Employability Curriculum Is Ready for the Upcoming School Year!
"Teaching Employability While Focusing on 21st Century Skills"
by Emily Snyder
August 02, 2010
With my first year of teaching under my belt, I am looking forward to implementing new course work into our current Employability Curriculum. The biggest change will be the new online curriculum, E2020. With E2020 we will be able to offer our employability class to both onsite students, and virtually to our distance students. With this option the HLA will require all of our graduates to complete two credit hours in employability. We feel that this will go hand in hand with our school's theme of "Teaching Employability while focusing on 21st Century Skills".
E2020 offers three courses that will go along with our Employability Curriculum:
Career Skills: (course description) Intended to be an upper level high school one-semester course, Career Skills introduces students to a wide variety of career choices, by exploring the skills and steps required in obtaining optimum professional and financial success. Units include, assessing one's goals and attributes, exploring possible career opportunities and any accompanying skills necessary, preparing career documents (ex: cover letters, resume, applications, etc.), the job-search process, interviewing, work ethic, interpersonal relationships at work, professional communication, time management, and personal economic responsibilities.
Consumer Skills: (course description) Designed as a one-semester course for the upper level high school student. Lessons present students with essential information regarding desired consumer skills for personal success. The primary skills examined include, ascertaining an understanding of the economic aspects of personal financial stability and success along with accompanying consumer responsibilities, aspects of healthcare, housing and its financial facets, and transportation cost and decisions.
Career Planning and Development: (course description) A one-semester course designed for upper level high school students, Career Planning and Development introduces students to the vast working world. Divided into four units, the course will help students: investigate careers as they apply to personal interests and abilities, develop skills and job search documents needed to enter the workforce, explore the rights of workers and traits of effective employees, and address the importance of professionalism and responsibility as careers change and evolve. Throughout the course, students develop useful career documents, including a self-assessment profile, a cover letter and a resume, using video and written step-by-step instructions. these documents can then be used by students in an educational or career portfolio.
These classes sound great! As the teacher, I cannot wait to get in and dig around in these classes to find out more about the structure. Just reading the descriptions has me excited! There will be additional changes and alterations as the school year progresses. One of the best aspects of teaching at the Hugoton Learning Academy is our ability to be flexible. Our students give me feedback and I adapt my curriculum to meet their needs. I also look at what our local and state economy is doing and adjust my teachings based on the current economic year. I want all of our students who graduate to walk away from the Hugoton Learning Academy with not only a (state recognized) diploma, but also self worth and confidence that will make them successful in the "real world".
