As each Iowa student is provided access to essential concepts and meaningful learning experiences in the core academic content areas, it is imperative that we also look to 21st century skills to build capacity in students so they are prepared to lead productive, satisfying lives. According to Ken Kay, president of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, the 21st century skills set “is the ticket to economic upward mobility in the new economy” (Gewertz, 2007). Business and industry are providing a very clear message that students need the skills to “work comfortably with people from other cultures, solve problems creatively, write and speak well, think in a multidisciplinary way, and evaluate information critically. And they need to be punctual, dependable, and industrious.” (Gewertz, 2007).
The Framework for 21st Century Learning stated, “We believe schools must move beyond a focus on basic competency in core subjects to promoting understanding of academic content at much higher levels by weaving 21st century interdisciplinary themes into core subjects” (2007). 21st century skills bridge the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of students from the core academic areas to real life application.
“The primary aim of education is not to enable students to do well in school, but to help them do well in the lives they lead outside of the school.”
-Ray McNulty, ICLE
Iowa High School Summit, December 10, 2007
In the 2007 session, the Iowa Legislature established the Iowa 21st century framework as:
1. employability skills
2. financial literacy
3. health literacy
4. technology literacy
Employability skills are those which can be applied to most workplace situations. They are general in nature, and cover a range of 'whole of job' experiences. They are sometimes referred to as the 'soft' skills, but this should not be interpreted to mean they are dispensable or easy to learn. For many students, mastering employability skills can be a challenging and confronting process, requiring intensive teacher and school input and explicit teaching, role modeling and task planning.
The Iowa Core Curriculum Employability skills are:
- Communicate and work productively with others, incorporating different perspectives and cross cultural understanding, to increase innovation and the quality of work
- Adapt to various roles and responsibilities and work flexibly in climates of ambiguity and changing priorities
- Demonstrate leadership skills, integrity, ethical behavior, and social responsibility while collaborating to achieve common goals
- Demonstrate initiative and self-direction through high achievement and lifelong learning while exploring the ways individual talents and skills can be used for productive outcomes in personal and professional life
- Demonstrate productivity and accountability by meeting high expectations
NetTrekker Career Skills: Career Preparation
http://school.nettrekker.com/subject/?ctgry_id=X102475
NetTrekker Career Skills: Job Preparation
http://school.nettrekker.com/subject/?ctgry_id=X129985
NetTrekker Career Skills: On the Job
http://school.nettrekker.com/subject/?ctgry_id=X129987
IPTV Guidance, Careers, and Vocational Resources
http://www.iptv.org/education/guidance.cfm
Road Map to Recruit and Retain Young People to Iowa
http://www.governor.iowa.gov/news/2008/01/11_1.php
Iowa Association for Career and Technical Education
http://www.iacte.bizland.com/
Employability Skills Profile
http://www.survivability.net/saprolinks/1skillsprofile.html
Saskatchewan Education: Career and Work Exploration
http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/paa/career/index.html
National Work Readiness Council: Skills New Workers in Entry-Level Jobs Need
http://www.workreadiness.com/images/WRCprofile.pdf
Are They Really Ready To Work?
http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/documents/FINAL_REPORT_PDF9-29-06.pdf
Promethean: Employability Skills
http://www.prometheanplanet.com/server.php?show=conResource.10375
The 21st Century Student: Skills for the New Economy
http://www.ncsl.org/programs/employ/21stCenturyOverview.htm
Edutopia: Crash Course: Learning to Go From Schools to Career
http://www.edutopia.org/south-grand-prairie-small-academies
From MySpace to My Job: Online Interaction Prepares Students for Employment
http://www.edutopia.org/social-networking-employment-skills
Minnesota Business Academy: Kids Learn the Connection Between School and the Real World
http://www.edutopia.org/minnesota-business-academy-video
Learn & Live: Preparing for Life Beyond School
http://www.edutopia.org/preparing-life-beyond-school-protech
Biotech Academy: Challenging Assumptions and Changing Lives
http://www.edutopia.org/biotech-academy-challenging-assumptions-and-changing-lives
Student Entrepreneurs Win Big: "Changing the World and Our Community"
http://www.edutopia.org/student-entrepreneurs-win-big
Online self-report survey to assess one’s level of performance with regard to employability skills.
http://www.jobsetc.ca/toolbox/checklists/employability.jsp?lang=e
NWREL: Developing Employabilty Skills
http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/sirs/8/c015.html
Employability Skills Assessment: Self Report Survey
http://www.coe.uga.edu/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/%7Erhill/new_owei/esa.pl
Conference Board of Canada: Employability Skills
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/career/employab.html
The Career Education Consumer Report
http://www.mycareereducation.org/
Career Advisor
http://www.mycareereducation.org/advisor.asp
Wage Finder
http://www.mycareereducation.org/wagefinder.asp
Tennessee: Teens2Work
http://www.state.tn.us/labor-wfd/youth/
Career OneStop: Explore Careers and Salary Ranges
http://www.acinet.org/acinet/
US Department of Labor: Occupational Outlook Handbook 2008/8 Edition
http://www.bls.gov/oco/
Wall Street Journal's Career Journal: Salary and Hiring Info by Industry
http://online.wsj.com/public/page/news-career-jobs.html
Wired Science: Careers in Science
http://www.pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience/video/331-careers_in_science_buzz_aldrin.html
Livelyhood: Careers and Vocational Education Classroom Resources
http://www.pbs.org/livelyhood/planetwork/classroom/careers1.html
In the Mix: Careers: Focus on Your Future
http://www.pbs.org/inthemix/shows/show_careers.html
Posts
