Page 38 - EdViewptsSpring2017

Prepping the Future Workforce. . .

Will Your Students Be Workplace Ready?

By Rosanne Moran, Director of Technology, Old Bridge Public Schools

“When I grow up, I want have the grades for it” I was told. business education students were no
When I started college, it was as an different than I was at their age. They
to be...” As an educator, how “undeclared” major—not knowing what truly did not know what they wanted
many times have you heard a student path to take. When I finally declared to do once they finished school. Each
utter that phrase? Very often, those a major at the end of my sophomore September, I started my year with
“career aspirations” depend on the year, I did so after a weekend discus- a personal goal: to raise the career
influences of the day. As teachers and sion with my mother who saw a career awareness of my students. My assign-
administrators, what guidance can in Business Education as a way to ments were designed to include career
we provide to help steer students into ensure employment. “If you can’t get investigations. My students learned
viable careers for which they are well- a job teaching, you can ‘always’ find about budgeting, loans, credit cards
prepared and can succeed? work as a secretary,” she said. How and checkbooks. I brought speakers
I look back on my own “career explo- encouraging. in from all career paths. We went on
ration” and counseling with incredulity. Having been successfully employed as field trips to businesses. My students
Attending a small, private high school a teacher who also worked in offices participated in committees and group
in the 1970s, the depth of my career during summer vacations, I knew that activities, which bettered our school
counseling consisted of a short “ca- my mother’s advice was not far off the and our community. All of this was
reer” visit to the guidance counselor at mark. I was employable and her advice done with the blessing of my depart-
the end of my junior year. “College or did teach me something else: you need ment chairperson (who reviewed my
work?” the counselor asked. Knowing to be flexible and take advantage of lesson plans) and my principal.
my parents and their expectations, opportunities when looking for work. When New Jersey adopted the state’s
my answer was swift and irrefutable: first set of academic standards in 1996,
“college.” “Fine,” was the answer, “you As a classroom teacher, I soon found the standards were designed to
out that many of my high school

Educational Viewpoints -36- Spring 2017