“Strategies that help students gain career knowledge and engage in education and career planning and decision making, including career counseling, career assessments, curricula that help students learn about careers, information about educational opportunities and workplace trends, and job search information/placement services.”

What

When the needs assessment was conducted, the focus of the discussion was based on the school as a whole, not just the CTE side. There were many times when the assessment was rated as a 3 instead of a 4 because there was no concrete data that suggested it to the extent that it was.

Strengths

1. Career self-awareness

2. Community and Workforce Partnership

3. Partner engagement in CTE

Opportunities for improvement

1. Workplace Learning Experiences

2. Career Planning and Management

3. Career and Technical Education

So What

When conducting the Nebraska Comprehensive Needs Assessment conducted at Minden High School, I was able to identify different strengths and opportunities for improvement within the Career and Technical Education program. Key strengths included strong community partnerships, which are seen through the career fair that has been put on through the Agribusiness class. However, growth opportunities can be included for the need of a more structured continuum of work-based learning experiences. This can be improved by continuing to grow the career fair, which was put on for the first time this year. As well as a more consistent integration of Nebraska Career Readiness instruction across all programs of study. 

This process deepened my understanding of ACTE 9: student career development. When I initially looked into ACTE 9, I saw career development as bringing in guest speakers, researching career pathways, or looking up and applying to colleges. Through the CNA process, I have learned that a high-quality CTE is much more than just exposure. It requires intentional planning that moves the students through awareness to exploration and then actual planning. Career development must be implemented within the design of the curriculum. This creates career development into something that is actionable and not just being added on when needed.    

I also gained a stronger appreciation for how complex program management is, especially across the whole school. Maintaining curriculum alignment, reviewing workforce data often, and ensuring that every student has access to work-based learning all require leadership and collaboration. Having a curriculum with guidance of students working with community partnership are just one of the many things that go into developing a high-quality CTE program. 

Now What

This assessment has shifted how I think about my own planning and teaching in the future. If I want my students to get scientific and get sustainable together, then career development should be included within my instruction. This is not just when I am presenting careers to 8th grade or my Intro to Ag courses, but across all my pathways. Scientific inquiry becomes more applicable when students can understand its relation to real-world experiences. Sustainability becomes concrete when students are able to connect decision-making to careers.  

Moving forward, I plan to intentionally ensure the Nebraska Career Readiness Standards are involved in my lessons and planning. This will be to ensure that career and employability skills are taught and evaluated. I also recognize the importance of designing a program that provides equal access to work-based learning for all students.

What

The artifact was my career development integration plan. The career development is bolded and highlighted in green in the artifact. This is seen throughout my scope and sequence for the freshman intro to ag course. Career development is an important part of career and technical education. For the freshman course, the goal was to add and identify different areas throughout the course where students can develop certain career and life skills. An example where this appears in my scope and sequence is the code of conduct and safety unit at the beginning. Students will develop skills such as collaboration throughout choosing what expectations will be set for our classroom. The students will also go through lab safety, which is an important skill to develop before going into the field, no matter the career they pursue, knowing how to be safe in their environment is always a skill that is necessary. Another area where career development is seen is through their agribusiness unit. Skills that the students will acquire for career development are skills such as learning to create a pitch and record-keeping for a mock agribusiness. Even though these skills are specific, skills such as public speaking and record keeping are important career and life skills to have. Having career development throughout the course also builds career awareness and exploration. 

So What

This supports student career development by intentionally embedding career-related skills into my everyday instruction instead of treating them as separate activities or units. This aligns with ACTE Element 9 by emphasizing student career development being integrated with the program and connecting it to the content being learned. In the code of conduct/safety and agribusiness units, students are not only learning about expectations and business careers, but practicing those career readiness skills that are essential for employability and life. These activities are directly tied to the course objectives while also helping the students understand how these skills are used in real-life careers. This planning shows that students are consistently exposed to career development opportunities, helping them make the connection between classroom learning and career pathways. 

​Now What

This planning shows my ability to intentionally incorporate career development throughout my CTE courses rather than relying on one-time activities. It demonstrates instruction that builds on both technical knowledge and career readiness at the same time. As I move into my student teaching, I want to continue to build on this by integrating more real-world connections for my students. These would be things such as incorporating these skills within my instruction and adding these real-world examples. Adding guest speakers, industry examples, and career readiness opportunities allows the students to grow in their knowledge and apply these skills. In the future, I will continue to refine my instructional planning to ensure that career development is consistently integrated within my course content. I will make it meaningful so that students are better prepared to make informed decisions about their education and career pathways.