Employability Skills in the CTE Classroom
Equipping today's learners for tomorrow's workforce
Module Learning Objective:
Upon completing this online module, Texas CTE educators will be able to incorporate employability skills into a range of lessons, activities, and assessments.
Our starting point
We know that a CTE education works. Looking at high school graduates in the 2017-2018 school year, the Texas Public Education Information Resource (TPEIR) shows that graduates who participated in a CTE program were roughly 5% more likely to be employed and 7% more likely to be enrolled in college than their peers who had not participated in a CTE program. Our students are furthering their education and entering the workforce, so it's more critical now than ever that we properly equip them for the road ahead.
Before we jump in - this learning module contains embedded digital self-assessments to allow you to implement what you're learning as you move through the module. If you prefer a printable workbook version of this module and its activities, you can find that resource here.
What are employability skills?
Texas CTE, a resource run by TEA, defines employability skills as "general skills that are necessary for success in the labor market at all employment levels and in all sectors. These skills have a number of names - soft skills, workforce readiness skills, career readiness skills - but they all speak to the same set of core skills that employers want." Partnering with the U.S. Department of Education, Texas CTE created the Employability Skills Framework resource to better define these skills as they relate to a Texas CTE education. We'll use this framework to pin down the skills we aim to instill in our students after completing this module.
Applied Knowledge
Applied academic skills, such as reading, writing, math, and science
Critical thinking skills, including creativity and problem-solving
Effective Relationships
Interpersonal skills, such as teamwork, customer service, and leadership
Personal qualities, including responsibility and character
Workplace Skills
Resource management, such as time, money, and people
Effective use of information
Understanding of how teams operate as systems
Effective use of technology
The skills set out above were adapted from the Employability Skills Framework as presented by the Perkins Collaborative Resource Network.
Applied Knowledge
You already do a great job of creating opportunities for students to apply their technical knowledge to tasks simulating real, career-based projects. Now, let's think of how we can apply what students are learning in their core classes and engage their critical thinking. As a result, we're creating well-rounded learners.
The Idea
Students need to practice academic skills in CTE settings.
The Relevance
Employers need workers who can read and write in technical settings. When issues arise, they need creative solutions.
The Application
Students read recent trade publications and respond in writing
Students construct charts and graphs to model collected data
Students apply the scientific method to solve real-world problem scenarios
Effective Relationships
Soft skills, such as being a strong teammate and demonstrating responsibility, are some of the most important lessons we teach our students every day. Learners needs to know that the way they connect with and present themselves to others now sets the tone for their post-secondary success.
The Idea
CTE educators promote team work and character in students.
The Relevance
Representing yourself well and forging healthy working relationships makes the whole team stronger. The classroom is a safe space to practice this.
The Application
Allow students to work in small and large groups, and explicitly teach groupwork best practices
Connect classroom accountability expectations to future careers
Practice group negotiation and problem-solving
Workplace Skills
This is, no doubt, the broadest category laid out by the Employability Skills framework. This is also the area that will provide the most specialization based on your CTE area of focus. Think of "Workplace Skills" not so much as the mechanics of a practicum class but as the ways workers make efficient use of their knowledge and skills and those of their workplace.
The Idea
Students learn to best use the tools available to them for productivity and quality.
The Relevance
Knowing how best to do a job - efficiently and with integrity - is how students will stand out and advance in their future workplaces.
The Application
Ask students to create a budget for a project cycle, including estimating necessary resources
Allow agency in assigning roles based on teammate strengths
Have students research their industry's latest tools and technology
You did it!
By completing this module, including the three self-assessments, you've made a commitment to your students to help them gain the employability skills needed for their continued success after high school. And better yet, you've created actionable plans you can implement right away. So what's next?
Solidify your implementations. We've emailed you a copy of your self-assessments so that you can use them in your lesson planning. You did the work already, so now you can use it!
Commit to ongoing improvement. See how your CTE Career Cluster's TEKS and Scope & Sequence allow for future employability skills learning opportunities.
Keep learning. There are so many resources you can use for your own and for your students' development. Texas Career Check provides career-specific job descriptions and skillsets. Get up-to-date CTE educational information from the Career & Technical Association of Texas. Or, share some of Career One Stop's skill and ability videos with students.
Share this with others. If you found this module helpful, we'd love it if you'd pass it along to other educators you think would benefit from this.