Technology Instructors as Advisors: Who Better?

1. Technology Instructors as Advisors: Who Better? Steve Ketchum and Arlene Stauffer Pioneer Technology Center Ponca City, Oklahoma

2. Think about it: • Who do you consult when making retirement investments? • Who do you seek advice from when you have an unexplainable ache or pain? • Who do you look to for spiritual guidance during life’s trials and tribulations?

3. Think about it: • Who can our students look to for career insight and employment advice? • Who better than our technology center instructors?

4. Influencers: • Data collection • ODCTE accreditation • Technology Centers That Work (TCTW)

5. Influencers: • Technical skills alone aren’t enough. • Employers are asking for more. • CTE cannot afford to ignore academics. • High school diploma is critical to employment and continuing education success.

6. Influencers: • Meaningful relationships with sending high schools are key to optimal use of resources. • Maximum benefit to employers and students.

7. Influencers: • Career Tech instructors must develop a common vocabulary linking their training to that of their sending school counterparts. • We don’t have to disguise trigonometry in Machine Tool anymore.

8. More about TCTW: • Ten Key Practices • High Expectations • Program of Study • Appropriate Academic Studies • Quality Vocational Studies • Work-based Learning • Educators Working Together • Students Actively Engaged • Guidance • Extra Help • Keeping Score

9. More about TCTW: • Program of Study • Guiding students through a formalized program of study to ensure the course sequence taken aligns with and leads to identified goals.

10. More about TCTW: • Guidance • Involving each student and his/her parents in a guidance and advisement program that ensures the completion of an accelerated program of study with an in-depth career focus.

11. Benefits (to students): • Great career insight • Career information from the expert • Regular contact with the expert

12. Benefits (to instructors): • Improved retention • The student gains a quicker, clearer awareness of career expectations • The teacher has a better understanding of the student’s “motivation” for being in the program

13. Benefits (to instructors): • Better placement • The student develops a better understanding of job requirements and employer expectations • The employer is more inclined to hire a student who exhibits workplace “common sense”

14. Benefits (to instructors): • Better product • The student enjoys the best of all support systems • The employer enjoys a better prepared applicant pool and is likely to be a stronger CareerTech advocate

15. The Process: • Develop a tool • Identify the people who have information to contribute to the student’s career plan • Create a section for each entity • Get administration buy-in • Get staff buy-in

16. The Tool (Exterior): • Front cover—interview form • Back cover—World-of-Work Map and USDOE Career Clusters • No confidential information on outside cover • Designed to capture important data easily

17. The Tool (Interior): • The Counselor contributes • Front cover information • Assessment results • Interest inventory information

18. The Tool (Interior): • The Learning Consultants (Enhancement Center Staff) • Record data regarding academic enhancement and WorkKeys training • Track employability skills activities • Verify competency assessment and mastery • Update the information (with the student as possible) each semester

19. The Tool (Interior): • The Instructor • Contributes the outlined information using blank lines for specific information • Updates the information with the student at least one time per semester

20. The Tool (Interior): • The Instructional Director • Provides student advisement (i.e. goals, course requirements, post-completion needs, etc.) • Discusses articulation opportunities with students; updates information with the student every semester • Assists in the collection of appropriate forms and the verification and reporting of grades to the colleges

21. The Tool (Inserts): • Program-specific Career Plan of Study (available on the ODCTE website) “personalized” by the instructor—(Handout #1) • Articulation tracking form—(Handout #2) • Additional notes sheet

22. The Black Box:

23. Implementation Plan: • Inservice training • Folders & boxes explained • Personalization of program ODCTE Career Plan of Study

24. Implementation Plan: • Personalized Career Plan of Study prepared for each program • Labeled folders in boxes delivered to instructors • Continued support from Student Services staff and administration

25. Expected Outcomes: • CareerTech instructors will become more knowledge about sending school requirements • Students will develop greater value for academic courses when the importance is reinforced by the CareerTech instructor  

26. Expected Outcomes:  • Duplicate enrollments in articulated classes avoided • The “checklist” process will keep things from falling through the cracks • Special needs students will be better monitored and accommodated • We will all be working smarter, not harder   

27. Conclusion: • At PTC, we work hard at working smarter • Streamline our processes • Reduce stressors • This record keeping method continues to reinforce the good things our staff is already doing

28. Contact Information: Steve Ketchum 2101 N. Ash Ponca City, OK 74601 580.718.4281 stevek@pioneertech.org Arlene Stauffer 2101 N. Ash Ponca City, OK 74601 580.718.4243 arlenes@pioneertech.org Pioneer Technology Center Enhancing Lives/Securing Futures