The Education for Employment (EFE) curriculum is enhanced by incorporating current industry trends and practices in order to enrich the students' lives by making the learning real. Students engage best in knowledge that is current and relevant; hence the course is described by them as "EFE--The Ultimate Experience." Education for Employment involves high expectations, academics, technical skill building, and real life applications. Three examples of current industry trends that are evident in the EFE program include: achieving industry credentials as CareerSafe, Customer Service, and Sales (see details in Indicator 4e, Artifact 27), recognizing opportunites to be environmentally friendly in the workplace (see details in Indicator 8d, Artifact 66), and using technology daily to sharpen and maintain computer literacy (see details in Indicator 8a, Artifact 56). These trends and practices are invaluable to all Education for Employment students - those who are in a pre-collegiate program and those planning to pursue further job training, an apprenticeship or the military as career options after high school. In addition, current trends specific to a particular business or industry are studied and implemented when appropriate as EFE students explore career clusters which pertain to their individual interests.
The following are Education for Employment curriculum enhancements:
The Education for Employment program is supported by industry to ensure that the program reflects current trends through a variety of activities. One such learning experience is the annual Mock Job Fair Interviews. Local employers, connected through the cooperative education component of EFE, volunteer to conduct panel interviews for student practice as a culminating activity in the interviewing unit. Students are expected to present themselves in a professional manner by dressing appropriately in business attire, removing all piercings, covering tatoos, and following dress guidelines learned during the unit. The employers and students meet and greet during a short refreshment time before panel interviews begin. The employers then conduct panel interviews using structured interviewing techniques and company questions. Students are given three 30 minute panel interviews as they rotate table to table simulating a job fair environment. The employers allow time during the 30 minute interview for feedback to the students as to their interviewing strengths and areas needing improvement. The experience is a win-win situation for all involved. Not only does it promote current industry interview practices, it develops favorable relationships between employers and Hayfield Secondary School. The employers are able to recruit qualified students as employees. Last year, four students were hired on the spot! This activity also gives the employers greater awareness of the EFE curriculum and related classroom instruction used to prepare students for the workplace. The networking time spent between students and employers is a valuable communication skill needed in today's global society.
A second strategy used to interact with industry is the use of guest speakers in promoting technical school options. Although the primary focus is on recruiting prospective students to a particular technical institution, the presentations also benefit all students by increasing their awareness of the current and future needs of industry - using a technical college as a pathway to related careers. In Education for Employment, the students need to explore all career pathway options - 4 year college/university, community colleges, technical schools, apprenticeships, and the military. One option is not better than another; every student has a fit into post-secondary training. There are certain local career-focused institutions that are specifically invited annually as they provide hands-on learning experiences, flexible degree programs, expanding program of studies, free tutoring, and career support. All of these are components used to help to enhance the success of an Education for Employment student. The participating technical schools include Westwood, EPCI, and Devry University.
A third interaction with industry is through promoting entrepreneurship endeavors. A former student, Josh Toth, shared his personal experiences on what it takes to be an entrepreneur, creating a small business, and managing and expanding the endeavor. Josh currently owns his own teen clothing business specializing in T-shirt designs. He discussed with the EFE students his postsecondary career path in business management and marketing. Topics also included the challenges of start-up business considerations such as cost, location, hours of operation, personnel, prospects for success, risks, and rewards. He briefly explained the different business structures in the form of ownership options such as sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, and franchise. Josh brought examples of merchandise and marketing samples from his initial business development as well as actual consumer products now in production five years later. He explains the process from start up to where he is today as his business continues to expand slowly in a struggling economy. Josh entertained questions from the Education for Employment students and listened to personal stories of EFE family business endeavors. Josh's presentation was an "eye-opening experience" as Education for Employment students were given the "big picture perspective" of business ownership.
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