Career Ready Connections
Spring 2022
A message from Career Ready PA
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 East Regions (7, 8,10) Spotlight
What is Secondary Transition for students with IEPs?
The transition process is a collaborative effort with the student, family, school team and supporting organizations to achieve a successful transition for students aged 14 and older from high school to the postsecondary setting. Successful outcomes include education and training; employment; and independent living. The IEP team will work collaboratively with outside community agencies to help bridge life in school and opportunities in adult life.
The Pineapple Project, through Luzerne Intermediate Unit 18 (LIU), is a best practice transitional program aligned to the Hospitality and Tourism career cluster and the economic needs of the region. Students learn skills in the field of hospitality management through the collaboration of LIU, the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR), and a regional Holiday Inn. The unique learning environment combines an adapted curriculum to fit each student’s needs as well as hands-on learning in a hotel setting which includes the following service areas::
· Laundry: washing/drying, folding, stocking
· Maintenance: equipment servicing, landscaping, general maintenance
· Food Service: food prep work, stocking shelves, washing
· Banquet Preparation: setting tables, organizing room layouts, decorating
· Housekeeping: making beds, cleaning rooms, vacuuming
Find out more about LIU’s transition programs!
Remake Learning comes to Northeastern PA
Remake Learning Days (RLDAA) will make its debut in Northeastern Pa! Launched in 2016, RLDAA is a festival of mostly free events celebrating learning innovation that will be hosted between May 12– May 23 (See below). IUs 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21 collaborated to offer 50 events in NEPA. Be sure to explore – here are a few to note!
- STEM at the Ballpark
- Hungry Hippos with Dash and Dot Robots
- Solar Observation Part
- Nature by Design: Create a Butterfly Garden
- Family Bird Walk-Wonder of Birds
To find out more about these events, or search for events close to you visit Remake Learning NEPA.
Career Ready PA Coalition
The Coalition began Best Practice sessions in February, highlighting workforce, postsecondary and K12 Education champion Career Ready Lancaster, and its collaboration with Thaddeus Stevens College and Pequea Valley School District. In March, the Coalition welcomed state agency champion Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Bureau of State Parks, showcasing careers and educational programs, including Pennsylvania Youth Outdoor Corps. Catasauqua Area School District, K12 Education champion, shared its employability skills best practices, “Connecting Classrooms to Careers.” Each session also prioritizes discussions in education and workforce priorities—employability skills and industry credentials. Upcoming sessions through June will include a presentation by the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCNR) and the Challenge Program, as well as Covestro, the Consortium for Public Education, and Erie Together. 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 Readiness Advisor Laura Fridirici presented “Industry Credentials and Work-Based Learning: IBL and Act 158 in February. 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 Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR)
DCNR provides conservation education programs and opportunities for people of all ages from all regions across Pennsylvania to create awareness and improve understanding about the environment, conservation, and recreation in Pennsylvania. DCNR offers conservation education opportunities for:
Teachers and other non-formal educators hoping to connect students to their natural environment
Students looking for an outdoor, educational experience
Families who want to learn more about recreation on our public lands
Campers expanding their knowledge of the natural world around them
Special interest groups including seniors, veterans, volunteers, homeschool groups, and outdoor recreation clubs
For more information, and to view their public programs calendar, please visit the Education website. Subscribe to their e-newsletter by completing the form on their website.
Remake Learning Days Across America (RLDAA) Festival, May 12-23, 2022/Career Ready PA Backpack Challenge
Remake Learning Days Across America is an innovative learning festival for families and youth! Taking root in regions across the nation, these hands-on and engaging events are designed for kids of all ages at libraries, schools, tech centers, museums, play spaces, community centers and more. Once again, PDE will elevate these events through the Career Ready PA Backpack Challenge. Students will have an opportunity to earn a digital badge for their career portfolio by participating in events tagged with a “Career Ready PA Backpack Challenge” backpack. Schools can register for the Backpack Challenge from April 1-30, 2022, at the Remake Learning Days Career Ready PA Backpack Challenge website. Once registered, please follow the steps to participate in events and earn a digital badge. Schools with more than 100 badges may earn a banner like Hasson Heights Elementary in the 2021 Career Ready PA Backpack Challenge! Don’t miss this exciting opportunity!
Grant Opportunity - Workforce Pathways for Youth
The Workforce Pathways for Youth demonstration grants support national out-of-school time (OST) organizations that serve historically underserved and marginalized youth ages 14 to 21. These grants will place an emphasis on age-appropriate workforce readiness programming to expand job training and workforce pathways for youth, including soft skill development, career exploration, job readiness and certification, summer jobs, year-round job opportunities, and apprenticeships. Funding will also support partnerships between workforce boards and youth serving organizations. For more information and application, please visit their website.
Workforce Information Forum
This event will showcase the information and services available from CWIA to assist in your understanding of local and regional labor markets. Whether you’re involved in workforce, economic development, education, or support services, this forum will provide an in-depth look at the variety of ways L&I’s CWIA team and data can help you on your community goals.
This event will be held on April 13-14, 2022 (9 am - 4 pm) at the Community College of Beaver County (1 Campus Dr., Monaca, PA 15061).
To register, please visit their Eventbrite page.
The Coalition and Career Ready PA are hosting a series of monthly webinars highlighting career pathways, resources, and best practices. Educators can view our upcoming webinars and register online on our Eventbrite page. Recordings of the webinars, as well as materials shared during the sessions, can be found on our Career Ready PA Coalition page under Career Ready Webinars.
Updates and Trainings from PDE
Act 158
Act 158 of 2018 (Act 158) provides alternatives to Pennsylvania’s statewide requirement of attaining proficiency on the three end-of-course Keystone Exams (Algebra I, Literature, and Biology) in order for a student to achieve statewide graduation requirements. Effective with the graduating class of 2023, students have the option to demonstrate postsecondary preparedness through one of four additional pathways that more fully illustrate college, career, and community readiness. PDE offered a series of trainings and office hours from September through December. Trainings and recorded webinars can be accessed at the PDE website. The toolkit and its related resources are designed to provide guidance as a result of the enactments of Act 158 and Act 6 of 2017 (Act 6), which established alternative pathways to meeting statewide graduation requirements for students who are Career and Technical Education (CTE) concentrators. For more information, visit the Act 158 Pathways to Graduation Toolkit webpage.