News Related to College Tech Prep
February 1, 2012
Training students for skills that pay - Despite what we were told in high school, apparently a college degree doesn't guarantee a higher income.
North Carolina's singular focus on sending students to four-year colleges is hurting our economy and the people of this state.
February 1, 2012
Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections: 2010-2020 Summary - Industries and occupations related to health care, personal care and social assistance, and construction are projected to have the fastest job growth between 2010 and 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Total employment is projected to grow by 14.3 percent over the decade, resulting in 20.5 million new jobs. Despite rapid projected growth, construction is not expected to regain all of the jobs lost during the 2007-09 recession.
February 1, 2012
Exposing the Myths About American Manufacturing - Over the past two years, the U.S. economy has created some 330,000 manufacturing jobs. Manufacturing production has increased by about 5.7 percent since June 2009--its fastest pace in a decade. At the same time, rising wages in China are making overseas manufacturing more expensive.
January 30, 2012
How Should We Prepare Students for Health Care Careers? - This article explores the following questions that relate to all CTE program areas.
"To help college freshmen get a jump on their health care education, what should the model curriculum of a high school health science look like? What content should be included? What are the current gaps in learning that need to be addressed?"
January 25, 2012
I-SS Career Academy and Technical School seeks 'golden opportunities' for students - The Career Academy and Technical School in Troutman held its first Community Advisory Board meeting Wednesday to explore what CATS Principal Larry Rogers called "golden opportunities" to work with businesses in the county.
The board will meet quarterly to discuss how the school will continue to train its students for job opportunities at local industries, with the focus on keeping graduating students in Iredell County when they start working.
"We need to be more engaged with what the industry needs are," said Dr. Tim Brewer, newly appointed Mitchell Community College president. "We've got to develop programs that are going to mean something for students when they get out."
January 24, 2012
National mobile app-creation program launches at Apex High School - Students at Apex High School will be learning how to design and market mobile apps, as part of a test program launched by computer maker Lenovo and the National Academy Foundation.
Students will work in teams to create a real-world mobile app during the 12-week, after-school course. Enrollment is optional, but as of Tuesday 30 students had registered.
January 17, 2012
N.C. logistics center selects high school as partner - The North Carolina Center for Global Logistics, which has a network of 23 higher education institutions, announced today that the new Yadkin Valley Regional Career Academy will become the center's first high school partner.
January 5, 2012
Updated North Carolina High School to Community College Articulation Agreement - This is an update to the 2005 articulation agreement, which will take effect for high school courses taken after July 1, 2012.
November 10, 2011
Governor Perdue Announces New Career and College Promise Program - "Career & College Promise will prepare eligible high school students for life after high school - that means college credit for some, job training for others," Gov. Bev Perdue said. "Regardless of whether a student plans to go to college or get a job, Career & College Promise provides focused preparation, tuition-free to the student."
November 10, 2011
Help Wanted: Mechanics, Not Chefs - The dearth of interest among young people in many blue-collar trades -- such as welding, machine production and aviation mechanics -- means they're missing out on reasonably well-paid positions in fields where employment prospects are improving. Aircraft mechanics, for example, earned a median weekly wage of $980 in 2010 or nearly $51,000 annually, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
October 31, 2011
Students at Wake Tech Community College Talk Reform and Jobs - At a roundtable discussion with students at Wake Tech Community College in Raleigh, N.C. after Secretary Duncan's town hall meeting last week, the students were open and honest about educational reform and the need for jobs in this country.
October 21, 2011
Students explore career paths at Nash Community College showcase - The Career and Technical Education Showcase Open House drew more than 900 students in eighth through 12th grade as well as their parents, giving them a taste of vocational classes in the school district that align with programs offered at Nash Community College.
October 10, 2011
HondaJet expansion in Triad to create 419 jobs - Honda Aircraft announced a major expansion of its operations at the Piedmont Triad International Airport, a move that will bring 419 jobs to the area with an average salary of $53,000.
What are we doing in our high schools to prepare kids for these advanced manufacturing and aerospace maintenance/repair jobs?
August 31, 2011
Hair School: New program prepares students for state licensing exam - A Durham Public Schools offering, the cosmetology program can accommodate up to 100 students from any public Durham high school. Each pupil will receive free vocational training worth at least $10,000.
August 29, 2011
How to Fix Our Math Education - The truth is that different sets of math skills are useful for different careers, and our math education should be changed to reflect this fact.
August 29, 2011
Holmes High hopes to give students a career, future along with a degree - The new career based educational plan calls for students to pick a career subject as the enter 10th grade. Students can choose from paths like manufacturing and construction, education, health care or information technology.
August 28, 2011
Modern workers need mod skills - You need to be a tech-savvy problem solver, be flexible about taking on new tasks, and seek out training that will keep you fresh in your field.
August 4, 2011
Accelerating Opportunity: A Breaking Through Initiative - The core belief of Accelerating Opportunity is that postsecondary credentials are the gateway to family-supporting wages--and that those credentials are critical to breaking the intergenerational transmission of poverty in America.
June 8, 2011
Partnership is a Two-Way Street: What It Takes for Business to Help Drive School Reform - Business can provide the leverage, expertise, and leadership that will help educators and public officials make tough decisions and take hard steps they may not take on their own.
June 1, 2011
Students Yearn for Relevance - Our high school students are telling us something important about what they want and feel they need by the time they graduate. Interestingly, it's not so different from what employers say they want from graduates.
May 25, 2011
State of the North Carolina Workforce 2011-2020: Preparing North Carolina's Workforce and Businesses for the Global Economy - This study examines the state of North Carolina's workforce in 2010-2011 as a result of in-depth analysis of economic and employment data as well as a number of interviews with key stakeholders across the state during the late fall of 2010. It also evaluates the impact of the 2008-09 recession (sometimes referred to as the "Great Recession") and the ongoing structural economic shifts described in the previous 2007 State of the Workforce Report.
May 25, 2011
More skilled workers key to Georgia's economic future - "My biggest fear is, when (the economy) really turns around, we won't have the work force we need for these jobs that will become available."
Maintenance technicians, medical technicians, welders, medical assistants - all are jobs that Everson said will be in greater demand as the economy retools itself and, importantly, baby boomers retire from these positions.
These jobs can't be off-shored. And, Everson said, if "you come out of these technical colleges with the right background, you'll make more than some people with a [bachelor's] degree."
May 24, 2011
What's it Worth? The Economic Value of College Majors - On average, bachelor's degrees pay off. But a new study confirms that some undergraduate majors pay off a lot more than others. In fact, the difference in earnings potential between one major and another can be more than 300 percent.
Using United States Census data available for the first time, the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce is helping Americans connect the dots between college majors and career earnings. In the new report, this first-time research demonstrates just how critical the choice of major is to a student's median earnings.
May 11, 2011
Blueprint For Jobs In The 21st Century: A Vision for a Competitive Human Resource Policy for the American Workforce - HR Policy Association provides the perspective of the chief human resource officers of more than 300 of the largest companies doing business in the United States today on America's jobs challenges and the human capital policy changes needed to make the President's dream, and our dream, a reality.
May 9, 2011
A Sputnik Moment for Education: The Role of CTE and Arts in STEM Innovation - The separation between the arts and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics is artificial and relatively new in human history. All of the disciplines of science, engineering, and mathematics are born of Mother Art, but she has somehow lost touch with her children.
May 9, 2011
State Board of Education Endorses Gov. Perdue's Career and College Promise Initiative - Gov. Perdue's Career and College Promise would enable eligible students to complete one year or more of higher education by the time they graduate high school. Students participating in the program could choose to earn Career and Technical Education credentials, a college transfer certificate, or two years of college credit, depending on their goals for the future. After high school graduation, students would then have the option of completing a second year of higher education for free from a community college.
April 21, 2011
Six Stories About Six States: Programs of Study - National Research Center for Career and Technical Education study on Programs of Study.
As indicated in this report, Programs of Study have the potential to engage students in rigorous and sequenced education that makes learning active, relevant, connected to the world of careers and work, and delivered through courses that honor student choice and meaningful educational practice.
April 19, 2011
Poll: Students grade high school down, college up - Students say their school wasn't good at helping them choose a field of study, aiding them in finding the right college or vocational school, or assisting them in coming up with ways to pay for more schooling.
Most young people say their school didn't do a good job of preparing them for work or helping them choose a future career. They also give high schools low marks on exposing them to the latest technology in their field and helping them get work experience, according to the poll conducted in partnership with Stanford University.
April 19, 2011
Rigor, Relevance, and the Future of Career and Technical Education - There's an urgent need to re-imagine and remake career and technical education. CTE has an enormous, if often overlooked impact on students, school systems, and our ability to prosper as a nation. At the same time, we need a frank discussion about the challenges of the current system. At the heart of the matter is that CTE programs need to strengthen their rigor and relevance -- and deliver better outcomes for students.
February 16, 2011
Help the Governor Balance the Budget - If you think you have a better solution to balancing the state budget, here is where you can try it out.
February 3, 2011
Get President Obama to speak at your High School Graduation - The Race to the Top Commencement Challenge invites public high schools across the country to demonstrate how their school best prepares them for college and a career.
The winning school will host President Obama as their 2011 commencement speaker.
February 2, 2011
Al Yankovic's Favorite Teacher - Weird Al Yankovic explains why his 8th grade Drafting teacher was his favorite.
February 2, 2011
The New CTE: Secretary Duncan's Remarks on Career and Technical Education - First, for far too long, CTE has been the neglected stepchild of education reform. That neglect has to stop. And second, the need to re-imagine and remake career and technical education is urgent. CTE has an enormous, if often overlooked impact on students, school systems, and our ability to prosper as a nation.
February 1, 2011
Harvard Study: "Pathways to Prosperity: Meeting the Challenge of Preparing Young Americans for the 21st Century" - Parents, listen up: Even Harvard says that CTE is a good for our kids!
January 17, 2011
In a tough economy, new focus on job-oriented certificates -
"... employment data shows that students who earn certificates or associate of science degrees make more money in their first year out of college than four-year graduates ..."
January 1, 2011
Graduates with career-driven degrees from a community college tend to out-earn those with a bachelor's degree from a four-year school. - State employment data that track the earnings of recent graduates show those who earned a career-focused associate's degree or postsecondary certificate from a Florida community college are in many cases making more money than bachelor's degree recipients at state universities.
December 21, 2010
Study: Community colleges educate far more than public universities -
Nationally, 45.7 percent of college students attend two-year community colleges.
10.8 percent of college students attend four-year public research institutions, like N.C. State University.
18.1 percent of college students attend four-year non-research public colleges, like UNC-Wilmington.
Yet, the state of North Carolina provides nearly twice as much money to its four-year colleges as it does to its community colleges.
December 8, 2010
Significant Discussions: A Guide for Secondary and Postsecondary Curriculum Alignment - The Significant Discussions Project, with generous support from MetLife Foundation, is based on the recognition that misalignment of curriculum among secondary schools, community colleges, universities, and employers creates barriers to student success, and that collaborative discussions about curriculum alignment across educational sectors are often random and voluntary. Further, few systems are in place to institutionalize or incentivize collaborative work to improve alignment.
December 6, 2010
Labor shortage predicted in New England region - Despite high unemployment, analysts see a labor shortage looming in New England. ...the population has declined steadily in Massachusetts and other New England states during recent decades and baby boomers will retire in coming years. ...the result could be a shortage of up to 780,000 skilled workers by 2018, especially for jobs such as surgical assistants, preschool teachers, lab technicians, legal secretaries, and office administrators. Other professions likely to experience shortages are pharmacists, physical therapists, database administrators, and other positions requiring college education.
November 17, 2010
Hiring Prospects Look Up for College Graduates--Some of Them, Anyway - The job outlook for college students is brightening somewhat, with the hiring of new bachelor's-degree graduates expected to increase by 10 percent this academic year, according to a major annual survey of employers released on Wednesday.
Some industries look more promising than others, according to the report. Manufacturers, professional-services companies, large commercial banks, and the federal government plan to hire more new graduates, while smaller banks, state governments, and colleges and universities project drops.
October 5, 2010
AP Poll: Americans see community colleges as viable option for some students - Respondents rated community colleges as excellent or good at nearly the same rate as four-year schools, showing Americans are generally pleased with two-year colleges. Seventy-one percent said it's sometimes better for students to pursue a diploma or certificate from a two-year school than aim to enter a four-year college.
October 3, 2010
More to aim for besides 4-year colleges: Have a serious talk with your kids about careers - "Parents need to be real," Messer (school district superintendent) said. "They need to sit down with their kids and have a serious discussion with them about what career they want to pursue."
It's a talk, Messer said, that should be done in the seventh or eighth grade so their high school class selections can help them gain entrance into either a vocation school or a four-year college they need to get to where they want to go.
October 1, 2010
BCC/Brunswick County Schools wins national award - The Brunswick County Schools/Brunswick Community College Tech Prep Consortium has won the 2010 National Level Award for Employer Partnerships for Tech Prep, which is awarded through the National Association for Tech Prep Leadership (NATPL). The award will be presented at the 2010 National Career Pathways Network Conference in Dallas, Texas on October 20, 2010.
October 1, 2010
Partnership Makes Nurse Camp 2010 Possible - The Associate Degree Nursing 2010 newsletter has an article about the Robeson County Public Schools partnership with Robeson Community College for their summer camp program S.C.R.U.B.S., which introduces high school juniors and seniors to the art of nursing.
September 28, 2010
Focusing on Career Training in School - The Today show interviewed a high school CTE student and discussed the benefits of CTE as preparation for college.
September 7, 2010
Accommodating Increased Dual Credit Enrollment Numbers - The increased education demands of the workplace and the realities of state budget cuts are forcing many institutions to place increased importance on dual credit initiatives. These initiatives help facilitate the matriculation of high school students into technical programs without overtaxing institutional budgets.
August 30, 2010
Technology Jobs on the Rise - In the market for a career that offers plenty of job growth? Think technology. According to the U.S. Department of Labor's predictions for the fastest-growing careers, technology (in any number of forms) is almost a sure bet.
August 5, 2010
N.C. Chamber asks how business can improve education - North Carolina's business, political and education elites huddled Thursday to talk about how business could help schools do a better job of developing better workers. The goal of the summit in Durham is to explore how the education and business communities can "improve the learning experiences and job outcomes for students."
June 28, 2010
North Carolina Governor Beverly Eaves Perdue Elected Chair of Southern Regional Education Board - Governor Perdue was elected the Chair of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), which is comprised of 16 states in the Southeastern United States.
One of SREB's programs, High Schools That Work, the nation's largest school improvement initiative for high school leaders and teachers, is active in many schools across the state.
June 24, 2010
Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018 - "A new, highly detailed forecast shows that as the economy struggles to recover, and jobs slowly return, there will be a growing disconnect between the types of jobs employers need to fill and numbers of Americans who have the education and training to fill those jobs."
June 20, 2010
America's misplaced disdain for vocational education - The article ends with this line "Some parents are already outraged by the imagined specter of tracking. Marc Tucker, who leads the NCEE, argues that a path to a community college might keep students engaged. Such a system would provide students with more opportunity, not less."
June 17, 2010
Prepping for the Future - For the fifth straight year, Davidson County Schools (DCS) and Davidson County Community College are partnering on a program that gives students insight into possible careers in the health and medical fields.
June 15, 2010
BCC faculty takes part in internship program - Brunswick Community College recently had four faculty members intern at five local business/agencies as a part of its College Tech Prep Faculty Internship Program.
June 10, 2010
Technology Center Boot Camp gives counselors hands-on experience - "...counselors come here and see what is offered, so if our students indicate an interest in a certain area, such as architecture or automotive service, we can better advise them,"
May 3, 2010
Academy gives kids a foot in the door - Apex High School's Academy of Information Technology is a great example of getting kids started in a technical program in high school that will continue with a two-or-four-year postsecondary program.
April 20, 2010
The North Carolina State Budget: Recommended Adjustments 2010-2011 - (Page 14) "Provide $1.4 million recurring for diagnostics in reading, writing, science, and math in grades 8 and 11. The State Board of Education shall maximize the use of federal funds to implement an academic boot camp to address basic deficiencies and ensure that students graduate college and career ready."
This aligns with our CTP goal to reduce the need for remediation when the students go to community college. Hopefully we can connect CTP students to this program (if funded).
April 13, 2010
CTE students graduate from high school at higher rate than state average - Lenoir, Greene, and Jones County Schools talk about how Career and Technical Education courses keep kids in school and help to increase the graduation rate.
April 13, 2010
ACTE Announces Career Ready Definition - A new paper titled "What Is 'Career Ready'?" outlines three broad sets of skills students need to be career-ready: core academic skills, employability skills and technical skills. ACTE created this paper to broaden the national discussion around the term "career readiness."
April 6, 2010
Career-Ready Commission Report - The State Superintendent's Career-Ready Commission just released a report titled "A Crisis of Relevance: How NC Must Innovate to Graduate all Students Career- and College-Ready." This report identifies the overarching crisis affecting North Carolina's public schools.
"Too many students are failing to make connections between what they learn in school and their career goals. These students are not engaged in or inspired by what they are learning and have no clear plan for the future. Some drop out. Others graduate unprepared for college or other training and are unqualified for most of the jobs available today. This is the 'Crisis of Relevance.'"
March 31, 2010
"American society has changed dramatically over the past half century." - That's how the Council of Economic Advisers's latest report "Work-Life Balance And The Economics Of Workplace Flexibility" begins. I hope we all already know about the drastic change, but this report goes into some depth about those changes and could be a great tool as we redesign our K-12 education systems.
March 24, 2010
Early College Eastern Applied Science and Technology High School (E.A.S.T.) - New engineering, math, science and technology-focused high school slated to open in Havelock next fall
March 21, 2010
Tech class makes learning fun for students in Lee County - "Lifting fingerprints, programming robots and racing carbon-dioxide-powered cars are just three activities Lee County middle schoolers must complete before moving on to high school."
March 16, 2010
New Sustainability Technologies Program at Cape Fear Community College - "Classes range from sustainable manufacturing to green building technology. The idea is for graduates to be qualified to plug into jobs as environmental technicians, green building supervisors, sustainability consultants and more, in both the government and the private sector. The hope is that students will get a jump start on an emerging field that is just starting to find its legs."
March 13, 2010
Weekly Address: President Obama to Send Updated Elementary and Secondary Education Act Blueprint To Congress on Monday - President Obama said "Through this plan we are setting an ambitious goal: all students should graduate from high school prepared for college and a career - no matter who you are or where you come from."
March 12, 2010
Developing a School-wide Numeracy Plan - The Ohio Regions High Schools That Work (HSTW) program has joined forces with the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) to provide a free webinar on developing a school-wide numeracy plan. This means a plan to get more math into CTE and other school courses in an effort to create relevant math instruction.
This free webinar would be good for educators wishing to improve their HSTW or College Tech Prep programs.
The webinar is on Tuesday, March 16, 2010, from 11:30 to 12:30 Eastern Time
Document about the webinar series (Word)
Improving numeracy in the instructional program will hopefully reduce the need for remedial math instruction when our students enter college.
March 10, 2010
CTE teacher keeps 8th grader from dropping out of school and puts him on pathway to community college - Technology Education teacher works with potential dropout to find interests, then helps student create an education plan to reach new career goals. Student is now in a Tech Prep program with plans to attend community college after high school graduation.
March 9, 2010
Students@Work: Relevance in the classroom; preparedness in the workplace - Students@Work is a program that encourages North Carolina businesses to offer job shadowing opportunities to middle school students in their community.
March 1, 2010
Can I Get a Little Advice Here? How an Overstretched High School Guidance System Is Undermining Students' College Aspirations - Findings from a recent study of over 600 young adults:
- Most students, even those who successfully complete college, give their high school guidance counselors fair or poor ratings
- Students who get perfunctory counseling are more likely to delay college and make more questionable higher education choices
- High school counselors are viewed as less helpful than teachers
- Advisers at higher education institutions get better ratings, but there's room for improvement
February 28, 2010
Literacy, Learning and CTE - Davidson County School District is featured in this article in Techniques Magazine about their Literacy program.
February 25, 2010
Laney HS student places 2nd in carpentry contest - A senior at Laney High School competed against high school and community college students and placed second in the N.C. Department of Labor Carpentry Apprentice Contest. She will advance to the state competition in April.
February 22, 2010
Obama wants education benchmarks to meet higher standard - "President Obama will seek to raise academic standards across the country by requiring states to certify that their benchmarks for reading and mathematics put students on track for college or a career, administration officials said Sunday."
This is aligned with our NC College Tech Prep plan to reduce the need for remedial math, reading, and writing courses when our high school students enter community college.
February 17, 2010
Manufacturing sector making a comeback - "The long-battered U.S. manufacturing sector is showing surprising signs of strength and many experts think it has relatively bright prospects for at least the next several years."
Though we are still projecting a decline in total manufacturing jobs in North Carolina, we are experiencing a growth in high-tech manufacturing, especially in the aerospace industry. There are many companies across the state that manufacture airplane parts, and those businesses are growing.
The NC Community College System has just created a new curriculum program in Aerostructure Manufacturing and Repair. This is in addition to the already established Aviation Systems Technology program.
If you find kids who like to work with mechanical structures and have their head in the clouds, the growing aerospace manufacturing industry in NC might be the place to be.
February 17, 2010
Young Students Job Shadow Astronauts aboard the International Space Station - A group of students, meeting recently with President Obama in the Whitehouse, got to watch astronauts working on the space station and were given the oportunity to ask the astronauts questions about their work. That's long-distance job shadowing!
February 5, 2010
Building a ready workforce: More employers statewide seeking job applicants with Career Readiness Certification - Local employers gathered Thursday at Lenoir Community College to learn more about the state's WorkKeys and Career Readiness Certification programs.
February 4, 2010
"No Boundaries" project, developed by NASA and USA TODAY Education - "No Boundaries" is a cross-curricular, web-based project that encourages teens to work toward careers in STEM, while learning about NASA. Small groups of students develop projects that market careers at NASA to teens.
February 2, 2010
Teens shadow professionals at work on Groundhog Job Shadow Day - Twenty-six New Bern High School students watched health professionals work at Carolina East Medical Center as part of the National Groundhog Job Shadow Day.
February 1, 2010
President Proposes to Consolidate Tech Prep Funding into Basic CTE Funds - The President has proposed to reallocate the $102.9 million Tech Prep Education State Grants to the CTE State Grants. What does this mean to Tech Prep programs in North Carolina if the funding goes away?
Discuss this issue with your colleagues on the Tech Prep forum in the ACTE Public Forums.
January 28, 2010
2010 Annual Letter from Bill Gates - Bill Gates just released his 2010 Annual Letter. "The focus of this year's letter is innovation and how it can make the difference between a bleak future and a bright one."
Among other topics in the letter, Bill Gates talks about his trip to North Carolina to visit schools in Charlotte and Durham. He talks about the benefits of on-line learning and talks about how to improve K-12 education.
January 14, 2010
Biomedical Engineering Leads The Way In Job Growth - "If you're an engineer, or can see yourself as one, biomedical engineering is the place to be. The BLS estimates that the profession will grow by 72% between 2008 and 2018, significantly more than other engineering subspecialties. When compared to other top growth occupations, it stands miles ahead of its closest competitors (network systems and data communications analysts and home health aides), which will grow in the 50% range."
January 13, 2010
Perdue hopes to move beyond budget woes in 2010 - "And too many recent high school graduates - up to 60 percent in the state community college system - must take remedial classes before starting their college course of study. These numbers offend me." Governor Perdue said.
Helping to reduce the need for remedial courses in college is one of the top goals for College Tech Prep in North Carolina. Let's show the governor that we are doing what we can to help.
January 13, 2010
Perdue promotes plan for student prep - "Every kid -- no matter where he or she lives in North Carolina -- must graduate from high school with what it really takes to succeed in a career, in a two- or four-year college or technical training," the governor said.
Many of the governor's points seem to address College Tech Prep Programs. Take a look.
January 12, 2010
Developing a School-wide Literacy Plan - free webinar - High Schools That Work (HSTW) and ACTE are collaborating on a free School Improvement Webinar Series to provide administrators and teacher leaders with strategies for successfully implementing HSTW.
The next webinar is Developing a School-wide Literacy Plan on January 19 from 11:30 to 12:30 (Eastern time).
The February 16 webinar will be Establishing an Effective Advisor/Advisee Program.
March 16 will be Developing a School-wide Numeracy Plan.
This is a great webinar series for HSTW schools as well as for College Tech Prep schools that wish to improve their remediation rates.
Direct Link to the Registration
January 11, 2010
Enhancing STEM Education through Robotics - Teams of high school students from across the country have just begun two intense months of building robots that will compete regionally in March and hopefully, will get to compete at the national level in April.
Eighteen FIRST Robotics Teams are affiliated with public high schools in NC. This is a great way to get students to learn about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in and out of the classroom, and a great way for them to form lasting relationships with area engineers and other professionals.
January 5, 2010
Vocational education upgrade: Chicago schools roll out 7-year makeover - The Chicago Public Schools system is overhauling its Career and Technical Education program to provide about 25,000 teens the skills they'll need to land well-paying jobs -- such as those in the medical or electrical fields -- right out of high school.
January 5, 2010
Eight NC lawmakers (and educators) headed to Singapore - Eight legislators and a handful of state education officials are headed to Singapore in about a week to see what that country does right in math and science education.
December 28, 2009
Landing a Job of the Future Takes a Two-Track Mind: Career Experts Say Positions in Growing Fields Will Require an In-Demand Degree Coupled With Skills in Emerging Trends - Technology, health care and education will continue to be hot job sectors, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' outlook for job growth between 2008 and 2018. But those and other fields will yield new opportunities, and even some tried-and-true fields will bring some new jobs that will combine a variety of skill sets.
December 17, 2009
Project Lead the Way Expands in Lenoir County - Lenoir County Schools was recently awarded funds by the Golden LEAF Foundation Board of Directors, which will be used to develop Project Lead the Way at local high schools.
December 16, 2009
Weighing the Value of That College Diploma - Students are increasingly skeptical about the value of a college degree; the proportion who are willing to borrow money for college if necessary has fallen to 53% from 67% in the past year, based on a survey of 800 college students by Sallie Mae, Reston, Va.
December 15, 2009
Lieutenant governor promotes early college high schools - "Students must stay in school and adapt to a global economy if they want a good job, and business partnerships can help them to succeed" said Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton at the Champions of Education breakfast Tuesday morning in Hickory.
December 14, 2009
N.C. IT job market grows again - Good news for IT professionals and people who wish to enter the IT field. The job market for IT professionals in North Carolina jumped 23.8% in November compared to October. For November 2009, there are 1,770 job openings in IT.
December 13, 2009
Rep. Young Introduces Tax Credit Legislation For Vocational Training - H.R. 4258, the recently introduced Public-Private Vocational Partnership Act of 2009, will create a tax credit for businesses that either donate equipment to or host an internship for students enrolled in a program at a community college, secondary school, or vocational school.
December 7, 2009
Wake Tech, N.C. Solar Center win Clean Transportation grant - Wake Technical Community College and the North Carolina Solar Center have been awarded more than $300,000 to educate the community about alternative fuels and clean transportation.
November 25, 2009
Getting Them on Track: Atkins' School of Pre-Engineering helps make students excited about technology - On Nov. 12, Eaves was one of 10 Project Lead the Way teachers from around the country to get a Building the Future Award from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation and the technology company 3M.
November 25, 2009
Wake Tech wins SBA award for North Carolina - Wake Technical Community College has been named the North Carolina Small Business Resource Partner of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
November 22, 2009
White House Pushes Science and Math Education - To improve science and mathematics education for American children, the White House is recruiting Elmo and Big Bird, video game programmers and thousands of scientists.
November 19, 2009
Microsoft to offer free tech training at NC colleges - Microsoft is partnering with the North Carolina Community College System, the Division of Workforce Development in the N.C. Department of Commerce and the N.C. Employment Security Commission to distribute a total of 23,700 training vouchers during the next 90 days across the state. Courses range from basic technology literacy to intermediate-level technology skills. A portion of the vouchers will be issued to North Carolina residents for Microsoft Certification Exams, all at no cost to the recipients.
November 17, 2009
Cape Fear Community College student team wins green building award - A team of student architects from Cape Fear Community College took second place in a national green building design competition last weekend, the only community college in the country to qualify to compete at the national level.
November 16, 2009
UNC, N.C. community colleges, K-12 powering e-learning site, Perdue, Dalton announce - The state of North Carolina has launched a new Web site to provide access to online courses from K-12 grades, community colleges and universities.
November 8, 2009
Early College East project awarded grant funding - Craven Early College East will be a new math, science, technology and engineering-focused high school that will soon be training future workers in the state's aerospace industry. This is the second Early College at Craven Community College.
November 6, 2009
Members of Lenoir Co. STEM design team collaborate on how best to achieve goals - Lenoir County's STEM design team is working to boost Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in the schools by preparing students for STEM jobs of the future.
November 4, 2009
Students get hands-on construction experience - The North Carolina Department of Transportation sponsors a three-day Construction Career Days event that goes to a different city each year. This year the event is in Greenville.
The purpose of this event is to expose students to careers in the construction industry by giving them hands-on experiences and face-to-face time with contractors and colleges.
I've been to one of these events in the past and know the value it can bring to helping kids decide if their future is in one of the many construction trades. The hands-on demonstrations are great, and operating a backhoe or front-end loader under the supervision of a professional might be a career changing event for many. At least I had fun digging in the dirt!
October 16, 2009
Dalton's JOBS push makes a lot of sense - Lieutenant Governor Walter Dalton, D-Rutherford, and his Joining Our Businesses and Schools (JOBS) Commission are taking North Carolina education in the right direction with the push for more early college high schools. A joint legislative initiative, the JOBS Commission met for the first time last week with a goal of expanding the successful program. In an age of increasing specialization in the job market, this push to more closely align high school education with in-demand careers makes sense.
October 12, 2009
Thriving in Challenging Times: Connecting Education to Economic Development Through Career Pathways - To highlight the growing importance of business engagement in education, the National Career Pathways Network (NCPN) and the Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW), an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, have released a joint publication titled Thriving in Challenging Times: Connecting Education to Economic Development Through Career Pathways.
October 9, 2009
Brunswick County Scools/Brunswick Community College Tech Prep Consortium Wins National Award - The Brunswick County Schools/Brunswick Community College Tech Prep Consortium was nominated by a National Career Pathways Network (NCPN) member for its comprehensive approach for worksite learning in the health sciences career pathway.
October 6, 2009
Green NC Educational Exhibit at the NC State Fair - Green NC is an interactive educational exhibit at the NC State Fair where you can learn about such Green topics as: Sustainable Foods, Eco-Friendly Living, Water Conservation, Recycling, Energy, and Alternative Fuels and Travel. Green NC includes hands-on displays, engaging demonstrations, and a chance to take the Green Pledge. The Green NC exhibit is located near Gate 11 on Blue Ridge Road. The 2009 NC State Fair promises to be "A Whole Lotta Happy."
October 4, 2009
Even as layoffs persist, some good jobs go begging - "Yet even with 15 million people hunting for work, even with the unemployment rate nearing 10 percent, some employers can't find enough qualified people for good-paying career jobs."
September 24, 2009
Our gap: Tech jobs coming, but the labor pool is lacking. - A flood of new, high-tech, national-security jobs' are coming to the Fort Bragg region, and there are "nowhere near enough qualified employees to fill them." Students need to be encouraged to pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers.
September 23, 2009
The Tech Prep Program at the Boeing Fabrication plant in Portland, Oregon - is a partnership between The Boeing Company, the International Association of Machinists (IAM), Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC), and high schools in the Portland and Vancouver areas.
September 21, 2009
Defining 'College Ready,' Nationally - A new set of common standards for core curriculums in mathematics and reading and writing has been embraced by all states except Texas. This could create a set of widely embraced national (but not federal) standards for what high school students need to know to be 'college ready' or to have the skills to enter the work force.
September 18, 2009
Community College Committee Votes To Allow Undocumented Immigrants - As high school students, Undocumented Immigrants have always been able to take community college courses. Now those same students can continue their community college coursework after high school graduation.
September 18, 2009
Should Everyone Go to College? - President Obama has called on "every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training." This article is a panel discussion on this topic.
September 17, 2009
Perdue shifts focus to college preparedness - Governor Purdue is concerned about the number of high school graduates that are not really prepared for college work. College Tech Prep (CTP) is addressing this problem by finding and implementing programs that will reduce the remediation needs of our CTP completers.
September 16, 2009
Business leaders urged to get involved in schools - The Champions of Education forum was held recently in Catawba County to discuss business and education working together for the good of the community. Getting kids to take college-level courses was encouraged. Careers in science, technology, engineering and math were emphasized.
September 16, 2009
UNC president: State must improve public education - The president of the University of North Carolina system says that improving public education rests with fixing the state's elementary, middle and high schools. Our College Tech Prep programs are working to improve academic performance and truly prepare our students for college
September 15, 2009
Color This Collaboration Green - Dare County Schools is collaborating with UNC Coastal Studies Institute, NC Coastal Federation, Dare Campus of the College of the Albemarle, NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island, Elizabethan Gardens, Coastal Plain Conservation Nursery, Dare County Planning Department, and Earth Saver LLC to educate our high school students about cisterns and rain gardens.
July 0, 2009
Preparing the Workers of Today for the Jobs of Tomorrow - In this report, the President's Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) presents a projection of potential developments in the U.S. labor market over the next five to ten years and discusses the preparations necessary to develop the 21st century workforce. Also discussed are the skills that will likely be most relevant in growing occupations, the value and limitations of our current post-high school education and training systems, and the characteristics of a more effective education and training structure.