Volume 32, No. 4: The Evolving Educational Landscape
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Welcome to Vol. 32, No. 4, of Connections, the newsletter of the National Career Pathways Network.
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NCPN CONNECT 2022 will be held Thursday–Saturday, October 20–22, at the beautiful Atlanta Marriott Marquis! Don't miss this outstanding professional development opportunity for adult, secondary, and postsecondary educators; workforce development professionals; and employers.
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NCPN CONNECT 2022 will be sponsored by XPRIZE, the world’s leader in designing and operating incentive competitions to solve humanity’s grand challenges. XPRIZE recently announced five teams are advancing to the finalist round of the $5M XPRIZE Rapid Reskilling competition, a three-year competition reimagining the future of work and transforming how we train and educate workers.
Launched in June 2020, XPRIZE Rapid Reskilling is sponsored by nonprofit venture philanthropy organization New Profit and incentivizes teams to develop and demonstrate the effectiveness of rapid training and reskilling solutions for individuals most vulnerable to employment loss. To learn more visit rapidreskilling.xprize.org or contact us at rapidreskilling@xprize.org.
See also the article by Monica Groves below.
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Webinar: Preparing Technicians for a Cross-Disciplinary Future
Wednesday, September 21, 2022 11:00–Noon Central
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Technologies such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things are transforming existing industries. Skilled technical workers of the future will need to function well in the diverse platforms and systems that drive multiple sectors. The Preparing Technicians for the Future of Work project led by CORD has gathered input from stakeholders representing education, industry, and workforce interests to determine the skills needed to prepare for the impacts of emerging technologies. Three skill areas encompassing cross-disciplinary skill sets—advanced digital literacy, data knowledge/analysis, and business knowledge/processes—are increasingly important for all STEM technicians. This webinar introduces a framework for integrating them into any technical program.
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Hope Cotner
Co-PI, President, CORD
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Mike Lesiecki
Co-PI, Sr Consultant, CORD
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Marilyn Barger
Special Advisor
Sr Ed Advisor, FLATE
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Richard Gilbert
Professor, FLATE, USF, Tampa, FL
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Ann-Claire Anderson
PI, Sr VP, CORD
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Academic Esports: Gateway to STEM-Related Careers
Jill Ranucci, Ph.D., CTE Consultant, Leander, TX
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Districts and states across the country revise and rewrite their academic visions, goals, standards, and strategic plans every year. Excellence, equity, resources, and classroom actions are at the forefront of student success. The rapidly changing technological landscape has changed much of what teachers and students are currently experiencing in learning environments. Industry leaders are searching for graduates who possess professional skills such as collaboration, communication, creativity, and analytical thinking. Yet students are often focused on their electronic devices and are enamored with the multitudinous methods of communication available to them within a single piece of technology. Although at times distracting, it is evident that today’s learning environment must meet the needs of today’s learners, and that tool is an electronic device. Consequently, esports as an academic CTE pathway can ignite a student’s passion to discover the endless opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) related careers as well as orbital careers associated with esports. |
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Dr. Ranucci will present on the topic of academic esports at NCPN CONNECT 2022. See her session description here.
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How Adult Learning Will Shape the Future of Work
Monica Groves, Program Director, XPRIZE Rapid Reskilling
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The future of work is humans. XPRIZE imagines a future in which people can rapidly attain new and more relevant skills to their current workplace—and their next one—enjoy gainful employment and meaningful work, and use AI, automation, and disruptive technologies to improve human training, productivity, and work experience. Novel solutions developed in the $5M XPRIZE Rapid Reskilling competition will uplift the labor market in the U.S. and close the widening skills gap by providing free, fast-paced skills training to under-resourced communities facing systemic barriers to learning, mobility, and progress. With an unprecedented digital disruption and adoption caused by COVID-19 comes a new opportunity to radically change the lives of millions of Americans. |
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The author and colleagues will present on the XPRIZE Rapid Reskilling competition at NCPN CONNECT 2022. See the session description here.
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Shifting Focus to Increase Students' Opportunities for Success in the Workplace
Jill Ranucci, Ph.D., CTE Consultant, Leander, TX
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A shift in focus, bridging gaps in instructional gains, equity for all students, and the high demand for knowledgeable and skilled graduates are challenges educational institutions are confronting across the country. Changing high school graduation requirements that include more science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to fit our nation’s agenda in developing a technologically competent workforce affect our electives and integration of STEM into our career and technical education (CTE) pathways. The CTE model based on rigor, relevance, and relationships embodies the essential elements needed for 21st‐century learning (i.e., skills in cultural competence, global awareness, communication, digital age literacy and technology, data analysis, scientific inquiry, leadership, problem-solving, self‐direction, teamwork, and computational thinking). |
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NCPN CONNECT 2022 to Offer Full Day of Preconference Workshops and Tour |
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This year NCPN will host its first in-person conference since 2019! We are thrilled to be back in Atlanta, this year at the beautiful Atlanta Marriott Marquis. The conference will be preceded by a full day (Oct 20) of preconference workshops. More at ncpn.info.
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Career Pathways Leadership (CPL) Certification I: Introduction to Career Pathways. Kay Sharbono, Former Director of Adult Education, Louisiana Delta Community College; Former President, Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE); Jennifer Wagner, Regional Career Pathways State Coach, CESA 11/DPI, Saint Cloud, Wisconsin
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Career Pathways Leadership (CPL) Certification II: Deep Dive into Career Pathways. Ann Westrich, Career Prep and Career Transition Education Director with the Wisconsin Technical College System; Claudia Maness, Director, NCPN
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LEADERSHIP MATTERS—Eight to Great: Pathways to Leadership. Lisa Williams (facilitator), Program Specialist, Florida Department of Education Division of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, and Leadership Development Academy (LDA) Chair for NCPN; Reecie Stagnolia (presenter), CEO, Stagnolia Strategic Solutions, LLC, and former Vice President for Adult Education, Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education
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Beyond Dual Credit Courses: Creating High School Academies That Offer Stackable Credentials. Samantha Duczak, Dual Credit Manager, Gateway Technical College; Katie Graf, Director of High School Partnerships, Gateway Technical College
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Foggy Headlights: A Renewed Perspective for Seeing and Understanding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Career Pathways. John Harper, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, South Central College
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Adopting a Career Pathways Framework That Supports and Sustains Innovation. Debbie Davidson, Technical Assistance Director, Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD); Hope Cotner, President/CEO, CORD
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TOUR: Atlanta Technical College. Participants will tour the Atlanta Technical College Aviation Center and Industrial Engineering Manufacturing Center followed by a presentation on the college’s innovative programs to prepare students for technical careers.
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Adopting the Framework for a Cross-Disciplinary STEM Core: A Toolkit for Action
Preparing Technicians for the Future of Work, July 2022
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Earlier this year the NSF ATE project Preparing Technicians for the Future of Work released its Framework for a Cross-Disciplinary STEM Core. The framework offers recommendations for incorporating knowledge and skills in advanced digital literacy, data knowledge and analysis, and business knowledge and processes into associate degree technician preparation programs. In July the project followed up with a toolkit designed to facilitate adoption of the framework. The toolkit suggests six steps for adoption and provides checklists for self-assessment and links to resources designed to assist in the adoption process. (Preparing Technicians for the Future of Work is a project of CORD, the parent organization of NCPN. For more on the framework, see the article by Hope Cotner in Vol. 32, No. 1, of NCPN Connections.)
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Preparing Professors for a More Digital World
Inside Higher Ed and D2L, August 2022
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From the Introduction: "Digital innovation in higher education cannot occur without the faculty’s support and participation; history is littered with examples of topdown initiatives that have failed without it. Yet college and university leaders and other proponents of technological and other innovation are increasingly realizing that they cannot reasonably expect instructors to add digital expertise to their repertoires without significant preparation, training and support. ... The articles in this compilation explore the current landscape for digital innovation in higher education and the faculty role in enabling it. The news and opinion articles explore faculty and student perspectives on technology’s role in learning, new initiatives aimed at strengthening faculty preparation for new modes of teaching, and advice for campus leaders about best practices." |
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Career Trajectories and Occupational Transitions Dashboard
U.S. Department of Labor
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"Career trajectories refer to workers’ economic advancement prospects in the ten years after starting a job, and occupational transitions refer to the job changes these workers make. The Career Trajectories and Occupational Transitions (CTOT) dashboard is an interactive tool that allows users to view data from four nationally representative longitudinal surveys and online career profiles that capture workers’ career trajectories and transitions as they occur in the labor market. The dashboard focuses on 'mid-level' occupations—those that typically require education or experience beyond a high school diploma or equivalent, but less than a four-year degree."
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50-State Comparison: Dual/Concurrent Enrollment Policies
Education Commission of the States, June 21, 2022
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"Dual enrollment courses provide students with the opportunity to access advanced learning experiences, earn high school and college credit simultaneously, and possibly lower their tuition burden toward a postsecondary degree. State policymaker interest in dual enrollment is driven by its potential to smooth transitions between high school and college, increase college persistence and completion rates, and reduce college costs." |
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White House Briefing Room, August 25, 2022. "Today, President Biden signed an Executive Order to implement the semiconductor funding in the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. This legislation will lower the costs of goods, create high paying manufacturing jobs around the country, and ensure we make more critical technologies at home. This law builds on more than a year of work from the Biden-Harris Administration to respond to acute semiconductor shortages and build more resilient semiconductor supply chains."
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White House Briefing Room, July 21, 2022. "On July 19, 2022, National Cyber Director Chris Inglis hosted the National Cyber Workforce and Education Summit at the White House. The event focused on building our Nation’s cyber workforce, improving skills-based pathways to cyber jobs, educating Americans so that they have the skills they need to thrive in our increasingly digital society, and improving Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) in the cyber field."
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Brian Horsburgh, U.K. Education Sales Director, and Danielle Rourke, Senior Higher Education Strategist, Dell Technologies, May 3, 2022. "Reading, writing, arithmetic…Rocket League, Fortnite and Smite. While a few years ago, a list like that would have drawn a blank stare from the average educational professional, that’s no longer the case today. Vehicular soccer; arena-based combat; basketball championships played with the sport’s biggest stars: For many of those teaching in 2022, they’re all essential to the wider school experience. Esports, they’ll tell you, is now part of the curriculum—a subject and activity for the evolving digital age."
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©2022 CORD. Connections is published by the National Career Pathways Network (ncpn.info), an organization of CORD (cord.org). NCPN assists educators, employers, and other stakeholders in planning, implementing, evaluating, and improving workforce education programs. Questions? Mark Whitney, mwhitney@cord.org
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