SunPower1

High school students participate in the SunPower Solar Science Academy, tying skills in science, math and engineering with career preparation. Credit: SunPower Corp.

Update: The California Department of Education officially opened the grant application procedure on January. 21. Check here for more details.

California schools can look strong competition when the land kicks off the awarding process for a highly anticipated $250 million country fund for higher and career readiness programs and partnerships this month.

Educators and business leaders from across the state have expressed keen involvement in the California Career Pathways Trust – a sometime competitive grant fund – that seeks to establish and strengthen partnerships between One thousand-12 schools, community colleges and businesses to better set students for college and hereafter careers while also bolstering the economic system.

Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, successfully pressed lawmakers to set aside funding for the trust in the 2013-2014 land budget to help accost California's high school dropout charge per unit and "skills gap"—the deficit between the skills students learn in school compared to the expertise employers need in the workplace.

The long-awaited grants will be awarded in June to school districts, county departments of education, lease schools and community higher districts, to establish regional partnerships or aggrandize existing programs that link academics with real-world work skills.

With the grant deadline fix for the finish of March, the Department of Educational activity will hold application workshops later on this month and during the first week of Feb. Officials told EdSource that funds will be roughly divided to support up to 10 larger or regional efforts; a group of mid-sized projects; and finally smaller rural initiatives.

The programs are intended to establish connections betwixt the classroom and piece of work experiences to enhance students' skills for college or their careers, including through programs offered by Regional Occupation Centers and Programs, which offer students career grooming courses so that high school graduates who are ready to enter the work strength.

Other programs are intended to set students on a college path. Schools with like programs, frequently called linked learning, typically offer iii or more courses emphasizing the practical application of what they are learning in the classroom with i or more than loftier-skill, loftier-earning career paths, such as engineering or engineering, said Hilary McLean, deputy director of the Linked Learning Alliance, a nonprofit that promotes the programs.

McLean said the career theme is integrated throughout an academic curriculum with the programme culminating in workplace internships, job shadowing, apprenticeships or enrollment in other post-secondary programs. She added that the programs often offer a variety of support services for students, including counseling and supplemental instruction in core discipline areas to help guarantee their futurity success in college and in their careers.

Throughout the state, the programs linking school to career take rapidly gained support among educators and business organization leaders who fence that the programs can reduce high school dropout rates and improve pupil achievement while simultaneously reinvigorating the economy.

Diverse field of applicants expected

California Section of Education officials expect a diverse field of grant applicants to vie for a piece of the pathways trust fund in coming weeks. A series of meetings hosted by the section final calendar month to request input about the grants were standing-room-only events. Almost 600 people, representing a wide range of school districts, businesses, colleges and nonprofits, attended the 3 meetings at locations statewide.

McLean described employer enthusiasm during the meetings as "palpable." She said creating systems that back up connections between employers and schools to provide students with critical hands-on opportunities to interact with businesses are essential to scaling upward linked learning programs statewide.

Susanna Cooper, Sen. Steinberg's chief pre-K-12 teaching consultant, said the greatest unknown factors about the trust are which companies volition become partners with grant applicants and how involved these businesses will be with the programs.

Russell Weikle, managing director of the California Section of Didactics' Career and College Transition Partition, acknowledged that in the past, some partnerships between secondary and post secondary teaching and the business community have non been equally strong as they should have been for maximum effectiveness.

To qualify to receive back up from the $250 million fund, Weikle said the state is seeking a serious commitment from all participants.  "Nosotros want you lot to be married to the effort," he said in an interview.

Business concern delivery will exist central

California-based companies, such as Roll Global and SunPower Corp., applaud the state's commitment to expand partnerships. Both companies expect to be involved in the upcoming grant applications.

"We have to be smart and strategic well-nigh preparing the next generation of Californians for the kinds of high-tech careers that are in high need today," said Noemi Donoso, Roll Global's senior vice president for teaching initiatives.

Roll Global, the parent company of the Paramount Agronomical Companies, which produces Wonderful Pistachios and POM Wonderful pomegranate juice products, is working with its instruction partners to apply for the grant funds to heighten efforts the company already has underway.

Roll Global is launching a new career tech programme at up to three high schools in the Central Valley this fall. The Paramount Agriculture Career Academy will bring local high schools and community colleges together using an early higher model.

Every participating student volition consummate an apprenticeship with 1 of the Paramount Agriculture Companies, in addition to receiving instruction from community college professors and industry experts.

Donoso said that by 2015, the Academy would consist of five high schools, including its flagship school – Paramount Academy, a Delano charter school, that is already serving students. Bakersfield College, Due west Hills College, Reef-Sunset Unified Schoolhouse District, McFarland Unified School District and Sanger Unified School Commune are all University partners.

Donoso credits Steinberg's leadership for putting the land on "the cutting edge of modern work force chore grooming," but added that "a permanent funding stream would help ready thousands of California students for well-paying 21st century careers."

Bill Kelly, managing director of public and education projects for SunPower, said that as the programs produce positive results – improved educatee accomplishment and higher attendance rates, for example – CDE officials and lawmakers volition support expanding those efforts statewide.

For the past 4 years, SunPower, a global solar and energy solutions company, has worked closely on career pathway programs with schools in districts similar Antioch and Porterville. This summertime, 250 students attended the company'south second almanac SunPower Solar Science Academy, which emphasizes project- and work-based learning with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math.

Kelly said the state grants would assist companies overcome the sometimes daunting task of establishing the didactics partnerships that are vital to the success of any programs.

High bookish standards

Only Kelly emphasized that developing a rigorous curriculum imbedded with state-of-the-art technology, ultimately has a greater influence on students' success in programs offered over the course of a school year rather than only in the summertime. Companies should also help shape the academic side of the programs, he said. Teachers must likewise exist trained to help students build on their workplace experiences in the classroom, he added.

With the grant deadline fix for the terminate of March, the Department of Education will hold awarding workshops later this calendar month and during the first week of February. Weikle said the funds will be roughly divided to support upwards to x larger or regional efforts; a grouping of mid-sized projects; and finally smaller rural initiatives. The department anticipates awarding grants in June.

Grant recipients will receive their funds over 3 years with the largest corporeality released in the start twelvemonth to requite them ample resources to initiate their efforts, Weikle said. Grant recipients will have until June 30, 2018, to spend the grant monies.

To get more reports like this one, click here to sign up for EdSource's no-cost daily email on latest developments in teaching.