David J. Voves, Superintendent

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Certificate of Employability Connecting Students
to their Future

• David J. Voves, Superintendent
• Dallas School District
• Robert Ottaway, Dallas School Board
• Vickie Fleming, Director
• Mid-Willamette Education Consortium

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Why Change?

• ..A rapidly changing global economy, labor
  market shortages, diversification of local and
  regional economy.

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In the Knowledge-Based Economy..

• . workers will be valued for their ability to
  create, judge, imagine, and build relationships.
• Geoff Colvin
• Fortune Magazine
• March 2000

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Heres a picture of our economy in 1950.
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And the current picture.
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National Trends

• The aging of the baby boom generation will leave
  big gaps in the workforce
• 76 million baby boomers (35-53) will begin
  retiring in the next 10 years
• Not enough Generations Xers (23-34) to fill their
  shoes
• of jobs is expected to grow by 19 in the next
  10 years
• Unemployment is at its lowest level in 30 years
  and is expected to remain so.
• Advances in technology will profoundly effect
  future employment.

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Good News for Oregon

• Close to 300,000 jobs in the next ten years.
• Growth in the next decade - slower than the last
  ten years.
• Almost every industry will be adding jobs.
• Service-producing sector accounts for 89 of the
  new jobs.
• Professional/technical adding the most high-wage
  jobs.

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The Most Promising Jobs

• Analytical Technical Skills
• Computer Engineers Computer Specialists
• Statisticians
• Actuaries
• Replacement of
• Teachers
• Police Officers
• Technical service jobs
• Electricians
• Plumbers
• Carpenters

www.olmis.org
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Nationally, the youth population is growing..

• 24 million 18 to 24-year-olds in 1995, 30 million
  in 2010 - increase of 21
• 25 will have been born into poverty
• Many will be immigrants or children of immigrants.

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Growth Rates For 18 - 24 Year Old Population
Subgroups (1995-2005)
29.5
HISPANIC
33.6
OTHER (MOSTLY ASIAN)
14.2
BLACK
A MAJORITY OF THE ADDITIONAL YOUNG PEOPLE WILL BE
HISPANIC OR NON-WHITE
WHITE
12.5
13.9
ALL
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The tough reality.

• Actual numbers of 18 to 24-year-olds growing
  fast
• Youth without educational credentials face tough
  times in the job market
• Fewer good-paying lower skill jobs and more
  competition
• Years of disinvestment
• More demanding high school graduation
  requirements may increase dropout rates

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National High School Drop-out Rates
(percentage)
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Real Weekly Earnings of Young Adults
1973 and 1999
CHANGE MEN-26
CHANGE WOMEN -11.2
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Job Prospects for Young People

• Steep declines in weekly wages over the last 25
  years
• Young people have 2-1/2 times more labor market
  problems than adults.
• Overall youth unemployment rate still over 10.

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The private sector demand

• Skills, skills, skills
• Most employers say soft skills are the most
  important even in the world of e-commerce.

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Skills Standards

• The Northwest Center for Emerging Technologies
  (NWCET), based out of Bellevue Community College,
  WA, is funded by the National Science Foundation
  (NSF)
• NWCET published Building a Foundation for
  Tomorrow Skills Standards for Information
  Technology
• NWCET has created a certification program based
  on the NWCETs nationally, industry-based
  recognized standards
• Creating Educator program to build IT skills
  among faculty and educators teaching such
  certification

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How do you get certified?
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Public Sector Solutions

• Oregons Educational Act
• Workforce Investment Act
• School to Work Opportunities Act

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The Challenge

• Improve educational attainment
• Prepare young people for success in the labor
  market
• Support young people
• Develop potential of youth as citizens and leaders

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What is a Youth Opportunity System ?

• Builds on -
• School to Work Capacity
• The One-Stop System
• Existing Youth Community Service Networks
• Research-Based Practices
• Existing Resource Base
• Oregons Educational Act

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New Partnerships
EMPLOYERS
HOUSING
FAITH COMMUNITY
JUVENILE JUSTICE
SCHOOLS
CBOs
PARENTS
COLLEGES
HEALTH
WIBS
WELFARE TO WORK
YOUTH PROGRAMS
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Blueprint For Action
School Officials

• Encourage flexible learning options
• Expand dropout prevention
• Establish high expectations for all youth
• Extend STW partnership to out-of-school youth
• Expand external partnerships
• Strengthen connections with post secondary
  education system

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Blueprint For Action
Community Partners

• Link with Commission on Children Families
• Improve outreach to disenfranchised youth
• Include youth employment connections in
  neighborhood resource centers
• Link youth with caring adults
• Connect out-of-school youth to learning, skill
  building, community service
• Provide support services
• Connect youth to jobs through community Career
  Center (one-stop system)

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So what is the Certificate of Employability?

• An endorsement by the school of the students
  work habits within the classroom context.
• Issued to students that have met specific
  work-related performance standards in the
  classroom.
• Evaluation categories
• personal management
• teamwork
• problem solving
• communication

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A win-win-win

• A response to employers needs
• A tool for validating students behavior and work
  readiness from the educational world
• A tool for employers to use as a reference when
  screening prospective employees
• Stresses attendance and work related performance

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How do I get one?

• Attendance is first screening criteria, one
  excused absence per month
• The student is evaluated by all of his/her
  teachers on work-related performance standards
• The data is compiled by the career coordinator or
  designee
• The ESD prints the certificates

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PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
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STUDENT RECORD SHEET
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SALEM-KEIZER NEXT STEPS
To meet the needs of the business community, we
realized our students needed additional training
to provide them with the skills required to enter
the workforce. -High school STW coordinator
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TRAINING WORKSHOP OVERVIEW

• Session One
• Job Application
• Business Etiquette
• Going Prepared
• Appropriate Dress

• Session Two
• Resume Writing
• Interviewing Skills
• Communications
• Presenting the
• Certificate of Employability

• Session Three
• Mock Interview

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MOCK INTERVIEW

• What is it?
• Why is it important?
• How will we do it?

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WHAT ABOUT POLK COUNTY?

• Began marketing to students in the fall of 98
• student leadership
• marketing class
• site council student group
• Articles in the Itemizer/Observer
• Parent newsletters
• Presentations to civic organizations

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POLK COUNTY.

• Issued first certificates in January 99
• Issued second set of certificates in June 99

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ISSUES ENCOUNTERED

• Lack of advanced notice to students
• Marketing to all entities
• Short time-line between the 1st and 2nd semesters
• Accommodations for disabled population
• Attendance recordkeeping system
• Business participation

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NEXT STEPS...

• More marketing to employers--distribution of
  vinyl stickers and mass mailing of brochures
• Improvements Enhancement for 2000-2001
• Regional Chamber Education Alliance

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For additional information

• http//www.mwec.org/
• Certificate of Employability