November is National Career Awareness Month

ACT WorkKeys

• Please provide Chad Aucoin with a copy of your ACT WorkKeys testing calendar, your ACT WorkKeys contact person, and a list of any instructors outside of Virtual Workplace Experience II and ACT Prep that you would like trained. 

• We will begin offering monthly virtual support sessions for teachers utilizing this platform to excel our students forward

• Suggestion: As students pass ACT WorkKeys earning a Silver or higher, have this data inputted into JCampus so that your Thrive data reports are reflective of where you are currently progressing. 

Saturday IBC Classes: 

• Current Class: Senior Phlebotomy running October-November 2025 (15 students enrolled in medical classes were selected.  Students earn $500 for attending all classes and passing the industry based credential. 

• Upcoming Classes: We will add a spring Phlebotomy session. We will also work with schools to offer Saturday classes based on current senior data and what they would need to add to earn an Advanced or Basic Bundle.  More information coming soon! 

Industry Based Credential Updates: 

• Business of Retail + Customer Service is now considered a Basic Bundle.  We are working to ensure our business teachers are either offering all 3 CIW to get CIW Web Foundations (Advanced) or both Business of Retail & Customer Service (Basic Bundle).  This will meet the Acceleration component of Thrive for your SPS. 

Recruitment and Promotion: 

• • The team will be scheduling time to meet with each current 9-11th grade to share your school pathways, offer opportunities through CTEC and community partners for pathways not offered at your site, share graduation requirements, career exploration resources, Fast Forward summer programs, and summer/fall/spring Internship opportunities.  

  • Current 9th-10th* Graders: School Pathways, CTEC, Fast Forward Summer

  • Current 11th* Graders: School Pathways, CTEC, Fast Forward Summer or Internship

  • *Current 10th and 11th grader will have an opportunity to apply to ABC Pelican (Welding, Millwright, Pipe Fitting, & Electrical) through the CTEC application portal. 

High School Master Schedules: 

• Make sure you are updating your course progression document to align with College and Career Pathways, creating your course request forms and reach out for support at needed from Mara Girona-Dodd (mgirona@ebrschools.org). 

November is National Career Awareness Month, and while career exploration is something we strive to incorporate into our daily lessons and interactions, this month provides a great opportunity to be especially intentional in helping our students explore their future pathways.

Below are suggested activities and resources you can use to enhance career exposure and exploration for our students throughout the month:

Elementary

• Coordinate a field trip to a feeder middle school.

• Incorporate career awareness activities into classroom lessons.

• Share your stories and activities on social media to celebrate student engagement.

Middle School

• Plan a field trip to the Career and Technical Education Center (CTEC).

• Organize a campus tour highlighting various career pathways.

• Facilitate 8th grade field trips to feeder high schools.

• Implement eReadiness lessons.

• Utilize the Ready for Industry Resource Page for engaging materials.

• Explore Career Waves to connect students with pathway and post-training opportunities.

• Share your stories and activities on social media.

• HS Opportunities Presentation, Student Handouts, Louisiana Workforce Commission Activity 

High School

• Plan field trips to vocational centers, colleges, and universities.

• Invite guest speakers to share real-world experiences.

• Collaborate with Workforce Development, who will be visiting campuses to support:

  • Graduation goal-setting

  • Career awareness and available pathways (including CTEC recruitment for pathways not currently offered for grades 9–11)

  • Summer and Fall/Spring 2026–2027 Internship opportunities (Class of 2027)

  • Fast Forward Summer 2026 IBC and stipend opportunities (all current 9–11th graders)

• Incorporate eReadiness lessons.

• Use the Ready for Industry Resource Page.

• Explore Career Waves for pathway and post-training opportunities.

• Share your stories and activities on social media.

• HS Opportunities Presentation, Student Handouts, Louisiana Workforce Commission Activity 

Additional Resource

• Celebrate National Career Development Month – Science4Us

See additional resources and links below.  

As always, we are here to support! 

ARB

Counselor Presentation (Jan. 2025)

Career Diploma Pathways Jump Start Presentation

Support mgirona@ebrschools.org or msealy@ebrschools.org 

IBCs

LDOE IBC Support | Procedures for Uploading IBCs

Support mgirona@ebrschools.org 

ACT WorkKeys 2.0

ACT WorkKeys Presentation 

ACT WorkKeys Curriculum Alignment to Elective Classes

Support caucoin@ebrschools.org 

Key Steps & Resources

We are entering the initial phase outlining your College and Career Pathway progressions. Remember, these progressions are for TOPS U and Career Diploma students to ensure they are ready for the world of work.  The question is when does this work begin.  Does it begin directly after high school, after vocational traing, community college, or university? We are dedicated to providing services to ensure they are all WORKFORCE READY!   

Task: Course Progressions

Support mgirona@ebrschools.org 

25-26 Field Trip Calendar | Field Trip Procedures 

Support mhilton1@ebrschools.org 

CTEC Application, Scheduling, & Program Progressions 

Support mgirona@ebrschools.org

Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) FYI 

Career Pathway and Military Career Alignment

Support fjohnson7@ebrschools.org 

JROTC Support fjohnson7@ebrschools.org 

Internship Support cburas@ebrschools.org or nstovall@ebrschools.org 

Teacher Support badams2@ebrschools.org or  mdunn2@ebrschools.org or caucoin@ebrschools.org 

Summer Programs Support cburas@ebrschools.org or msealy@ebrschools.org  

TOPS U & TOPS Tech Support mgirona@ebrschools.org