Career Clusters: Focusing Education on the Future U.S. Department of Education National School-to-Work Office

Career Cluster Definition A Career Cluster is a grouping of occupations and broad industries based on commonalities. The 16 Career Clusters provide an organizing tool for schools, small learning communities, academies and magnet schools.

16 Career Clusters Agriculture & Natural Resources Architecture & Construction Arts, Audio/Video Technology & Communications Business & Administration Education & Training Finance Government & Public Administration Health Science Hospitality & Tourism Human Services Information Technology Law & Public Safety Manufacturing Retail/Wholesale Sales & Service Scientific Research & Engineering Transportation, Distribution, & Logistics Represent all career possibilities - Organizes instruction for Tech Prep career academies work-based learning smaller learning communities magnet and charter schools restructuring around themes

Cluster Partnerships Are Key State Education Agencies Post-secondary Education (vocational school, community college, university) Employers/Industry Groups (local, national) Other relevant stakeholders (labor, professional organizations)

Career Cluster Development Form Cluster Consortium with Partners Conduct Research to Identify Cluster Occupations Existing Standards Define the Scope of the Cluster Align Occupations to Identify Cluster Pathways

Career Cluster Development Select Cluster Pilot Test Sites Establish Cluster Foundation and Pathway Standards Develop Cluster Assessments Pilot Test Assessment and Certification Process Document Pathway Knowledge and Skills With Certificates

Cluster Foundation Standards Topics Academic Foundation Communications Employability Skills Ethics Information Technology Applications Legal Responsibilities Safety Practices Systems Teamwork Technical Skills

Career Cluster Framework Cluster Foundation Represents the skills and knowledge, both academic and technical, that all students within the cluster should achieve regardless of their pathway. Pathways 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.

Career Specialties Pathways Cluster Foundation FRAMEWORK Pathways Cluster Foundation

Arts, Audio/Video Technology and Communications Career Cluster

Instructional/Assessment Scenarios Include: AAVTC Content Standard(s) Addressed Required Academic Skills (Taxonomy Based) Workplace Skills The Contextual Problem to be Solved Conditions for Performance Performance/Assessment Criteria

Instructional/Assessment Scenarios Include: Student Instructions Teacher Instructions Resources Used to Develop the Scenario Business and Industry Input for Reality Check Quality Criteria for Scenario Developers/Reviewers

CLUSTER CROSSWALK 2000 Census BLS/OES Classification OMB/SOC Classification ETA/O*NET Classification Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) NSSB Industry Standards U.S. Department of Ed. Career Clusters

Current Career Cluster Projects Arts, Audio Video Technology, and Communications (AAVTC) Health Science Information Technology (IT) Manufacturing Transportation, Distribution and Logistics (TDL) 5 projects to date – each at different levels of development. Synergy among all projects, learning from each other to provide continuous improvement of the Career Cluster Initiative.

The AAVTC Pilot Sites Miami Senior High School Miami, FL Glenwood High School Chatham, Il Covington High School Covington, LA Communication Hi School Wall, NJ Western Suffolk BOCES Dix Hills, NY Will Rogers High School Tulsa, OK Middle Bucks Institute of Technology Jamison, PA Hannaford Career Center Middlebury, VT Peninsula/Gig Harbor High Gig Harbor, WA

CAREER CLUSTER BROCHURE AND POSTER ORDERING INFORMATION CALL ED PUBS AT: 1 877 433 7827

Cluster Project Web Sites AAVTC www.artavcomm.org   Health Science www.nchste.org Information Technology www.edc.org/EWIT/bltext.htm Manufacturing www.mfglinks.org   Transportation, Distribution and Logistics education.dot.gov/translinkage

Contact Information: U.S. Department of Education Scott Hess Education Program Specialist U.S. Department of Education Office of Vocational and Adult Education 4090 MES 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20202 Scott_Hess@ed.gov www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE/