Have you ever wondered what career prep programs would look like if students were in charge? At a recent Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) conference, Bright Futures Press invited 57 students representing 16 states, and ranging in age from eighth grade to recent high school graduate, to answer a few questions about the supports they need to prepare for bright futures. Admittedly, these were very informal focus groups, and the questions were not specifically designed with employers in mind, but the responses provide some insight about how we engage students and get them to think about their courses as pathways to employment.
Following is a summary of how the students responded:
We Asked: What’s been your best career prep experience so far?
They Answered:
- School class that sparked interest
- Career fairs, college fairs, and career days
- FCCLA experiences (this could be interpreted as “CTSO experiences”)
- Job shadowing and worksite visits
- Part time-job
We Asked: What’s been your worst career experience so far?
They Answered:
- School class that didn’t live up to expectation
- Career fairs, college fairs, and career days
- Personality tests
- Class speaker (specifically when not given a choice on topic)
- Online career program
We Asked: How good a job is your school doing to prepare you for college and career?
They Answered:
- 40% said Excellent
- 33% said Average
- 27% said Poor
We Asked: What three tools would be most helpful in preparing you for college and career?
They Answered:
- Internships
- Job shadowing
- College & career fairs
Students also suggested a variety of classes they would like to see--career workshops about jobs, activity fairs, career readiness classes, special classes for specific careers, one-on-one courses, college courses in high school, and online courses. And, they shared a wish list that included clubs, camps, early graduation, and free college.
We Asked: Do you know what CTE is?
They Answered:
- 19 students said yes
- 29 students said no
However, after discussing what CTE is, 38 realized that their school does indeed offer CTE courses and 32 indicated that they either were or would be taking a CTE course in the future.
We Asked: Do you know what career pathways are?
They Answered:
Only eight of the students did not know what career pathways are. The career pathways they said they knew the most about are Agriculture, Health Science, Arts & Communication, and Education. The career pathways they are most curious to learn more about are Health Science, Arts & Communication, Human Services, and Business.
We Asked: Has FCCLA helped prepare you for your future career more than any other source?
They Answered:
Twenty-five students said yes, 11 said maybe, 12 said no. Thirty-six students also indicated that they would like to see more of a career focus in FCCLA. Fourteen students said maybe.
These responses, while encouraging on several levels, have engendered even more questions. Bright Futures Press walked away from the sessions with two conclusions:
- We as educators are on the right track. When well-executed, students indicated career fairs and school classes among their best experiences. However, other students indicated these events among their worst experiences which means more needs to be done before we can claim success in adequately preparing students for college and career.
- Students, as the ultimate stakeholder, can help guide the way in getting career education “right.” It’s important that we listen to their input as we seek to improve programming and strengthen connections to employers and careers.
Diane Lindsey Reeves is an author and publisher who has spent many years and lots of ink helping students of all ages figure out what they want to be when they grow up. Her company, Bright Futures Press (www.brightfuturespress.com), is currently focused on providing creative career exploration experiences for middle grade students.
