The Career Academy teachers will spend this week touring many of the leading employers in the region. James Fitzgerald, the principal, believes that it is critically important for his faculty to have a strong visual image of the environments where their students are likely to be working. James believes that in addition to covering state standards that it is critically important that the curriculum must prepare students for the real world.
The faculty’s very first day at work involved a brainstorming session with leaders from business and higher education. During that session the faculty learned the importance of instilling 21st Century Job Skills. It is one thing to talk about the importance of critical thinking, collaboration, problem solving and innovation skills in the abstract. It is quite another thing to visit companies who are thriving because their employees use all of those skills and more in the normal course of business.
The tour is also important for the faculty to have the opportunity to further develop their network of business contacts. The faculty is committed to working with industry to identify and develop real-world problems that will excite and engage their students. They understand how critically important it is for their students to have regular exposure to industry and technologists. Each of those exposures will open up new vistas of career opportunities that the students can explore. As these students take their STEM classes, it is highly unlikely that they will ever ask “why would I ever want to know that?”
This program is brilliant. It recognizes and responds to the fact that most of our teachers have no concept of the environments where their students will work. They are asked in effect to play blind man’s bluff when they prepare their students for the future. Imagine the power of giving students real world design problems from a company like Caterpillar where they must draw on what they have learned in physics, geometry and math to solve the problem. Then they would need to draw on their creative writing and presentation skills to present their solution to their teacher and an engineer from the company.
The Yadkin Valley Career Academy is unashamedly preparing their students for highly skilled technical jobs that require either a certificate or an Associate Degree in a technical field. Fitzgerald understands that his students circumstances require that they find the most cost efficient path to a high paying technical job. His mission is to instill a passion for life long learning. Most of the employers that will hire his students have tuition assistance programs that can enable the students to continue their education while they work. Fitzgerald and his faculty plan to instill in their students that any thing is possible for life long learners.
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