What are Career Clusters?
In short, they are an organizational tool to be used by students to streamline their education from high school to college and a career. Occupations and industries are grouped together to form sixteen Career Clusters. The clusters are then narrowed further into 81 Career Pathways, which are grouped by common knowledge and skills required for occupations in a particular cluster career field.
Contextual Learning provides the instructional foundation for Career Clusters. It is "a system of instruction based on the philosophy that students learn when they see meaning in academic material, and they see meaning in schoolwork when they can connect new information with prior knowledge and their own experience"(Johnson, 2002). Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) enhances the teaching and learning process, and gives students the knowledge, skills and ability to be flexible in the workplace. When the student is prepared for a career using this methodology, the transition from school to work is much easier. This also further aligns the educational curriculum with industry needs, effectively giving the student an advantage in the working world.
For more information and free sample plans of study, go to www.careerclusters.org
Brochures for the 16 clusters can be downloaded by clicking on the icon:
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MONTANA CAREER CLUSTERS/History
In July 2004 the Workforce Development/Two Year Education Unit of the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education released an application form for four $100,000 grants. Applicants were free to choose from a list of six career/industry clusters proposed for Montana and based upon economic research done in the state through the Office of the Governor. One of the grants was awarded to fund cluster development in the area of Health Sciences. The other three were from among the Woods Products, Agri-Business, Manufacturing, Arts and Entrepreneurship and Information Technology clusters. All of these grants required development of direct ties to secondary schools and also the formation of Advisory Committees highly representative of business, industry and educational stakeholders.
Career Clusters Steering Committee
A special Steering Committee was developed following the first annual Montana State Career Clusters Conference of October 2005. The task of the committee was to address implementation of the directives of the conference. Within the career clusters implementation in Montana three key directives were to be kept in mind:
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The overall importance of serving students;
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carefully select key stakeholders for guiding the career clusters development in Montana, and;
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the need for cooperation between the state educational agencies.
Pathways and Frameworks
Creation of a State Executive Leadership Team (SELT)
The Leadership Team is made up of two secondary CTE division administrators and the postsecondary Deputy Commissioner of Two-Year Education. Their role is to ensure coordination of Perkins activities across educational and workforce systems; set priorities for activities that have a statewide impact and promote innovation in CTE programs and services, with particular emphasis on Career Pathways.
The Career Fields and Clusters Model
Click here for the current model of Montana Career Fields and Clusters (with Pathways included) for easy reference. This model is updated as needed under the guidance of the State Leadership Team.
State CTE Advisory Committee
This committee is advisory to the State CTE Leadership Board. The committee represents stakeholders of CTE-secondary schools, postsecondary institutions and other agencies/organizations such as administration, counselors, faculty/teachers, state agencies, community agencies and Business and Industry.
Involving Business and Industry in Career Clusters Design
This was the topic of the second Montana State Career Clusters Conference in June 07. Please see below for the Powerpoint presentations given at that conference.
Professional Development
Institutes-it was recommended that a variety of regional, state and national institutes be made available to educators as part of the career clusters implementation process.
Professional development opportunities have been made available to smaller working committees in the fields of Health Science, Business, and Manufacturing/Construction. These groups have met to review state standards in each field, review and recommend which courses will fit best with a model pathway for the state. In Business and Manufacturing, certificate programs already available at the two-year college level have been incorporated in their recommendations.
Professional Organizations-state agencies should continue to support the development and programming of these organizations as the clusters development programs increase and improve.
PERKINS IV and Career Clusters
In the summer of 2006 Congress passed the Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins IV). The Carl D. Perkins State Plan for the implementation of this legislation is in the process of approval and is now available on the home page to download for review. The reality and implementation of Career Clusters in career and technical education is a major part of this state plan. Ways in which the work thus far on Career Cluster development in Montana and requirements of the new Perkins Law can be integrated will be explored in joint conversations with OPI and OCHE staff and the Leadership Team.
STATE CONFERENCE SUCCESS IN KALISPELL
"Business and Education Developing a Vital Future Together".
Over 275 attendees gathered at the second annual Career Clusters conference held in Kalispell in June of 2007. Business and industry leaders, secondary teachers and postsecondary instructors, and representatives from many other groups met and networked during the three day event. The progression and development of Career Clusters in Montana were showcased, particularly with the new Glacier High School that created and used a Clusters model as it's "blueprint" for curriculum development, and the new facilities at Flathead Valley Community College. Many of the state's smaller school representatives also offered good input in the development of Career Clusters for Montana.
Presentation materials at the 2007 Conference:
Kim Green, NASDCTE Powerpoint Presentation
Deb Mills, CORD Powerpoint Presentation
Dan Zorn, Kalispell Public Schools Powerpoint Presentation
Brad Eldredge, DLI Research and Analysis Bureau Powerpoint Presentation
David Hall, WIRED Powerpoint Presentation
