Career awareness activities prepare students for WBL experiences and begin in the 5th grade. Students explore personal interests and talents as well as education and training required to pursue a career goal. Students gain an initial understanding of work, various industries, and different career pathways. Students begin the development of their academic career plan in the 5th grade and their plan is reevaluated and amended if needed each year in order to plan and schedule classes to meet their career goals. Students explore careers using Virginia Career View and Major Clarity platforms.
Examples of Career Awareness Activities:
· Guest speakers
· College/career fairs
· Videos
· Informational Interviews – by phone, in person, through video conferencing
· Field trips
· Work-based learning tours
Career exploration activities encourage students to develop personal career interests, a better understanding of pathways to a chosen career, and the workplace readiness skills needed to make informed decisions regarding secondary and postsecondary education and training. These experiences are typically of shorter duration and are available to students in grades 5-12. All MCPS middle school students must successfully complete and pass an approved Virginia Department of Education Career Investigations Course and this course will meet the state mandates concerning accreditation. State Superintendent James F. Layne’s issued a directive to public schools regarding the Regulations Establishing Standards for Accrediting Public Schools or Standards of Accreditation (SOA), section 8VAC20-131-90, titled Instructional program in middle schools, and it stated:
“Each middle school shall provide a course in career investigation in accordance with the provisions of 8VAC20-131-140. School divisions may seek alternate means of delivering the career investigation course content provided it is equivalent in content and rigor and provides the foundation for students to develop their academic and career plans.”
Career preparation experiences deepen student knowledge and develop skills necessary for success in employment and postsecondary education. These experiences are recommended for students who have a clear goal of entering the workforce directly after high school or enrolling in a closely related postsecondary training program. These experiences are structured primarily to give students extensive practice in applying fundamental technical and practical knowledge and skills in their chosen careers. Mecklenburg County Public Schools has partnered with county businesses in order to provide WBL experiences to students and students will also have many opportunities for WBL experiences within their school courses. Work-based learning experiences’ requirements differ depending on the type of experience and training plans and agreements are developed as needed.
Methods of Work-Based Learning Experiences: