As we continue working together to survive this pandemic we must continue to look forward, learn, and plan for our futures. In the position as the Preble County ESC Career Connections Director, I have the opportunity to work with our Preble County students grades K through 12. While we have adjusted our activities and learning experiences over this past year, we could not stop learning.
Students at various grade levels are participating in career exploration activities like the one I would like to share with you today. Students in the sixth grade have been given the opportunity to learn about the 16 national career clusters and then choose a particular job of their interest that is a part of one of those categories. Since we are all lifelong learners, I would like to share those national career clusters as follows:
Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources; Architecture and Construction; Arts, Audio/Video Technology, and Communications; Business, Management, and Administration; Education and Training
Finance; Government and Public Administration; Health Science; Hospitality and Tourism; Human Services; Information Technology; Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security; Manufacturing; Marketing, Sales, and Service; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics; Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics.
As you can read, the national career clusters are all encompassing and inclusive of most any type of job you can imagine! As sixth grade students investigate, they then use https://www.careeronestop.org/ to select a job of interest. Part of this career activity is to then learn the skills and knowledge needed as well as the average or median salaries for their chosen vocation. After their research students work to design a brochure to highlight their chosen job using hand-drawn or computer generated pictures or graphics that meet the overall criteria that will “catch the attention” of others.
Once completed, students then share their career brochures for judging and are awarded prizes for the “best of the best.” If you are a local education supporter as an individual or business who would like to donate money or gift cards to award the participating students please contact me at [email protected] or by phone at 937-456-1187 ext.123. I know that students appreciate earning these rewards for their efforts and it is a great way to start to connect with your future workforce and community servants!
