Career Ready Connections
Fall 2022
A message from Career Ready PA
Welcome back! A new school year is here again, and the Career Ready PA team is here to assist with opportunities, resources, and updates in career readiness.
Please seek out new opportunities for learners and educators on the Career Ready PA Coalition webpage. Students and families will find career awareness opportunities to experience with one of our many stakeholders!
Don't forget that our Career Ready PA regional liaisons are here to support you with training and resources. If you don't know your region, you can use the regions map located on the Career Ready PA page.
And, for upcoming events, join the Career Readiness Learning Community on SAS. The Career Ready Liaisons are constantly adding statewide events.
- Resources are available at SAS for Career Readiness.
- Join our Career Readiness Learning Community. (PDE SAS login is required.)
- Career Ready PA is PDE’s source for guidance and resources.
Career Ready PA Western Regions (1, 2, 3, 4) Spotlight
Remake Learning: Celebrating 15 years of learning together!
Career Ready PA Coalition
On October 20, 2022, the Coalition held its first meeting for the 2022/23 year, with a welcome from Deputy Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, Dr. Jeff Fuller. Best practices included the PA Council of the Arts featuring Jamie Dunlap, Chief of Creative Catalysts and Lifelong Learning, and the State Parks and Arts diversity, equity, and inclusion partnership with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, connecting students and local artists in the state park environment, shared by Chris Kemmerer. Programs also shared included Arts in Education, the Folk and Traditional Arts, and Pennsylvania Partners in Arts, highlighting the value of community collaborations and strategic partnerships among state agencies and stakeholders. The Coalition session also included “share-outs” showcasing “green” careers and educational programs from DCNR’s Outdoor Corps, PA Hardwoods Council, as well as Bethlehem Area School District and work around employability skills from the Department of Labor and Industry. Each session also prioritizes updates in education and workforce, especially employability skills and industry credentials. The November session will include an agricultural career focus featuring the Department of Agriculture and best practices from Longwood Gardens. Access to the presentations and recorded sessions can be located at the Google Share link.
Webinars continue to be offered and recordings are posted on the Career Ready PA Coalition website. Career and workforce readiness are integral to developing equitable access to career pathways for all Pennsylvania learners, through effective workforce training, aligned to workforce needs and departmental career readiness initiatives. Follow #CareerReadyPA to stay connected!
Career Ready PA Coalition Champion Spotlight: Department of Agriculture and the Pennsylvania Hardwoods Council and Project Learning
Green Jobs: Exploring Forest Careers - Free Educator Resource (click survey link below)
Green jobs represent one of the fastest growing and changing segments of the global economy. At the same time, today’s youth are seeking rewarding careers that help us move towards more sustainable lifestyles and greener economies. The next generation wants to work with purpose. They want to find a job they can be proud of; they want to feel like they are making a difference in the world. The PA Department of Agriculture was awarded grant funds to distribute Project Learning Tree’s Green Jobs: Exploring Forest Careers guide to Pennsylvania educators. Project Learning Tree is a program of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. If you are interested in receiving a free copy of this resource please complete this survey. For more information about this resource please see the attached fact sheet or visit the Project Learning Tree website.
Career Ready PA Coalition Stakeholder Resources
Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Crescendo Student Conference
Junior Achievement "Intern to VP Professional Branding and Leadership Development Training Program"
Do you know a teenager who is ready to take charge? Please visit the Intern to VP application for more information and to apply.
Grant Opportunities
Apprenticeship Building America (ABA) Grant
Apprenticeship Building America (ABA) [Deadline 11/01/22] through the PA Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) announces the availability of $2.75 million in grant funding to build and modernize Pennsylvania's growing network of registered apprenticeship programs. L&I is one of 30 recipients nationwide awarded grant funding through the U.S. Department of Labor's Apprenticeship Building America (ABA) initiative and plans to support 15 local workforce development boards (LWDBs) in their respective efforts to expand apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship opportunities among underrepresented populations in their respective regions. For detailed information, please see the PA Labor & Industry grant page at this link.
Prepare for PennDOT's NEVI Grant Program
PennDOT has developed resources to help businesses and organizations to prepare in advance of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Notice of Funding Opportunity announcement, which is anticipated for late December/early January.
The NEVI Grant pre-announcement resources include information about applicant eligibility, eligible projects, and eligible and ineligible costs. In addition, PennDOT has created an interactive map identifying existing AFC-qualifying stations and has grouped interchanges based on priority through a gap analysis.
An outline of the potential scoring criteria is also included listed in order of priority. Interested businesses and organizations are encouraged to review the ‘How to Get Ready’ section on PennDOT’s website for recommendations on how to prepare for the upcoming grant opening.
PennDOT will host an informational webinar about the 2022 NEVI Grant Program on Tuesday, November 1, 2022, from 10 AM to noon. This webinar is intended for all audiences interested in applying for PennDOT NEVI grant program funds. This webinar will provide an overview of the PennDOT NEVI grant program, as well as information on eligibility, types of projects funded, how to apply, eligible and non-eligible costs, and application best practices.
In addition, NEVI stakeholder sessions are being held around the state. These sessions will include a presentation portion, followed by an opportunity to network, and expand professional connections and partnerships. Interested parties can register for a session of interest on PennDOT’s “Learn About NEVI” webpage.
To learn more, visit PennDOT’s NEVI webpage or email PennDOT’s EV team.
PA College of Technology Advanced Manufacturing Pre-Apprenticeship Webinar
Join us for this informational webinar for interested students and educators!
Pennsylvania College of Technology is accepting student registrations for the Advanced Manufacturing Pre-Apprenticeship (AMP) Program beginning January 20, 2023.
The AMP Program teaches high school students the foundational knowledge and skills needed for entry-level positions in today’s manufacturing industry. Utilizing online learning and hands-on sessions, the AMP program exposes students to skill sets that are transferrable among the many career paths in manufacturing including engineering, product design and fabrication, maintenance, quality control, and management.
ACT WorkKeys for Pennsylvania Students
The National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) is rooted in ACT WorkKeys assessments and is now an alternative graduation pathway tool available to Pennsylvania secondary students through the recently passed PA ACT158.
In this session, you will learn how the ACT WorkKeys assessments can unlock opportunities for students and set them up for success. The WorkKeys career readiness benchmarks can be used in career counseling to guide individuals who are exploring different college majors, CTE programs, or job training programs linked to different career pathways. Students can put WorkKeys score results on college applications or present them at job interviews.
The webinar will be hosted by Pennsylvania ACT Account Executives MJ Malandrucco and Greg Napierala, along with ACT Workforce Solutions Director, Christine Nieto.
Updates and Trainings from PDE
Career Ready PA Boot Camp Refresher
The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) is pleased to announce a one-day 6-hour training to update and assist districts (Act 48) designed in meeting the statewide postsecondary attainment 2025 goal of 60 percent of Pennsylvanians with a postsecondary credential, certificate, or degree. Training will be provided by the Career Readiness State Training (CRST) team and will include the following:
Career Readiness and Workforce in PA (Career Education and Work Standards)
Industry-Based Learning
Stakeholder and Outreach
Classroom and Workforce Alignment
Act 158 Alignment
Grants, Resources, Remake Learning
District attendance can include K-12 educators who are new to career and workforce readiness and may benefit from a refresher. Updates and resources not available in the original boot camp are included with this training. With an emphasis on classroom alignment to workforce needs, team composition should include teachers from both elementary and secondary.
The goal of this training is to introduce new staff and reacquaint existing staff with new developments, trainings, and initiatives that utilize stakeholder and workforce partnerships to expand the classroom to career connections and build schoolwide momentum for career readiness. Team members will be poised to provide support after this training.
Contact your Career Ready PA Liaison to find out when your training is scheduled.
Act 158
In an effort to continue assisting our school leaders with the implementation of Act 158 and statewide high school graduation requirements, the Department would like to announce the continuation of PDE’s targeted office hours throughout the winter (Oct-Jan) For details, please go to the Act 158 toolkit on SAS at this link to the Act 158 office hours schedule and topics.
SAS Institute 2022
Mark your calendars for December 5, 6, and 7, 2022, and register now for SAS Institute 2022: Strategic Leadership: Guiding Schools to Excellence. This year’s conference offers three keynote sessions and multiple breakouts and special events:
Gregg Behr and Ryan Rydzewski, authors of When You Wonder, You're Learning, will share Fred Rogers’ tools for learning in Monday’s opening session.
- Joe Sanfelippo, invited back to the SAS Institute by popular demand, will continue the leadership conversation on Tuesday.
- Jenni Donohoo will energize our Wednesday session as she describes the power of collective efficacy and its impact on student achievement.
- Three of PA’s stellar educators – Khalid Mumin, Harrison Bailey, and Joseph Welch – will host PA Proud-EDTalks as they share the challenges faced today by teachers, principals, and superintendents.
- Duquesne superintendent Sue Mariani will share her story of hope and restoration in Duquesne City School District.
Governor's STEM Competition
The Governor’s STEM Competition will be held in a hybrid format in 2023, and the theme is “Innovating the Commonwealth through Collaboration and Computing.”
The Governor’s STEM Competition challenges student teams from across the state to research, design, and present a device or project that can make the quality of life better for Pennsylvanians by accomplishing a series of practical tasks that can fulfill real-world needs.
The competition is open to students in grades 9 through 12 who attend a public, charter, or private school, a career and technical education center, or a student being homeschooled in Pennsylvania. Each team may have a maximum of five students and they must work under the guidance of an approved mentor.
For more information or to register a team, please visit the Governor's STEM Competition webpage.