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Career Pathways
Focusing Students
As American educators prepare for the next century, we should remember the old adage, "Some people go to college, but everyone goes to work." We must remind ourselves that "everyone" includes the 70 to 75 percent of American teenagers who will never complete four-year degrees. So many average high school students are on an educational path to nowhere. Every student should have a focus and a plan for entering a career upon graduation.
While most educators and parents may believe that higher education is the road to success, the reality is that most teenagers wander through high school and even college with little idea of what comes next. They often flounder in the labor market, wasting a decade or more in intermittent, low paying jobs. What are schools and businesses doing to give students the appropriate exposure, experience, and education to enter the workforce prepared for shifting economies, improvements in technology and modern high-performance work organizations? The question should be asked frequently.
Even Tech Prep consortia that have long adopted sweeping changes in vocational and academic curricula through articulation or applied learning must seriously consider the pathways their students choose as they enter the workforce. Today's students should be prepared to make several career changes during their lifetimes. The student must have a clear understanding of what he or she must do to obtain a job and progress through a career and, more importantly, must have the option of reconsidering and changing from one career to another.
Career Websites To Visit:
Career Education & Work Standards Toolkit
CareerLink of the Lehigh Valley
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