This is a brief update on the Agriculture Workforce Training for Collaborative Leadership (AWT4CL) project. Our intent is to send a message like this once a month to keep various stakeholders informed of activities and opportunities related to the project. If this is no longer of interest to you, please reply to let us know. Otherwise, here’s the news….
AWT4CL Update for May 2024
Linking Education and Opportunity: While education after high school is valuable for economic mobility, that investment does not always translate to individual success. The Strada Education Foundation’s State Opportunity Index provides guidance on ways to “build a stronger connection between education after high school and equitable pathways to opportunity.” Priority areas include Clear Outcomes, Quality Coaching, Affordability, Work-Based Learning, and Employer Alignment.
How Clear Is Their Path?: A new report from the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE) reveals how much students know about skills required for their chosen career path and how much their coursework helps them in that regard. Course instructors are one of their primary sources of information, and being prepared for that takes some intentionality.
Moving Beyond Technical Competence: With the increasing digitization of agriculture, cybersecurity has become an essential component of the agriculture curriculum. In a recent post, Samson Adeoye explores “Cybersecurity in Agriculture Education: Beyond Technical Competence,” including attention to fostering collaboration, cultivating leadership, and encouraging continuous learning. You can find this and other project-related blog posts at https://sites.google.com/vt.edu/awt/blog
Learning Badges: Our work with AWT4CL employability skill badges is transitioning to broader applications, including a workshop for the NACTA Conference next month. As you consider what may be helpful for expanding this resource, please share your thoughts by emailing Eric Kaufman at ekaufman@vt.edu