By Myrna Trauntvein
TN Correspondent
Mark Anderson, CTE (Career Technical Education) director for three districts, was at Juab School District Board meeting to report on the program in Juab School District. “I serve South Sanpete, North Sanpete and Juab School Districts,” said Anderson. “I assure you that we are meeting the criteria of the state so that we can get funding.” He said that he appreciated the teachers in the district and was able to see all of the good things happening on his visits to their classes. The CTE specialists came to the districts and did program evaluations and were pleased with the results. On the K through 16 CTE Career Pathways report, he said, Juab was not only in line but was leading the way. Each of the seven Career and Technical Education Pathway Coordination Regions, consisting of secondary and postsecondary eligible recipients, has at least a half time regional Pathway coordinator and he was the director, he said. “Three credits is a completer,” he said. “Juab has done good things.” Career Pathways show students a direct connection between doing well in high school and being able to transition smoothly to postsecondary opportunities or getting a good job when they graduate. “Students in the ninth grade have more interest in technology than seniors,” he said. Students who focus on a Career Pathway acquire the skills necessary for entry into well-paid careers with high potential for rapid financial growth, increased levels of responsibility, and a high degree of personal satisfaction. “We have a pathway partnership with Snow College,” said Anderson. Snow had a nursing program, for example, and Gary Nielsen offered health science classes that fit into the pathway for both nursing services and dental assistant. Those pathways were for clinical laboratory science, emergency medical services, nursing services, dental assistant and therapeutic clinical services. “All my schools offer more in health,” Anderson said. He had prepared a handout that showed all career pathways available in the district. “This shows all the courses in your district that lead to pathways,” he said. Classes were available for agricultural mechanics systems, agricultural production systems, root science and dietetics and nutrition, plant science and animal and veterinary science. There were also classes such as CAD architectural design, construction and structural systems and interior design. Broadcasting radio and TV and broadcasting technician, fashion, apparel and textiles, and graphic design and communication were available at Juab. Customer Service Management, entrepreneurship and office/administrative support and technical support were taught as were Pre-K, early childhood education, and K-12 teaching as a profession, CAD mechanical design, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, accounting, financial operations and welding technician. Hospitality and tourism classes such as culinary arts, human services such as cosmetology/barbering, esthetician/nail technician, information technology such as cybersecurity and web development and manufacturing such as advanced manufacturing and welding, marketing such as marketing and sales, and transportation, distribution and logistics such as automotive and diesel are all available. “We have been working with Snow College and with a teacher from each school and we meet together at Snow,” he said. Some industries will then look at the career pathways and will add ideas of classes that would help those industries. “I hope in the future that will guide us more,” Anderson said. Utah Career Pathways align with and are categorized by the national Career Clusters. Each Career Pathway culminates in an industry recognized credential of value. “Our Profile of a Graduate will add in a digital portfolio for our students,” said Dr. Rick Robins, superintendent. The program that Juab School District recently purchased would be shared by the other two districts and would be a great help to all, said Anderson. “The vision is to see that every student takes advantage of the opportunity to earn college credit while in high school, understanding that through advanced academic training they will save time and money, which will enable them to quickly earn an industry license or an associate degree,” said Anderson. Jim Langford, Juab High School principal, said that the Perkins Funding was a new development. On July 31, 2018, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) was signed into law. It went into effect on July 1, 2019. This law reauthorized the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Educational Act of 2006 (Perkins IV). Perkins V is a federal education program that invests in secondary and postsecondary career and technical education (CTE) programs in all 50 states and the territories. It is dedicated to increasing learner access to high-quality CTE programs of study with a focus on program improvement; alignment across K-12, postsecondary and workforce; and economic development. Perkins V is critical to ensuring programs meet the ever-changing needs of learners and employers.
| 