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WHAT'S NEW - MARCH 2004

WORK EXPERIENCE AND COMMUNITY-BASED LEARNING EXPERIENCES

Welcome to the website for the Council on Alberta Teaching Standards (COATS). This area of the website changes monthly. This month's selection of websites will be of interest to teachers, administrators, and parents who are exploring the topics of work experience and community-based learning experiences. The websites collected also refer to RAP (Registered Apprenticeship Program) and IOP (Integrated Occupational Program), which are distinctly Alberta programs. We hope that you find this website to be a valuable resource. For quick reference bookmark http://www.teachingquality.ab.ca today!

WEBSITES RELATED TO WORK EXPERIENCE AND COMMUNITY-BASED LEARNING EXPERIENCES INCLUDING RAP AND IOP

Alberta Learning Information Service (ALIS).
Copyright © 2004 Government of Alberta
http://www.alis.gov.ab.ca/main.asp

ALIS provides a first-rate introduction to occupational profiles and labor market information. This comprehensive website gathers many provincial as well as federal links that are relevant to students who want to make informed choices about a future trade or occupation. In addition, the website offers important information regarding the selection of a suitable post-secondary program of studies. Much of the information presented here is organized under the headers of "Career", "Learning", and "Employment". For Alberta high school students, this website constitutes a point of departure and basic resource. This website is hosted by the Human Resources and Employment Department of the Government of Alberta.

Calgary Board of Education.
Calgary, Alberta
Copyright © 2002 Calgary Board of Education
http://www.cbelearn.ca/career/Experience/workexperience/

The policy of the Calgary Board of Education offers a concise insight into the nature of work experience programs. Such programs provide opportunities for students to work, learn, and earn at the same time. This web page also furnishes information about the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) and how students can gain work experience that counts toward acquiring journeyman trade certification. The explanation gives noteworthy attention to summertime opportunities. The benefits of work experience for high school students are further elaborated at http://www.cbe.ab.ca/sss/work_exp.asp. Overall, such programs are viewed as easing the transition of students to the workplace. This second web page also contains descriptions of the characteristics of off-campus educational programs. Both of these web pages will be of special interest to work experience teachers and to guidance counselors.

CAREERS: the Next Generation.
Copyright © 2003 CAREERS: The Next Generation.
http://www.nextgen.org/index.html

This website is sponsored by the CAREERS: the Next Generation partnership. This website reveals the partnership's mission and principles, which pivot around developing a skilled workforce through community involvement within Alberta. The organization aims at promoting the career success of young people, with particular attention to trades, health services, and information and communication technologies. The programs described under the header of "Schools" describe arrangements in which students can, at the same time, study in high school, work within their own communities, and even be paid. Under the header "Students," the website turns particular attention to the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP). This website will be of interest to work experience and RAP coordinators who might wish to schedule a presentation from the partnership. Navigation of the website is straightforward. FAQs for students, employers and teaches are easily located.

Employability Skills 2000+.
Copyright © 2004 The Conference Board of Canada
http://www.conferenceboard.ca/education/learning-tools/employability-skills.htm

This website sponsored by the Conference Board of Canada offers a concise two-page brochure setting forth employability skills. The skills are identifiable as including "communication, problem solving, positive attitudes and behaviors, adaptability, working with others, and science, technology and mathematics skills". These skills are set within the context of lifelong learning and are advanced as a framework for dialogue among many involved stakeholders besides students, who are viewed as future workers. Employability skills are also recognized as transferable to other areas of an individual's life. The website includes information about how to obtain an Employment Skills Toolkit, which is designed to assist individuals in the development of their employability skills.

Employability Skills: An Update. 2000
Overtoom, C.
http://www.ericfacility.net/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed445236.html

This ERIC Digest No. 220 (ED445236) reports on the topic of employability skills, largely from an American perspective. Definitions of the term employability skills do vary but employability skills are the core skills required by employers and the skills that many training programs are designed to create. Such skills make individuals employable for the twenty-first century. The contribution of the Conference Board of Canada to identifying employability skills is specifically noted. The Digest concludes that significantly more research is required to develop the kind of training curricula that lead to the acquisition of the required competencies. The task of generating employability skills also necessitates ongoing communication between researchers, educational institutions, employers and communities. Finally, the Digest provides references for further examination of the topic.

The Impact of Work-Based Learning on Students. 2002
Wonacott, M. E.
http://www.ericfacility.net/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed472603.html

What are the effects on students who are involved in work-based learning? This ERIC Digest (ED472603) reports on largely positive outcomes for high school students that have been associated with programs that combine traditional academic learning and work experience. Work-based learning increases the involvement and motivation of many high school students in their related academic studies. Higher rates of school attendance and program completion as well as academic achievement have been associated with work-based learning. Students' feelings toward work-based learning have been largely positive. In some instances it has been demonstrated that work-based learning programs can enhance students' prospects of employment. The adoption of such programs remains controversial in some quarters and research findings within the American setting do diverge. The Digest includes references for further study.

This web page identifies the Program of Studies required for an Integrated Occupational Program (IOP) in Alberta. This five-year program begins in Grade 8 and is aimed at responding to the needs of students in junior and senior high schools who learn best through studying academic skills within an occupational context. Curriculum revisions are currently under way in an effort to make available resources that are more relevant to student needs. The planned date for implementation of the revised curriculum is September 2005. In the meantime, feedback on the proposed revisions has been welcomed. As an added feature, this web page provides links to related sites and to information on how best to contact personnel. A detailed statement of policy regarding IOP is available online at the following web page: http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/educationguide/pol-plan/polregs/142.asp.

Allan Watson School located in Lethbridge, Alberta, serves as an example of a school involved in a work experience program. The school's Off-Campus Education Program is described as the product of a partnership between students, the school, and business, in which students benefit from employment opportunities in the workplace. The program combines academic and hands-on learning. The program operates with the involvement of some 500 businesses within the Lethbridge area. The home page (http://www.lethsd.ab.ca/district/frameset.htm) indicates that Allan Watson School also offers students an Integrated Occupational Program (IOP).

RAP Scholarship Recipients 2003
Trade Secrets (Alberta Apprenticeship)
Edmonton, Alberta
Copyright © 2003 Government of Alberta
http://www.tradesecrets.org/index.html?page=scholarships_awards/rap_recipients_2003.html

Alberta Apprenticeship, who hosts this web page, offers congratulations to 50 recipients of RAP scholarships for 2003. The Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) provides a distinct route for apprentice training. As such, RAP constitutes a specific form of work experience in Alberta. Participants in the program can gain high school credits for their work experience. Participants in this program can thus complete their high school programs as well as obtain work experience in apprenticeship programs that lead to a journeyman qualification. In addition, participants in RAP are paid for their work. Applications for RAP Scholarships are available online under the header "RAP Scholarships." A colorful two-page brochure that describes RAP is available online at the following web page: http://www.tradesecrets.org/forms_publications/brochures/pdf/rap_students_2003.pdf

SAIT, KeySpan and Wild Rose School Division Launch Career Pathways.
Lalonde, L.
Calgary, Alberta
Copyright © 2001 Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
http://www.sait.ab.ca/support/marketing/newsatsait/ 2001/10december01/page1/page1.htm

This newsletter supplies an example of a community-based education project. The Career Pathways Program was officially announced in November 2001 at the Strachan Gas Plant, near Rocky Mountain House. Characteristically, the program involves an educational initiative to provide students with an exposure to the world of work before they select a career or before they proceed to post-secondary study. The arrangements for the community-based learning experience are established by a partnership between a school district and a corporation, enhanced by the involvement of a technical institute. The program is described as offering opportunities to a broad range of students.

School-to-Work Transitions in Alberta: Challenging Paradigms. 2003
Buck, G. H.
University of Alberta, Edmonton
http://www.wln.ualberta.ca/papers/pdf/08.pdf

This paper, authored by Professor George Buck of the University of Alberta, turns the spotlight on the phenomenon of school-to-work transitions within Alberta. Professor Buck examines the general social assumptions and practices that guided many students in completing high school and selecting a career through much of the last century. Under the influence of technological change, and particularly within the last decade, however, these assumptions and practices are undergoing modification. The new economy is taking shape. Within Alberta, the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP), Career and Technology Studies (CTS), CAREERS: the Next Generation, and Tech Prep are all indications of new approaches established for school-to-work transitions. Finally, the paper proposes speculation regarding which directions such programs might take when the collaboration of school, government and industry combines with a willingness to embark on innovation. References are included.

The School-to-Work Transition Web Zine: Motiv8. 2003-2004
British Columbia and Yukon
Yes Canada-BC Publishing Division
Burnaby, British Columbia
http://www.motiv8.com/main.cfm

The seven-page web zine (web magazine) was developed for British Columbia and the Yukon as part of their efforts to address the needs of students involved in the school-to-work transition. The target audience is high school students. The purpose of the web zine is both to inform and to motivate. The narratives presented relate the experiences of students in extended work internships within the area of Surrey, British Columbia. The internships were arranged as part of a partnership that involved school, local community, and a private corporation. Overall, the presentation is aimed at encouraging students to set goals and take charge of their career success. Although the format of the web zine is highly interactive, navigation remains uncomplicated. This web zine presents a practical message to students in an appealing and attractive format.