Central Region C-TE Partnership Meeting
February 25, 2004
The C-TE Business Education Partnership met on the morning of February 25, 2004. The agenda is available at the Praxis Research Business Partnership website. http://www.praxisresearch.com/regionalsymposia The meeting was organized to share information regarding various resources/ organizations in the central region that are focused on enhancing the future workforce. Moderator Mike Bolton of Bolton Corporation indicated, “having the resources does not ensure that the magic happens”; it is dependent on the business and education partners who work jointly to ensure opportunities for students.
Ted Abernathy, vice president of the Research Triangle Partnership shared that the only way to predict the future is to create it. www.researchtriangle.org The Research Triangle Partnership is working to focus on how to ensure that this region remains competitive and will release a report in March that was developed jointly with the 6 university chancellors and the 30 largest CEO’s in the region. The report will focus on what will assist the region to be the hottest boom market for the next 8 years. It is clear that the “work shed” of our frictionless economy is global, no longer are we bound by place constraints in our business operations.
Joel Harper, executive director of the NC Business Committee for Education www.ncbce.org shared that this committee is made up of large employers with multiple sites within North Carolina. They are supportive of many initiatives such as, Teach4NC, New Schools initiatives supported by the Gates Foundation, the academies focus of high schools lead by the Public School Forum, and pushing increased math and science courses for all high school students.
Durwood Woodall of Tarheel Tooling and Precision Machining shared regarding the Capital area Workforce Development Board. He shared some of the efforts of the youth council that was put in place in 1999 to work with youth ages 14-21. Many different efforts are operated that focus on preparing young people for careers from career fairs to industry operations for out of school youths. Because of the changing work place the capital area workforce development organization is working from the bottom up to provide students with opportunities and skills. Even though many believe that the high school diploma has lost its value, there is a core set of skills that every young person needs in order to advance in society, therefore efforts must be made to educate every student.
Johnny Balmer of Carolina Sunrock Corporation shared some of the work of the Kerr Tar regional workforce development board. The January 2004 report of the education efforts targeting youth indicated that in the 6 LEAs served by the board plus Vance Granville Community College there were 220 students served. 138 of these students were in school and 82 were out of school. He shared a specific example of a young students named Charles Richardson III who has sought his opportunity and been rewarded through the WIA youth program with work and an opportunity to help others. Johnny encouraged all schools to look for ways to ensure that all students receive the opportunity to become productive citizens.
Tiffanee Gwaltney and Dr. Bruce Howell represented the Cary Chamber of Commerce Youth Education committee. http://www.carychamber.com They shared regarding the many youth initiatives they have from middle school career fairs, job interview preparation and practice sessions, to career fairs for area high schools in Cary Town Center where 80 business people share regarding their work. Youth Leadership Cary is a 7-month program for selected juniors to receive leadership training and experiences in the community. The chamber has an “honor a teacher” program annually and an entrepreneur education award where the student’s portfolio is reviewed and evaluated. Dr. Howell shared that currently 35% of high school graduates entering Wake Tech must enroll in developmental courses because they lack application capabilities. We continue to advise “four year college for all” when 70%+ of the jobs require associate degree training. Only 20-25% of the jobs require professional training. Dr. Howell reminded the group that we when we do “for the children” we must do for parents if our economy is to be healthy. The Wake Technical Community College Business and Industry Center in Cary is focused on helping to get all adults who desire a job the skills essential for becoming employed. We must focus on keeping all students in school without social promotion until they have the essential skills with which to advance in our future economy.
Mollie Dowdy of the Sanford Area Chamber of Commerce http://www.sanford-nc.com
shared that they provide a paid staff person to work with coordinating education community efforts through a community partners program. They have now developed an educational foundation to assist the business community in contributing in a tax deductible way. Through the school industry institutes they get teachers into the businesses during the summers. They also have teacher interns in industry for 2-3 weeks in the summer in order to allow the teachers to learn how to apply the skills they are teaching in the local community. The chamber also coordinates a Teacher Resource Center in which businesses can place surplus items and the teachers can use them in the classrooms. Communications is a key to the success of this center. Possible speakers are listed on the chamber’s speaker bureau website. They also honor 12 top teachers annually. Last year the top teacher received use of a new car for one year.
Beth Payne of the Greater Durham Chamber shared that the chamber sees itself as an economic development entity. http://www.durham-nc.com/secondary/aboutus.php They link with the Public School Network in Durham, the Society for Human Resource managers, and other partners to focus education on the future workplace. She shared that they had just completed the career fair for all 8th graders in the Durham Public Schools in conjunction with the C-TE program. On February 25th the chamber and other partners conducted a Celebration of Education Breakfast to honor those schools that have been recognized through the ABC initiative of the NC Department of Public Instruction. They operate a “Youth looking at the Future” one-week program for 8th graders, coordinate a summer jobs program with the City of Durham, and coordinate a job fair for graduates annually. Special projects they work with specific industry groups include the Construction Industry program that begins with 4th and 5th graders and culminates with technical training programs in high school and Durham Tech. Careers in Hospitality is a program for entertainment, restaurants, and lodging businesses to partner with the convention and visitors bureau to help students understand the career options in this segment of the economy. The National Retail Federation, high school marketing education programs and Durham Tech will put in place at North Gate Mall a sales and customer service credentialing program to offer industry certification for retailing. A new health science academy is being planned in conjunction with the C-TE programs and the VA medical center. The chamber coordinates business involvement and support of these efforts.
Jerry O’Connor of American Airlines Reservation Center and co-chair of the Wake County Business Education Leadership Council explained the organization they have for ensuring that each high school receives the business support they desire. http://www.wcpss.net/school_to_career/councils/belc.html The alliance chairpersons for the schools meet with the superintendent to ensure that the school system is receiving the services they desire. The business alliance for each school is a network that allows the teachers to acquire needed support for students from the business community. For each school there are alliance members and alliance partners. Partners support initiatives but are not in the communication and organization meetings. This structure allows for involving more businesses in meeting students and teachers needs. The organization of the BELC allows for organization in areas that can support all the schools in a geographic area that desire business partners. They provide training services to support school improvement, technology improvement, and into business/industry tours. Teachers are provided CEU credits for involvement in the business and industry community tours. CDC’s and Principals are key communication persons to ensure that the business alliance can successfully support teachers and students. Power point slides for this presentation are available at the website: http://www.praxisresearch.com/regionalsymposia
Horace Robertson, Central Region Coordinator for Career and Technical Education with the Department of Public instruction presented a power point presenting a vision and organization concepts for the business education partnership focusing on specific goals that provide a win-win situation for both business people and educators. The power point is available at the website: http://www.praxisresearch.com/regionalsymposia
After hearing the presentation regarding the vision for the partnership the group decided upon the following goals for the NC C-TE Partnership in the Central Region:
Increased Business Education Partnerships
Enhanced work-based learning:
Increased Shadowing
Increased career major internships
Increased apprenticeships
Increased marketing of C-TE
Increased CTSO involvement
Increased scholarships for technical preparation
Increased advocacy for C-TE
Since the partnership operates locally to enhance student opportunities and economic development specific goals must be set at the school level. It was decided that the C-TE administrators would take the lead in moving toward having goals established at each high school. Each C-TE administrator will be asked to have the schools report their goals to the central region partnership by the end of July annually. An Internet reporting process for the C-TE partnership will be put in place by July 2004. Results in relation to goals will be reviewed by the central region partnership on a semi annual basis. Annually goals and results will be reviewed to learn how to improve the focus of the partnership.
As the C-TE Central Regional Partnership meeting was winding up the partners spent time focusing on the following questions:
What recognitions would be appropriate incentives for encouraging setting and achieving goals?
How could these recognitions be provided?
In what ways should recognitions be publicized?
How can recognitions be appropriate for all size LEAS?
Recognition concepts that were advanced were that recognitions should be done on a regional level. Support for appropriate recognitions should be sought that would be meaningful. Awards should be accompanied with publicity in order to increase the visibility of C-TE as an economic development instrument. Having successful partnership recognized by the State Board of Education would give visibility to the effectiveness of C-TE programs in the schools. Having the NC Business Committee for Education provide the recognitions could result in broad publicity for the schools.
Some ideas for recognitions categories were:
Most effective Partnership
Emerging Effective Partnership
Key Stakeholder Recognition
Highest percentage increases in goal categories
The discussion of recognitions indicated the partnership members desire to have clear information regarding the current funding situation so that they could effective advocate for support of C-TE. Partnership members stated that if legislators, both state and national, understand the value of Career and Technical Education to the economy they would support the teachers by funding them appropriately.
Moderator Mike Bolton challenged the group to ensure that planned actions happen and indicated that the partnership would need to meet again to ensure that the plans for the 2004-2005 school year are in place and support for operationalizing them is in place.
The business education partners attending the central region C-TE partnership meeting agreed that together we can enhance the economy, our businesses, and ensure that students are better prepared for their future!