One of the key goals of any academic program is to ensure that skills taught in the classroom apply to post-graduate employment. Failure to do so can impact an academic department's recruitment and retention efforts, strain relations with alumni and damage the institution's reputation. Using interviews conducted during a faculty externship at a…

This study, commissioned by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), is designed to review current evidence on the most effective ways in which employers can support schools to improve pupil educational and economic outcomes. It is a study in three parts. It aims, first, to conceptualise employer engagement in education as a strategic tool,…

Devices like smartphones, tablets, and MP3 players are becoming everyday tools for the majority of the population. Technology can assist students with disabilities in many self-determination activities, such as choice making, decision making, and self-management. In addition, technology tools can support them in a wide range of transition-related…

Transition planning officially begins between the ages of 14 and 16 for most students with an IEP. However, the process is lifelong. Job Exploration Counseling, or Career counseling/guidance includes a wide variety of activities which help students explore career options and opportunities available. Job exploring options are intended to foster…

This report uses national data from the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97) to evaluate the effectiveness of the types of school-to-career (STC) programs that were encouraged and supported in California by the grants received by the state from the federal School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 (STWOA). In particular, the…

This document contains the materials necessary to set up and implement the "School to Work Internship for Learning a Living" program. The guide is organized in four sections. The first section contains information about the following: participating businesses, program objective, job shadowing, paid internships, recruitment of teachers and…

This resource guide provides information to teachers, business/industry representatives, and local administrators who are interested in working together to update technical/teaching skills of vocational teachers. It contains a purpose, objectives, and a list of activities designed to upgrade teacher occupational competencies. Information for…

Describes the Clinton (MA) secondary school program in plastics technology, which involves (1) mostly 10th graders in a combination classroom-hands-on-activities laboratory program, and (2) 11th and 12th graders in laboratory research/ shadowing/job performance program. Also describes actual laboratory projects, program graduate job placement, and…

This document is intended to give Wisconsin teachers and administrators the background knowledge to understand the nuances of the various work-based learning (WBL) programs and determine whether they want to develop one or more new WBL programs in their district or enhance or otherwise customize existing WBL programs. Each of the first 11 chapters…

This document highlights the school-to-careers (STC) partnerships connecting workplace experiences to classroom learning to prepare students for successful employment in the automotive industry. First, the current state of the automotive industry is reviewed and the role of STC in addressing automotive service needs is explained. Next, the…

This curriculum guide contains materials for use in implementing a nine-week introductory unit designed to help eighth grade students in Frederick Courts Middle School understand career choices. Addressed in the course are the following topics: resources typically found in a career center, assessing individual interests, career clusters, the…

This guide focuses on two interrelated areas of developing vocational education curricula: designing a thematic curriculum and using the "all aspects of the industry" approach when creating thematic curricula. The following are among the topics discussed in the guide's eight sections: principles of the thematic curriculum and its…

This booklet highlights the efforts of four hospitality employers and one "intermediary" organization connecting workplace experiences to classroom learning for secondary school students. The introduction presents a series overview and lists the names, locations, and featured practice of the employers and organizations. The next sections…

A process study was conducted between 2000-2001 in order to gauge the progress of 98 Connecticut institutions that received state school-to-career (STC) grants. Progress was measured against national averages. The following were among the findings: (1) grantees made significant progress in implementing fundamental STC components, such as career…