ACTE Launches New Career Readiness Series in Paper Describing Impact of Online Learning

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) today released "Expanding Career Readiness Through Online Learning." The paper describes the growth and significance of online courses and how career and technical education is supporting this work. The paper marks the beginning of ACTE's Career Readiness Series, which will concentrate on how elements of the CTE system support students' academic, technical and employability skill development.

Online learning provides flexibility of time, location and courses offered, and it allows non-traditional students the option to pursue their education while continuing with their current job or other responsibilities. Most importantly, online learning programs can provide students with a comprehensive set of academic, employability and technical skills to ensure career readiness.

Online learning is primarily associated with providing academic skills, but, with advances in technology, its connection to technical and employability skill sets is growing, especially through career and technical education (CTE) programs. According to a recent study from the National Research Center for CTE, 47.5 percent of community colleges offer credit-granting online occupational programs with at least 50 percent of course content online. High schools are also increasing CTE content online.

"Online education prepares today's students for tomorrow's world," said Lee Dury, national director of educational partnerships at The Princeton Review-Penn Foster.

Online learning opportunities are offered across all the 16 career clusters within CTE, with many programs using a hybrid approach that combines online and face-to-face instruction. For example, in many online CTE courses, students' class work, lectures and homework assignments are covered by the online portion of the class, and students acquire their hands-on-skill training in a lab, internship or clinical experience.

In addition to hybrid models, specific CTE course elements, like virtual job shadowing, are offered to enrich core curriculum. Computer-based simulations allow students to apply their skills in a controlled environment without the danger and cost of a "real-life" situation. Online programs can also be targeted specifically to improve employability skills. SkillsUSA, a career and technical student organization, developed an online program that teachers can use to improve students skills in areas like communication, conflict resolution, teamwork and time management.

"In order for us to reach the goals of increasing the number of graduates at both the secondary and postsecondary levels, we need to develop creative ways to engage all students. Online learning in CTE is part of that solution," said ACTE Executive Director Jan Bray. "As technology advances, CTE programs are enhancing their offerings by integrating online components into the curriculum and making sure that students and adults are college- and career-ready."

The paper offers suggestions for education and policy leaders on how high-quality online education can be expanded:

• Ensure adequate resources are available to expand the number of schools offering CTE options within online learning programs so the full range of career-readiness skills are addressed, and to support the hardware, software and broadband needs of these programs, especially in rural areas.
• Expand course development to ensure students can complete entire sequences of courses within comprehensive programs of study through online learning
• Provide more high-quality professional development for teachers who teach online courses in order to ensure rigorous content and student success in this unique learning environment
• Continue to improve the integration of online and face-to-face or hands-on learning.

The online paper was sponsored by The Princeton Review-Penn Foster, who provided background information for the paper. To obtain a copy of the paper, please visit ACTE's Web site.

About ACTE

The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is the nation's largest not-for-profit education association dedicated to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for successful careers. It provides advocacy, public awareness and access to information, professional development and tools that enable members to be successful and effective leaders. Founded in 1926, ACTE has more than 27,000 members including teachers, counselors and administrators at the middle school, high school and postsecondary levels.

SOURCE Association for Career and Technical Education