In the “Middle”

Nov 7, 2016 | Article

Requiring education beyond that of high school but less than a 4-year college degree, middle-skill jobs make up the largest portion of the current labor market in the nation and in each of the 50 states. In fact, according to a report by the Harvard Business School, 69% of HR executives note that their inability to attract and retain middle-skills talent frequently affects their firm’s performance.

In New Hampshire, these data points reveal only part of the reality behind what is often characterized as today’s “middle-skill gap.” According to the most recent National Skills Coalition analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics, middle-skill jobs account for 54 percent of New Hampshire’s labor market, while just 43 percent of the state’s workers are trained to the middle-skill level.

“In the next ten years, there are going to be more jobs in this ‘middle area’ than in any other sector of the labor market,” said Steve Rothenberg, board president of the New Hampshire Career and Technical Administrators (NHCTA). “This is what makes Career and Technical Education (CTE) so important in New Hampshire—it fills a very real need now and in the future.”

Whereas the traditional conception of CTE programs is somewhat narrow, the reality is they are incredibly diverse. Offered at 30 high school Centers across the state, current CTE programs range from construction, automotive technology and welding to graphic design, health professions, accounting, business, child development and information technology.

Lisa Danley, director of the Cheshire Career Center in Keene, said that CTE is defined by its usefulness to industry.

“The programs we offer are aligned with college courses and programs and industry needs across the state,” she said. “Programs are not designed in a vacuum.”

Beth Doiron, director of College Access and DoE Programs at the Community College System of NH, agreed and said collaboration with the business sector is critical. “Everything taking place with the CTE sector is aligned with real needs in the labor market,” she added.

The Next ‘Gig’
Whereas the goal of Americans years ago may have centered on the idea that a great career consisted in working at one place of employment, such an aspiration is no longer the norm. With tens of millions of Americans involved in some form of freelancing, contracting, temping or outsourcing, the employment landscape is rapidly and radically changing.

According to a report by the Deloitte University Press, nearly half of executives surveyed expect to increase the use of “contingent workers” in the next three to five years. This concept of contingent workers is found within the overall larger concept of the “gig-based economy,” which is loosely defined as networks of people who work without formal employment agreements. Moreover, a gig economy is also seen as one in which an increased use of machines is expected.

“Gig-based” employment, which is really at the foundation of the gig-economy, is becoming a serious factor in making real change, especially within middle-skills job market,” said Doug Cullen, founding president of the Vermont/New Hampshire Career Development Association (VT/NH CDA). “It is a migration from the employee/employer understanding of shared security and shared growth to one that creates uncertainty and potentially a lack of loyalty for the employee base.”

Work-Based Learning
In response to the gig-based economy and a number of other related factors, Cullen said CTE has begun to move toward the utilization of work-based learning (WBL) initiatives more comprehensively in the career development process. As an example, he cited Vermont where legislation was just passed that supports WBL.

“It stipulates that Vermont high schools must have or contract with CTE centers for WBL services, which extends upon the services CTE Centers can offer to high schools,” he said. “In December of last year, the National Governor’s Association announced New Hampshire as one of 6 states in the U.S. selected to participate in the 2016 Policy Academy on Scaling Work-Based Learning.”

Noting there are currently more than 20 distinct projects in NH that surround WBL-related interventions for various aged learners, Cullen said these efforts support the concept of ready-for-work and ready-for-college.

“Whether it is an apprenticeship, mentoring or internships, WBL initiatives are important in that they extend the classroom into the workplace and connect acquired knowledge and skills to a student‘s future employment,” he said. “WBL is what we need to help tomorrow’s workforce begin to develop the middle skills they will need today.”

Constructing a Brighter Future

Nov 1, 2016 | Article

Promoting the construction industry to New Hampshire youth, the 2016 New Hampshire Construction Career Days event will take place at the Hillsborough County Youth Foundation Center in New Boston on Thursday and Friday, September 22 and 23. In total, more than 50 schools and 1,600 high school students are registered for the event, which has quadrupled in size since it was first held in 2009.

Noting the event is open to both male and female high school students, Catherine Schoenenberger, president of Stay Safe Traffic Products, Inc., one of several major event sponsors, said one goal is to increase the attendance of women and minorities.

“We want to encourage more women in construction,” said Schoenenberger, who is also president elect of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC). “Women currently make up less than 10 percent in the industry. While women make less than men for the same work—and we are working on that—you can make very good money in construction and it is not going away.”

Resulting from the collaborative efforts of labor unions, construction companies, school districts, state agencies, trade and professional organizations, the event will feature more than 70 exhibitors. Areas of focus will include careers in heavy equipment, welding, plumbing, carpentry, electrical wiring, surveying and engineering, land clearing, underground utilities, and other construction related jobs. Students will also learn about various secondary educational resources, apprenticeship programs and career training pathways available after high school.

“These kids are involved and engaged at every single booth,” Schoenenberger said. “There are all kinds of challenges throughout the day, and kids can really get the sense they ‘[they] can do this.’”

Students also walk away with a comprehensive career book that details expected wages from each job, educational pre-requisites, and where they will be at the end of an apprenticeship. According to Tracy Untiet, assistant director, Career & Technical Education at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, said they find substantial value in having their students attend the event.

“Students have an opportunity to meet professionals in dozens of Construction related fields as well as trying a variety of tools and equipment that are not often available at school,” she said. “Examples are dump trucks, back hoes, climbing utility poles and rapling trees, and using electrical, welding and construction tools.”

In total, Untiet said they generally bring 100 students each year out of whom roughly 15 to 20 are female.

Having served as president of NH Construction Career Days, a 501 (c) (3) Non-Profit that raises private funds and donations to run the event, Schoenenberger said she is excited at its continued growth.

“NH Chronicle will be here on Thursday and Governors Lynch and Hassan have both attended,” she said. “It’s an event where companies see the value, too, as they expend a lot of resources and personnel. Between their efforts and our sponsors, the event continues to expand. It’s great to see and very rewarding.”

To learn more about the event, visit https://nhccd.weebly.com. To leanr more about NAWIC, visit https://www.nawic.org.

CTE teachers take advantage of project based learning

Sep 18, 2016 | Article

In early August, approximately 25 New Hampshire CTE instructors attended a two-day, project based learning (PBL) workshop in Concord with Marty Sugerik of the Southern Regional Education Board There were about 25 attendees that participated. In total, the training provided 13 hours of Professional Development over a two day period.

Areas covered during the two days ranged from how to implement icebreakers and class warm-ups to class notebooks and incentive programs. Teachers also learned about station teaching, which promotes collaborative independent learning by grouping 3-4 students together where they are assigned a task.
In station teaching, students are not allowed to ask the teacher questions, yet are allowed to use any resources they can find to solve the problem. Each student is responsible for demonstrating and documenting his or her work. Each group is responsible for documenting multiple solutions if consensus is not reached, while individual students are responsible for communicating on behalf of the group.

“In Gold Standard PBL projects, Marty also spent a considerable amount of time showing us his food truck project and how it relates to real world situations, which often tap into CTE topics,” noted attendee Heidi Havron, who teaches Math at the Manchester School of Technology. “It was stressed that there needs to be a real world component/CTE component to legitimize the portions of the project that relate to a particular field.”

The Career Development Bureau sponsored the professional development opportunity.

“We have received a great deal of positive feedback on the workshop and look forward to seeing the results of the project-based units that are rolled out over the coming year,” said Courtney Ritchings, NHDOE Career Development Bureau.

According to Havron, the entire training was quite productive. She said it was particularly beneficial that Sugerik was a math teacher and added math content to his program.

“At the end of the training, I had new techniques and examples of how to engage students with math problems, activities and projects that promote collaborative, yet accountable learning,” she said. “In addition, I was exposed to a slew of resources that can help me create my own material to use with the students.”