Skillsusa Training Gap Report

Today’s economy demands a better educated workforce than ever before, and jobs in this new economy require more complex knowledge and skills than the jobs of the past. The California Department of Education and the California State Board of Education are pleased to present the California Career Technical Education Framework for California Public Schools, Grades Seven through Twelve. The California Career Technical Education Model Curriculum Standards, Grades Seven Through Twelve, adopted by the State Board of Education (SBE) in 2005, was designed to help achieve that goal by providing educators with rigorous, balanced standards reflecting both the essential knowledge needed to achieve a seamless transition to careers or postsecondary education or training and the specific skills required for each of the state’s 58 career pathways.

Standing on a stage with over a thousand pairs of eyes watching every second, nerves beginning to fill your stomach, and smiling from ear to ear trying to hide those nerves was what I had to do. All that can be done, at this point, was count down the time left before a single word had to be released from my mouth. The numbers three, two, one, ran like lightning through my mind, and finally, my name was called. I knew this was my time to shine. “Hello, I am Crystal Sandoval, and I want to become one of your next SkillsUSA National Officers.” My life stood still as I felt the nerves suddenly be released and transformed into words. At this point, there was no turning back, but rather share to over three hundred students from across the nation and our United States territories, what SkillsUSA has done for me. “SkillsUSA changed my life, and it has granted me the opportunity to make a difference not only in my life and in other students’ lives, but as well as making the difference in the United States of America.”

My acceptance into the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) program became one of my greatest experiences at North County High School. Throughout my STEM classes, I had learned to think more critically and creatively. STEM required us to collaborate to solve problems. This collaboration taught me proper communication and strong leadership skills which I utilized effectively during summer bridge projects and the community challenge projects that we did each year. One of the most significant community challenge projects that I did with a partner was design and print, using a 3-D printer provided from my school to create a cookie cutting prototype that helped modernize the production of cookies for a local bakery owner. Through

A lot of people set a challenge to improve. By setting a challenge, individuals work hard, asking for help and advice from experienced advisors. Challenges motivate people and keep them working hard. The most significant challenge I have faced was getting a full scholarship into the private school, American Heritage High School in Plantation. This challenge was crucial for me because I came to United States in the middle of sixth grade. I went to Falcon Cove Middle School, and the school placed me in regular classes within the ESOL program. The ESOL program is a program designed for foreign students who do not speak English well. I got out of the program once I passed the placement test to the Cambridge program. In middle school, I won a variety

An Orange County Department of Education Initiative has resulted in the development and incorporation of new and expanded curricula in twenty-seven Orange County School Districts. Supportive organizations, in partnership with local educational institutions, provide graduates of these programs with career pathways towards “Green” employment. These programs include a fuel training program focused on incumbent training opportunities provided by Long Beach City College; the UC Irvine Graduate Division’s Graduate Professional Success Program (GPS) which helps graduate students develop strong professional identities and career plans; and The Community for Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Opportunities (CIELO), a partnership between Golden West Community College and Oak View Renewal Partnership which provides young professionals with services

Career and technical schools are educational facilities that allow students to explore a specific career or field that they are interested in. They offer approximately sixteen different career and technical choices and over 70 different sub-careers ranging from Education and Training, Government and Public Administration, Manufacturing, Information Technology, Finance, Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics to Transportation, Distribution and Logistics plus other career fields of interest that appeal to the students. The Career and Technical Education Schools are able to fulfill the needs of employers who are looking for specific criteria when hiring a new employee to fill an available position within their company. () Since the students

According to my site supervisor, there is only one career lesson delivered to each grade level at the middle school. She said that it is not until students get to high school that the counselors really begin to focus on careers and future plans. Upon further research, I discovered that this was consistent across all middle schools in the district. I feel as though it is of utmost importance for students to be prepared and have a plan once they graduate high school. They need to be aware of their options and their career goals. In order to have a career goal and understand their post-secondary options, students must understand and gain exposure the various career paths and opportunities. It is never too early to begin planning for the future, developing career goals, and creating a post-secondary plan. For these reasons, I chose to focus, advocate for, and plan for individual planning activities that career paths to aid students in career planning.

As a SETA member I have participated twice as a workshop presenter for the annual STEM Workshop Conferences, “Expanding Your Horizons,” and the “Latino Youth Leadership Academy.” These conferences entitle grade school students to expose themselves to science workshops; raising awareness of higher education in the STEM field, which is an important advocacy I

I placed 1st in regionals, now moving on to states. The skills and knowledge that I gain from SkillsUSA have significantly helped me on tests and competencies in the Medical Assisting program. The various skills that I have attained in the Medical Assisting program will allow me to do a excellent performance in my future career. Apart from learning the correct way of helping others in various medical situations, I learn professionalism, proper etiquette and life lessons that will be used in my

Bybee, R. W. (2013). The case for STEM education: Challenges and opportunities. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press.

My love for programming and engineering began in 6th grade, the year I joined the robotics club. Ever since then, I’ve been building and coding robots and designing a couple of games. Now, my interests have grown to a point where I see it as a potential profession. I intend to get more engineering experiences and to get a surplus education at the Governor’s STEM academy at Landstown. I am applying to this academy as there are so many different programs to use skills and feed interests. Competitions and clubs will give me more practice in teamwork, troubleshooting, and the entire engineering and design processes. As a result, I hope these will prepare me for my career, if I continue with it. To be a good programmer, you have to know what you’re

Career and Technical Education, from a historical standpoint, was intended to prepare students for entry-level jobs that did not require a bachelor degree (Fletcher, 2006, p 157). In fact, policy makers enacted The Vocational Act of 1963 which funded millions of dollars towards vocational courses that attempted to find solutions to social and economic problems in the nation (Fletcher, 2006, p 157). By enacting the policy, students will gain career skills that will give them more experience in their desired field of work or high academic studies. In addition, students transitioning from high to college will have a better idea of what degree they would like study as appose to prolonging their time in college and potential investing unnecessary

Today’s college students have the opportunity and freedom to choose their major and their career path. Many factors influence the decision of a college student’s career paths including background, general interests, personal strengths, time commitment, and job outlook. Although many important decisions are made in college, one of the most important is the choice of major and career track. Out of hundreds of majors the science and engineering fields are under-represented by women. Although the numbers of women in science technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM, majors has been increasing in the past years, women still are in the minority in the STEM fields. In her study, Lona Whitmarsh

In our ever evolving society we seem to be having a greater affinity to technical jobs and careers more integrated with our technology. It appears that we are heading into a world of Science, Technology , Engineering, and Mathematics or STEM. The STEM fields that are rapidly increasing relate to jobs that deal quite a bit with our newer technology and the creation and development of new and more efficient technologies. To compliment this increase in STEM careers, we need to focus our time, energy, and most of all capital on the lackluster STEM program in our school systems.

This lesson mainly addressed aspects related to career development. This lesson encourages students to discover their academic and personal strengths, their skillsets, and their interests. Students then take those concepts and apply them to career exploration. They are able to link their strengths, preferences, and abilities to potential future career paths. Some of the specific aspects of career development that I addressed include applying planning and career exploration in setting and obtaining lifelong career goals, applying necessary skills for career readiness and success, and teaching students where and how to obtain information about post-secondary options. In this lesson students are encouraged to apply decision making skills to place different careers into the appropriate career fields. In doing so, they are also encouraged to begin thinking about careers that are of interest to them and what career goals they have for themselves. They will be given resources in order to continue career exploration outside of the classroom. While I do not expect sixth graders to fully decide their career path, it is my firm belief that it is never too early to get students thinking about careers and having them set goals in order to obtain the career and future that they desire. I also believe that this unit touches on social and emotional development as well as academic development. This lesson allows the student to collaborate with one another and work in groups as well as in pairs. This promotes relationship building and teamwork. It also allows students to take an inventory of their personal strengths and skillsets. This could boost self-esteem and promotes a sense of self-awareness. Lastly, this unit also encompasses academic development. Students will understand that good grades and academic success are key elements to obtaining the career that they wish to have. By being academically successful, this will allow them greater options and opportunity post high school graduation.