Keystone Central CTC Newsletter
Monthly News & Information for KCCTC Families and Community
September, 2022
Wednesday 9/14
Keystone Central CTC Open house from 5-8 p.m.
Letter from Mr. Kurt Lynch, Director of Career and Technology
Welcome to a new school year. As the United States battles against a declining skilled workforce, the Keystone Central CTC is stepping up to help rebuild that workforce in our local and surrounding communities. We offer eleven programs that support the labor pool; they are Agricultural Mechanization, Automotive Mechanics Technology, Child Care and Support Services Management, Construction Trades, Cosmetology, Drafting and Design, Health/Medical Assisting, Institutional Food Worker (Culinary Arts), Job Seeking/Changing Skills (Diversified Occupations), Machine Tool Technology, and Natural Resource Management. Keystone Central also offers numerous industry certifications, apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, and school to work programs. Along with our 9th-12th grade offerings, we also have opened our doors to Adult Education courses.
Sincerely,
Kurt Lynch
Director of Career and Technology
Employer Re-engagement Month
Work Experience Opportunities for 9th-12th
Job Shadow Experience
This is an educational experience where 9th-12th grade students can learn about a particular occupation or profession to see if it might be suitable for them. As part of this experience, a business partners with an educational establishment to provide an experience for student observation to occur. This experience is approximately four hours long and can be completed in one or two days. The student partners with a worker, from their chosen career, as the worker performs duties, skills, and tasks on the job. This experience gives the student learner a great deal of insight to that particular occupation which will then help guide the student’s career choices for the future.
Internship
This work-based program is designed for students to explore a career path they currently have an interested in. This program is approximately six weeks long, 40-45 hours. The student will observe duties and tasks completed by their mentor and other employees, and the student may also be asked to participate in various career related tasks. This experience is not a monetary paid position, but it should be a position that offers the “full” experience to the chosen career path.
Capstone Cooperative Education Experience
Students currently enrolled in the specialized program areas of career and technical education (CTE) may participate in a Capstone Cooperative Education Experience. Through cooperative education, these students “cap off” their formal in-school career and technical education with a related employment experience at a school-approved, work-based learning site. Students who have met all of the required competencies of their CTE program are recommended for this program by their CTE instructor and approved by the guidance counselor, Cooperative Education Coordinator, and Director of CTE. Students may apply for employment in their career fields and receive school credit and wages for their experiences.
Diversified Occupations
This work-based program is designed for students with an interest in a career and technical area not currently offered by the Keystone Central Career and Technology Center or a Career and Technology program is full. Students work within business and industry while also being enrolled in Career and Technical Education. Diversified Occupations (DO) is a direct partnership between local business and industry and the Keystone Central Career and Technology Center. Career and technical competency skills are developed at the job-training site with input from the Cooperative Education Coordinator. Diversified Occupations programs could include any of the occupational areas defined in Chapter 339.22(a) or other occupational areas not offered at the comprehensive high school or career and technology center.
Diversified occupations shall be available as a 1-year program. This program is for 12th grade students who are unable to gain admission to a career and technical program due to excessive applicants, inability to meet entrance requirements for other existing programs, or lack of specific program areas offered at the comprehensive high school or career and technical school. Through diversified occupations, a student is matched with an employer that reflects the student’s career objective. During this DO experience, the student also attends career-oriented classroom instruction at the career and technology center. The center provides limited technical skill instruction; thus the technical instruction and evaluation comes from the employer. The overall evaluation of the student is a combination of classroom evaluations and employer evaluations.
Work Experience Opportunities for Employers
Keystone Central CTC currently has 75+ employer partnerships with businesses within Clinton, Lycoming, and Centre counties. Keystone Central is always looking to form new partnerships to benefit both students and our community. We are dedicated to providing a skilled work workforce to our surrounding businesses.
If you are an employer and wish to form a partnership with the work experience programs at Keystone Central please email Daci Killinger, Cooperative Education Coordinator, at dkillinger@kcsd.us or call 570-893-4900 ext. 4511.