May 31, 2018 | Article, CTE Promotion
Representative Annie Kuster recently released a plan she terms the “Jobs and Opportunity Agenda.” Kuster highlighted the state’s relatively low jobless rate, saying the challenge now is to provide New Hampshire students the training they need to attain employment.
“We have the jobs and we’re looking for people with the skills to fill those jobs,” is how U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., describes the Granite State’s economy.
Nashua CTE Director, Amanda Bastoni, was on hand commenting “CTE is not your parent’s vocational program: it’s not where we put the ‘other kids.’ It’s really a true college or career pathway. If we can partner with industry to bring speakers in to do on-the-job training, to do summer classes to give kids those experiences, the research says they’ll make choices that we’re looking for with career and college,” Bastoni said. Full Article
May 6, 2018 | Article
Reflecting its mission “to provide education, leadership, and support for the profession of Engineering across all disciplines of practice,” the New Hampshire Joint Engineering Societies (NHJES) is inviting students to its annual fall conference in October.
NHJES is made up of organizations such as; Structural Engineers of New Hampshire (SENH), Society of Women Engineers (SWE), American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and many more.
According to NHJES Board Member Frank Xydias, engineering instructor at Milford High School & Applied Technology Center in Milford, participation in the conference will provide students with a unique opportunity.
“It is not often that high school students have the opportunity to attend a professional workshop and present their concepts in a real-world application,” he said.
This year’s invitation follows a similar one for last year’s conference in which Milford students attended workshops and breakout sessions. In addition, students Matthew Chase and Nikolas Liamos brought their prosthetic bike project to showcase at the 2017 NHJES conference.
One change this year, however, is that the invitation is statewide and open to 12 different STEAM/STEAM groups. Xydias noted the grand vision for this year is to host 12 different groups that include 3 students and 1 teacher from the following groups: PLTW, VEX Robotics, US First Robotics, DOT TRAC, Young Inventors, or others. At this event, they will set up a table display with their projects.
“It is important for students to see the natural progression from interest to career and ways to support those careers through professional networks,” he said.
At the conference, high school students will also be able to learn about current technology and trends happening in industry.
“We ultimately hope these high school students will become members of NHJES or other professional organizations so they can give back in ways they received,” said Xydias. “We want them to see the value in collaboration and on-going training and education.”
He said there is also an immediate experiential learning component for students who attend the conference.
“Matthew and Nik arrived on-time at last year’s conference and ready to work,” he said. “In professional collars, shirt and tie, they greeted passers-by and talked about their project. It was the type of environment that challenged them to think about “why” and answer common questions about it, which is exactly what they will encounter in the engineering design process…It was a ‘text book’ idea board of sharing, but we were not in a classroom.”
These real world tests, noted Xydias provide students with valuable, potentially life-changing insight(s).
“Professional networking is a big part of this and other industries,” he said. “This conference can provide budding engineers with an inside glimpse into this world, a chance to talk to veteran engineers and learn from people in the industry today.”
To learn more about the conference, which takes place on October 9 in Concord and is supported by numerous sponsors who are donating space to students, visit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZljhkSLKJYNw-sPMYnqC2H5gzLYS2PzCvK_1KiecNQE/edit.
To sign up, click https://goo.gl/forms/aUIWi1S3HFldPzjk2.
May 4, 2018 | Article, Building & Construction Trades, Cabinetmaking & Millwork, Drafting & Design Technology, Electrician, Heating/Air Conditioning, Refrigeration, Heavy Equipment Maintenance & Repair, Plumbing & Water Supply Services, SkillsUSA NH, Tid Bits
This year’s Construction Career Days are scheduled for September 27th and 28th from 8:30-12:30. It will be held at the Hillsborough County Youth Center Foundation in New Boston, NH. New Hampshire Construction Career Days (NHCCD) exposes New Hampshire high school students to possible career paths in both the construction and transportation industries through a hands-on exhibits and educational resources. Labor unions, construction companies, school districts, state agencies, trade and professional organizations collaborate to provide the students with an introduction to various aspects of construction.
This event increases career awareness in the construction and transportation industries through hands-on experience with heavy equipment, welding, small tools, plumbing, electrical wiring, surveying, waste water management, bridge construction, land clearing, underground utilities, and other construction related jobs. Several secondary educational resources and career training pathways are available for students to learn about. Professionals from a wide array of construction related work are available to speak with students and answer questions about their experiences in the construction industry and why they are so passionate about their career.
The day is open to all high school students, both male and female, via registration through a participating school. In fact, one of the goals of this event is to Increase the attendance of women and minorities participating in this event to a target attendance of 25%. Last year we were able to reach out to just over 14% females and 21% minorities.
Information & Registration
Apr 29, 2018 | Article
While academic debates still persist regarding whether today’s student requires more hands-on training or academic rigor to succeed as an adult, such discussions miss a key point.
“There is a real career to be had in the trades that is quite lucrative with the right education,” said Karen Machado, principal at Manchester School of Technology (MST).
In promoting the viability of Career and Technical Education (CTE) in the state, barriers extend beyond academic circles.
“There are programs where you can earn a degree to become a teacher, business manager, engineer and more, but many parents and students still do not realize that,” she said. “There is also a great salary with these jobs and many opportunities for female students, too.”
Recently featured in The Hechinger Report, MST has distinguished itself in recent years for its emphasis on creating opportunities for CTE and academic teachers to actively collaborate in educating students. As one example, Machado cited a Biology class in which a group of students had previously failed one or two times.
“They needed to experience Biology in a different manner,” she said.
At MST, this “different manner” led to a collaboration between their Horticulture teacher, who had expressed an interest in team teaching an Ecology course, and Biology teacher. The Horticulture teacher conducted the hands-on experiences outside while the Biology teacher conducted in-class direct instruction and experiments.
“Nearly all students will successfully finish this course,” said Machado. “The same was the case for our Manufacturing teacher teaching Physical Science with a Geometry teacher. Adding that relevance piece makes all the difference in the world when teaching students.”
The need for such collaborative teaching methods does not just represent best practice in the industry; rather, it addresses real needs in industry today, as she cited CTE as an important player in the state’s economic development.
“Now more than ever, businesses have a desperate need to fill these positions with the best experienced employees,” she said. “CTE will help to keep these young talented minds in the state of New Hampshire. This is so true now with the low unemployment rates. We need to keep our talent in state.”
In discussing how CTE works, Machado said it is important to note how it has changed through the years. She described it, as do most professionals in the CTE industry, as relating to “career pathways,” which are not necessarily straight or even linear.
“In our school, students who are motivated create their own pathway,” she said. “The beauty of students being at MST full-time is that they find the way to take two or three CTE programs. Sometimes, students take courses on VLACS in the summer to make room in their schedule for the needed time for CTE. Some students take architectural engineering and then go into carpentry.”
She said she has even had a student who completed two years of carpentry and then went into the Firefighter Program in the first semester and completed the EMT program in the second semester as a senior.
“One problem that has come up is that students are wanting to take a 5th year of high school to take more CTE programs,” she said. “They are truly seeing the benefit of becoming educated in high school instead of paying for it later.”
This article represents the first of several articles that will take a deeper look at MST and the larger context in which their programs have been developed to better meet the needs of students and industry.
Apr 22, 2018 | Culinary Arts, Hospitality, Lodging Management, Restaurant, Culinary & Catering Management/Manager, Tid Bits
Students in Great Bay Community College’s hospitality management program will work side-by-side with wine professionals at Wine Expo NH, a festive wine-and-food event on May 2nd at Portsmouth Harbor Events Center in the Portwalk. This walk-around grand tasting will raise money for student scholarships.
Wine Expo NH will showcase hundreds of wines will all wines available to order at 15% off for 6 or more bottles. Seacoast chefs will be offering a New England cheese station, charcuterie station, dim sum station, pasta station, passed hors d’ouevres and more. The Zach Lange Trio will play also.
“I can’t say enough about what a high-quality and fun event this is and how much the students’ enthusiasm adds to it,” said event planner Michele Duval. “With hospitality such a large part of downtown Portsmouth’s economy, we are really lucky to have Great Bay Community College in our midst. Event sponsor Horizon Beverage is proud to support their efforts with student scholarship monies from this event.”
Dawn Comito, program coordinator of Great Bay’s Hospitality Management program, said the opportunity for students to learn from industry professionals is valuable because it offers real-world, practical experience.
The students who are primarily involved in the Wine Expo are taking a hospitality marketing and sales class. The expo is a perfect example of how a New England spirits, wine and beer distributor like Horizon builds long term business relationships, Comito said. “Food and beverage is such an important segment of the hospitality industry. By actively participating in this expo our students not only gain some hands-on experience in proper pouring and tasting techniques, but they’ll also have the opportunity to begin building their own professional network with others in the industry. They’re also learning how to apply many of the marketing and sales strategies they’ve been studying all semester by experiencing things like personal selling and branding in action,” she said.
Rachel Robillard, who will graduate from Great Bay’s Hospitality Management program next spring with an associate degree, said she and her classmates are “extremely excited” about Wine Expo NH. “My role will mainly be working alongside wine representatives in both serving wine and explaining variations in the different wines,” she said. “I’m excited to gain hands-on experience in serving wine to guests, and I am excited to meet all of the wine representatives and network with all of the other hospitality professionals.”
