Northwest Arkansas' school districts are developing career programs at a rapid rate in response to the needs of local employers.
Mike Harvey, chief operating officer at the Northwest Arkansas Council, said districts and post-secondary institutions are moving forward "pretty aggressively, pretty robustly" to prepare students for careers where there is high demand for skilled workers.
The educational system is moving together in the right direction on career readiness, though it hasn't moved quite fast enough to keep up with the region's growth, Harvey said.
Still, he added, "We've made some very big, positive steps in the past few years."
Area districts compete with each other on academic, athletic and extracurricular levels. Despite the competition, schools with specialized career programs -- such as the diesel technology course at Gentry's Career and Technical Education Center -- are allowing students from other districts into those programs.
That's an important trend, Harvey said, because it means neighboring school districts don't necessarily have to invest huge sums of money in the same kinds of programs.
Springdale High School laid the foundation for career preparation years ago with the introduction of its academy model, where students can choose to join one of seven career-focused programs.
The Springdale School District is listening carefully to the business community, said Joe Rollins, principal of the Don Tyson School of Innovation and the district's director of career and technical education.
Change happens quickly, and having close relationships with community business leaders is vital because they see those changes coming before educators do, Rollins said.
"They've got to be right at the table with us," he said.
MEETING THE NEED
The School of Innovation, in its fourth year, has more than 700 students in grades seven through 11. It will have a senior class for the first time this fall.
Students choose from seven career-study paths. They have options to earn workforce certificates, participate in internships and finish high school with both a diploma and an associate degree from Northwest Arkansas Community College. Business officials' input led to creation of the school's model, Rollins said.
Bentonville's Ignite program, in its third year, immerses high school juniors and seniors in real experiences in a professional environment with support from a facilitating teacher and professional mentors. Each class meets for 2½ hours each day.
The district launched Ignite with one information technology class of about 15 students. It has expanded to involve 200 students in classes covering eight careers: information technology, digital design/photography, health sciences, digital video, construction, culinary arts, education and global business.
"This is what the workforce looks like in our area. That's a key component," said Teresa Hudson, Ignite director. "We're looking for workforce gaps that people are talking to us about and saying, 'How do we start students younger in these particular career paths?'"
Ignite students are preparing themselves to be successful either in college or a career straight out of high school, Superintendent Debbie Jones said.
Jones and Bentonville School Board members are considering adding as much as 20,000 square feet to West High School to provide a single space for the Ignite program. Most classes meet in a variety of places away from the two high schools' campuses.
The Rogers School District has substantially increased career and technical programs and the number of students taking them in the past several years, said Dawn Stewart, career and technical education director.
"We continue to partner with local business and industry so we can do our best to align our workforce programs with the opportunities available," Stewart said.
One example is a partnership launched this school year with Hope Medical Partners for students to earn personal care assistant certification. Students complete an academic portion that consists of 26 hours of online modules. Then they receive hands-on skills instruction from a registered nurse.
The class is offered at no charge. Adults are invited to take the class but must pay $150, Stewart said.
NEW AVENUES
Rogers also is preparing to offer a course in unmanned aerial systems -- drones -- though it's unclear exactly when that will become available.
A drone program is being piloted at 14 schools across the state. Springdale's School of Innovation is the only one of those 14 that's in Northwest Arkansas, according to Cheryl Wiedmaier, an associate director at the Arkansas Department of Career Education.
Wiedmaier said she wasn't certain when the drone class will become available to the rest of the state's schools, but that it probably would be within the next five years.
"We look at leaving it on pilot status until we get all the curriculum and all the standards as we need them to be," she said.
Rogers has teachers who have completed the necessary training and acquired Federal Aviation Administration certification to pilot drones. The district has three drones that may be used for presentations or in activities in related career and technical courses, Stewart said.
Drones are used in a variety of fields, from medical to engineering to photography, Stewart said.
Fayetteville School District maintains firm relationships with business and industry leaders to stay informed on workforce needs, said Lisa Hotsenpiller, career and technical education director.
Fayetteville High School is adding a medical professions program next year. Students will take a yearlong foundations of health care course -- designed to introduce students to medical professions and basic first-aid and patient treatment skills -- and a semester-long medical terminology course.
"We know there's a health care worker shortage, so we need to address that," Hotsenpiller said.
Nearly 4,000 Fayetteville students in grades five through 12 are involved in some kind of career course.
Fayetteville High's agriculture department each year holds its Agri Night, where college and university representatives, as well as businesses seeking employees for technical positions, visit with students. Each year students come away from Agri Night with scholarships and jobs.
"This night is an excellent example of career and technical education preparing students to be college and career ready and offering the knowledge and skills needed in order to take the successful next steps from high school," Hotsenpiller said.
NW News on 03/11/2018