ACTE Creates Outline for "Career Ready"

ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 13, 2010/via PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) today released a paper entitled “What is ‘Career Ready’?” that outlines three broad sets of skills students need to be career-ready: core academic skills, employability skills, and technical skills. ACTE created the paper to broaden the national discussion around the term career readiness.
Recently, the Obama Administration and groups such as the National Governors Association (NGA), Council of Chief State School Officers (CSSO) and other national and state policymakers have discussed the importance of high schools preparing students to be “college- and career-ready.” However, most of the discussion has centered on college readiness, with little focus on actual career readiness.
Career readiness includes: core academic skills and the ability to apply those skills to concrete situations in order to function in the workplace and in routine daily activities; employability skills that are essential in any career area such as critical thinking and responsibility; and technical, job-specific skills related to a specific career pathway.
“ACTE believes it is important to expand the conversation to include career readiness and increase the recognition of the broad range of skills students need to succeed in the global economy,” said ACTE Executive Director Jan Bray. “Career readiness, like college readiness, should be the responsibility of the entire school and education community.”
From a business perspective, the career-ready definition is critical to developing a qualified workforce. Allyson Knox, academic program manager for National Partnerships, U.S. Partners in Learning, at Microsoft Corporation commented, “Ensuring that all students possess strong academic, employability, and technical skills is critical as we face the growing demands of the global economy.”
“Today’s release regarding career readiness reinforces the collective importance of academic skills, employability skills and technical skills for career success,” said Iowa ACTE Executive Director Dave Bunting, a former postsecondary administrator. “It bridges the perspectives of both employers and postsecondary institutions regarding a student’s preparation for their future, and it will guide all educators in preparing students to compete in the 21st century economy.”
To obtain a copy of the paper, please visit ACTE’s Web site.
About ACTE
The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is the nation’s largest not-for-profit education association dedicated to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for successful careers. It provides advocacy, public awareness and access to information, professional development and tools that enable members to be successful and effective leaders. Founded in 1926, ACTE has more than 27,000 members including teachers, counselors and administrators at the middle school, high school and postsecondary levels.
CONTACT: Sabrina Kidwai of ACTE, +1-703-683-9312, [email protected]
ACTE story found here