Technology and Workforce Skills

Students must have access to the technical, digital and career pathway skills necessary for success in the global economy.

Here are some best practices:

• Students in Michigan’s Career Pathways programs, which integrates technology, applied learning and career exploration into high school curricula, have improved grade-point averages, state test scores, attendance rates, graduation rates, and enrollment in postsecondary programs. Further, students felt prepared for their future beyond high school. In a senior exit survey at Williamston High School, for example, an overwhelming majority (88 percent) said they plan to attend college immediately after high school and have a specific career plan (71 percent). They felt the high school provided a challenging curriculum (78 percent) and that they applied something learned in school to real-world problems outside of school (75 percent). Three-fourths of the seniors took pride in the fact that they had produced a product that reflected originality, high standards and the use of advanced technologies. They had confidence in their abilities to take the steps needed to achieve their future goals (84 percent).
• Based on three years of research, Jobs for the Future (JFF) has identified the key characteristics of powerful learning environments that put at-risk high school students on the path to earn a high school diploma or GED and move directly into community college courses and career pathways. JFF’s initiative, From the Margins to the Mainstream, highlights promising practices that use technology to create such learning environments. For example, High Tech High, a public charter school in San Diego, integrates academic and technical learning to prepare students for postsecondary education. Students use the school’s state-of-the-art technology to produce digital portfolios and resumes on the school’s Web site — and work on projects for workplace mentors.
• TechXplore, an online competition and mentoring program, helps K–12 students build the science and technology skills needed for future workplace success. TechXplore pairs technology experts from electronics, telecommunications, and high-tech companies with teams of students to help young people explore technology. Together they propose solutions to real-world problems, address quality-of-life issues using technology and then participate in an online competition with other teams from around the world.

Citations

“Career Pathways in Michigan Schools: A Success Story.” Michigan Department of Career Development. December 2002.
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/A_Success_Stor_Black_white_60632_7.pdf