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What is PCCS?
PCCS (Partnerships for College and Career Success) is a federally-funded grant to support partnerships to develop and implement CTE Programs of Study based on the 81 pathways in the 16 career clusters and to assemble the necessary regional stakeholders and resources to endeavor to transition career pathways students successfully and seamlessly into, through, and out of career and technical education (CTE) Programs of Study and into the workforce. The JJC Partnership for College and Career Success stakeholders include faculty, counselors, and administrators in 22 area high schools, 2 area career centers, and Joliet Junior College; TREES (Three Rivers Education for Employment System); and relevant business and industry partners.
What is a Secondary Pathways Student?
A secondary Career Pathways Student is a high school CTE concentrator who has enrolled in two training level courses in the secondary education component of an approved and locally implemented CTE Program of Study at a secondary Partner institution.
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What is a Postsecondary Career Pathways Student?
A student who meets both of the following two qualifications will be considered a Postsecondary Career Pathways Student:
- Completion of the secondary component of an approved and locally implemented CTE Program of Study
- Enrollment in the postsecondary education component of an approved and locally implemented CTE Program of Study at a postsecondary Partner institution
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What are Career Clusters?
Illinois has adopted the Career Cluster model developed by the States' Career Clusters Initiative (SCCI). Career Clusters are groupings of occupations/career specialties used as an organizing tool for curriculum design and instruction. Occupations/career specialties are now grouped into the 16 Career Clusters based on the fact that they require a set of common knowledge and skills for career success. The knowledge and skills represented by Career Clusters prepare learners for a full range of occupations/career specialties focusing on the holistic, polished blend of technical, academic, and employability knowledge and skills.
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What are Career Pathways?
Career Pathways are systematic sub-groupings of occupations/career specialties used as an organizing tool for curriculum design and instruction. While the Career Clusters identify the broad knowledge and skills needed for success in a wide array of potential careers (defined by each Cluster), the Career Pathways offer a higher, more developed level of specificity. There are a total of 81 Pathways, each formally linked to one of the 16 Career Clusters.
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What is a CTE Program of Study?
A CTE Program of Study is a sequence of instruction based on recommended standards and knowledge and skills (as identified in the Career Pathways Model) consisting of secondary and postsecondary academic and CTE coursework, co-curricular activities, work-based learning, service learning, and other learning experiences offered in an aligned and coordinated manner that prepares students for a specific career. This is a flexible resource for students and is designed to change in concert with the interests and needs of the learner. Effective Programs of Study should start no later than the ninth grade and continue through at least two years of postsecondary education. Programs of Study include opportunities to earn college credit (dual credit) in high school, an industry-recognized credential or certificate at the secondary/postsecondary level, and an associate or baccalaureate degree.
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Programs of Study in Illinois
Programs of Study (POS) are sequences of courses that incorporate a non-duplicative progression of secondary and postsecondary elements which include both academic and CTE content. Effective Programs of Study should start no later than the ninth grade and continue through at least two years of postsecondary education. Programs of Study include opportunities to earn college credit (dual credit) in high school, an industry-recognized credential or certificate at the secondary/postsecondary level, and an associate or baccalaureate degree.
A CTE Program of Study is a sequence of instruction, based on recommended standards, and knowledge and skills consisting of secondary and postsecondary coursework, co-curricular activities, work-site learning, service learning and other learning experiences offered in an aligned and coordinated manner that prepares students for a specific career. This is a flexible resource for students and is designed to change in concert with the interests and needs of the learner.
Programs of Study Goals:
- Equip students with the skills and credentials required for success in high-growth, high-demand, and/or high-wage career fields
- Close the achievement gap
- Increase curricular alignment
- Decrease the need for remediation
- Create meaningful education options for ALL students
- Increase enrollment and persistence
- Increase attainment of degrees and certificates
- Ensure that ALL students attain education and skills needed for success
- Increase academic and skill achievement
- Increase entry into employment or further education
- Develop model mechanisms of collaboration
- Enhance collaboration between secondary and post-secondary educators and institutions
- Enhance collaboration between core academic and career/technical instructors
- Enhance collaboration between business/industry partnerships and educators
- Focus on the development of lessons that integrate career content within lessonframeworks for core academic subjects
- Align classroom content and advising with National Career Development Standards
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What are Career Clusters, Career Pathways, and Programs of Study?
Career Clusters are groups of occupations and industries that have in common a set of foundational knowledge and skills. There are 16 nationally recognized clusters within which are multiple Career Pathways.
Career Pathways are multi-year programs of academic and technical study that prepare students for a full range of postsecondary options within each of the 16 clusters. Currently, there are 81 nationally recognized pathways, each with specific pathway knowledge and skills. These pathways provide a context for exploring career options at all levels of education and a framework for linking learning to the skills and knowledge needed for future education and employment.
Programs of Study (POS) are sequences of courses that incorporate a non-duplicative progression of secondary and postsecondary elements which include both academic and CTE content. Effective Programs of Study should start no later than the ninth grade and continue through at least two years of postsecondary education. Programs of Study include opportunities to earn college credit (dual credit) in high school, an industry-recognized credential or certificate at the secondary/postsecondary level, and an associate or baccalaureate degree.
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Why do we need the Career Clusters framework?
Career Pathways, Career Clusters, and POS allow students to get more involved and perform better in school by combining rigorous academics with career education so that students have a clear path to their future. Students who understand the relevance of what they are learning and how it aligns with a pathway to their educational and occupational goals achieve greater success in high school and beyond. Career Clusters:
- Create clear educational pathways students can follow from secondary to postsecondary education to the workplace
- Create smooth transitions in the educational pipeline
- Empower students through information and experiences they need to make educational choices
- Help design individual plans of study
- Comprise a key element in enhancing economic development by connecting schools with business and industry
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Who benefits from Career Pathways and Programs of Study?
- Students benefit as POS provide a link between education and careers. Pathways provide career guidance and a framework for students to plan their future. Students are more motivated when they can see the relevance of their education and are provided with smooth transitions to college and careers.
- Educators benefit as POS provide support to integrate academic and CTE curricula, partake in professional development, align with school reform, and receive administrative support. POS also connect educators with local business and industry to ensure that what students learn connects to careers.
- Employers benefit as POS provide the opportunity to partner with educators to prepare future employees by determining the necessary skills, certification, and current knowledge to succeed in the workforce.
- Communities benefit as POS provide an opportunity for business and industry to partner with education for local economic development and educational planning. Higher levels of educational attainment contribute to a healthier local economy.
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Sixteen Career Clusteres and their Pathways
Acknowledgements
This information is reprinted here with permission from the Office of Community College Research and Leadership at the University of Illinois who, with support from the Illinois Community College Board and the Illinois State Board of Education, created "An Introduction to Illinois CTE Programs of Study". This document can be found on the OCCRL website.
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