondary studies for a select set of occupations.

Who’ll develop the model Pathways? Specialists from OCHE Specialists from OPI Members of Consortium for Educational Advancement (CEA) --- formerly the Tech Prep Consortium Educators (Secondary & Post-Secondary) from the business/marketing field Business & Industry partners

THIS YEAR … Will all Big Sky Pathways be developed this year? No. But ten model pathways will be developed … Two in each of the following: Business, Management & Info Systems Industrial, Manufacturing, & Engineering Systems Health Sciences Human Services & Resources Environmental & Agricultural Systems

THIS YEAR … We will choose two from the Business, Management, & Information Systems field this year …. Then the rest will follow in ** will coincide with the re-writing of the Business/Marketing section of the Montana Standards and Guidelines.

REQUIRED ELEMENTS Coordinated and non-duplicative sequence of courses. Contains both secondary and post-secondary elements. Challenging academic and career technical education content Culminate in technical skill proficiency, industry- recognized credential, certificate, degree, or completion of a recognized apprenticeship program.

PERMISSIVE ELEMENTS Opportunity for secondary students to participate in dual or concurrent enrollment programs or other ways to acquire post-secondary credits.

Where and HOW do we begin? Don’t just “plug in” our existing courses... Think outside the box! What is best for students?? Carefully analyze what we’re teaching in light of challenging academic and CTE content Consider high skill, high demand, high wage (Montana statistics) What ‘seamless transitions’ can we make? Look at sample programs of study: Network with other teachers who’ve begun the process.

FOCUS GROUPS Divide into groups according to class size. (AA, A, B, C-size schools) Recruit a RECORDER and a REPORTER for your group. Discuss together and analyze your current program offerings in light of the challenging academic and CTE content and high skill, high demand, high wage. What would a Big Sky Pathway look like in your size school?

FOCUS GROUPS By group consensus, choose two of the 5 clusters that you would recommend the Pathway Development Team develop as a model template for Explain your reasoning behind your decision. Future plans—PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT— what should be our areas of focus?  Industry knowledge and industry skill  Interventions & supports (academic services)  Technical skill  Academic skill (math, science, reading)  Teaching skills (pedagogy)

Take a BREAK!

FOCUS GROUPS Individual groups report back.

WRAP UP Thank you, thank you! Questions??

REMEMBER …… “Some times you have to move slow to move fast.” Don’t stress; learn and glean from others … work smarter, not harder!

CONCLUSION Please contact me if you’d be interested in serving on the Pathway Development Team CONTACT INFORMATION Diana Fiedler