Career readiness more important than ever for students
Public schools have always provided a vocational foundation for students as each child develops skills and interests that translate into career choices in adulthood.
Helping students explore career options is a basic part of the founding principles of public schools to create an educated citizenry and to support each student in becoming a productive contributor to the community.
Career education has taken many forms over the years, and some relatively recent initiatives have transformed career readiness at Dixie Schools and many other Dayton-area schools.
Learn to Earn Dayton and the Montgomery County Business Advisory Council are leading the way in establishing new opportunities for career education in Dayton-area schools and establishing strong connections between educators and the business community. The central goal is to share the expertise of the business community regarding what graduates need to be successful in current careers with the education professionals who are experts at helping students develop those skills and aptitudes.
Career awareness is important at every level of learning. Very young students develop dreams about jobs they would like to have as adults. Exposure to many career paths provides students with the chance to explore careers that fit their interests that they may never have discovered. The A to Z Career Curriculum used in many Dayton-area schools makes the direct connection between reading, writing, math and other subjects to specific careers. That connection helps to answer the important question, “Why are we learning this?” Career education helps to bring meaning to Ohio Learning Standards.
As students move through middle school and high school, the career exploration plans become more authentic. Manufacturing day and career fairs help middle school students experience many types of careers while using tools of various trades. In high school, students take courses through College Credit Plus and other sources that provide foundational knowledge for their specific interests. One course, Employability Skills, which was developed for Dayton-area schools as an online class, has been transformed at Dixie High School as a blended learning class featuring authentic career experiences with the online curriculum. The work of Learn to Earn and the Business Advisory Council is creating more job shadowing and internship experiences for Dayton-area students every month.
It is never too early for students to dream about their future careers and begin to make plans for how they will realize those aspirations — even if the dream changes every few years. In fact, we hope that exploring a number of careers will encourage students to continually consider their options for fulfilling careers and ways to make them a reality. In a business world that is changing at an amazing rate, the commitment to strengthen the partnership between the business community and education is more important than ever. This mutually beneficial partnership allows schools to develop students who are successful for a lifetime and provides areas businesses with talent to help our local economy thrive.