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16 Developing High-Quality Work-Based Learning Experiences in Family and Consumer Sciences

Cynthia L. Miller

Introduction

Work-based learning (WBL) is an instructional strategy and opportunity to provide a comprehensive set of real work experiences for Family & Consumer Sciences (FCS) students in middle school through high school. When FCS students participate in these WBL experiences related to their career interests and skills, they can make informed decisions about the career path and training they choose to pursue while in high school and after graduation. Further, WBL will confirm the relevance and value of an FCS program when students can successfully apply their academic, technical, and employability skills in the workplace. This chapter will explain how secondary FCS educators can develop and provide high-quality WBL experiences to ensure the sustainability of these experiences with students, industry and community partners, and school district administrators for years to come.
In 2018, the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) created an evidence-based framework defining high-quality CTE across 12 elements (ACTE, 2018). One of those elements is in work-based learning (WBL). “This element addresses the delivery of a continuum of WBL involving sustained meaningful interactions with industry or community professionals that foster in-depth, firsthand engagement with the tasks required in a given career field” (ACTE, 2018, p. 5). This chapter will cover each of the nine criteria listed below in the WBL element from the ACTE’s High-Quality CTE Framework for developing a high-quality FCS WBL program (ACTE, 2018):
  • A full continuum of work-based learning experiences, progressing in intensity, is accessible to every student at some point during the program of study.
  • Work-based learning experiences are aligned with relevant national, state, and/or local standards.
  • Work-based learning experiences develop and reinforce relevant technical, academic, and employability knowledge and skills.
  • Work-based learning experiences are intentionally aligned with each student’s education and career goals.
  • Work-based learning experiences are provided through delivery methods that maximize meaningful interaction with business professionals.
  • Requirements and procedures for work-based learning experiences that address access, selection, liability, supervision, rights and responsibilities, safety, transportation, learning objectives, and evaluations are formalized and shared in advance of work-based learning experiences with employers, students, and parents/guardians (as appropriate).
  • Work-based learning experiences comply with relevant federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
  • Work-based learning experiences are supervised by CTE staff with clearly defined roles.
  • Students engage in reflection and document learning resulting from work-based learning experiences, such as through a portfolio or presentation.

Key Terms to Know

Apprenticeships
Cooperative Vocational Education
Employability Skills
Industry Tours
Informational Interviews
Job Shadows
Mentorships
Mock Interviews
Practicums
Pre-Apprenticeships
Service Learning
School-Based Enterprises
Simulated Workplaces
Technical Skills
Virtual Enterprises
Work-Based Learning
Work-Based Learning Continuum
Work-Based Simulation
Work-Based Training

Background

The oldest form of work-based learning was known as Cooperative Vocational Education (Co-op Education) and originated in 1906 at the University of Cincinnati (Mason & Haines, 1972). In 1913, through the effort of leading employers, Dayton, Ohio launched a high school that operated entirely on the cooperative principle (Mason & Haines, 1972). Students spent half their time at the workplace in supervised training and half their time in the classroom. The primary purpose of cooperative education was to provide occupational competence at a defined entry level (Mason & Haines, 1972). Instruction was geared to a set of defined performance objectives, and providing students with financial assistance, or employment, or even the inducement to stay in school. The instruction both in school and at the training station (workplace) was based on the students’ career goals (Mason & Haines, 1972). The kind, scope, and sequence of the training station learning experience was correlated closely with the kind, scope, and sequence of the in-school learning experience (Mason & Haines, 1972). High school students could choose to be in a cooperative education course if they possessed the employability skills acceptable in the workplace, as well as the necessary basic knowledge and skills prerequisite to employment that they usually obtained in a cooperative education pre-employment lab offered during a student’s junior year (Mason & Haines, 1972). The employment situation was a true training station, where the employer understood and accepted its training responsibilities and where an employee was given time to act as a training sponsor (Mason & Haines, 1972). The high school co-op coordinator had sufficient time to carry out the coordination responsibilities and be accountable for a quality education (Mason & Haines, 1972). Cooperative education continued through the 1990s, but began declining after support for it was removed in the Perkins Act of 1990.
Two other programs arose that began a new WBL education reform movement and provided a few other WBL opportunities. One program was Tech Prep initiated by the Perkins Act of 1990 which began a planned sequence of courses in a career and technical field beginning in 9th grade and extending through two years of postsecondary education or an apprenticeship program of at least two years that culminated in an associate degree or certificate (U.S. Department of Education, 2014). Another program was School-To-Work initiated by the Schools-To-Work Opportunities Act in 1994 within the U.S. Department of Labor that attempted to develop WBL opportunities to complement school-based programs for youth to help them better transition from school to successful careers (U.S. Department of Labor, 2009). Both of these programs continued where the cooperative education program left off and provided additional WBL experiences: apprenticeships, job shadowing, internships, mentorships, and school-based enterprises. The School-to-Work program was authorized for five years and was never reauthorized due to a lack of clear communication on the goals of the program and establishing clear criteria for measuring and assessing progress toward the goals (U.S. Department of Labor, 2009). The Tech Prep program was eliminated in May 2011 because the CTE State Grants program already required the development of programs similar to Tech Prep in the overall context of State CTE activities (U.S. Department of Education, 2014).
The reauthorizations of the Carl D. Perkins Act in 1998 (Perkins III) and 2011 (Perkins IV) embraced business partnerships but did not promote the importance of WBL at the secondary and postsecondary levels. Then the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) was reauthorized and signed into law in July 2018, where it reinforced the importance of WBL. This began a national request by the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE), a division within the U.S. Department of Education, for states to provide a multitude of  WBL experiences for students in secondary schools and community colleges (U.S. Department of Education, 2018). The Perkins V law also invited states to consider including participation in WBL as one of three indicators of program quality in their Perkins report (U.S. Department of Education, 2018). Further, the law emphasized that comprehensive WBL programs should contain three components: the alignment of classroom and workplace learning; application of academic, technical, and employability skills in a work setting; and support from classroom and workplace mentors (U.S. Department of Education, 2018). Sound familiar to Cooperative Vocational Education?
In Perkins V, there is a definition for Cooperative Education that is very similar to when this program was vibrant during the 1950s to early 1990s, which is a term that may still be used in some states today:
“a method of education for individuals, who through written cooperative arrangements between a school and employers, receive instruction, including required rigorous and challenging academic courses and related career and technical education instruction, by an alternation of study in school with a job in any occupation field . . .” (U.S. Congress, 2018, Sec. 3(10)).
Also, the definition of work-based learning was expanded in the Perkins V Act as
“. . . sustained interactions with industry or community professionals in real workplace settings, to the extent practicable, or simulated environments at an educational institution that foster in-depth, firsthand engagement with the tasks required in a given career field, that are aligned to curriculum and instruction” (U.S. Congress, 2018, Sec. 7(55)).
Based on this definition, FCS educators can provide a variety of WBL opportunities for students as long as they are continuously interacting with industry and/or community professionals in simulated and/or real workplace settings. This will allow students to consistently see the relevance and value of their academic and technical learning, practice and improve on their employability skills, and further confirm their career path and postsecondary training beyond high school.

Work-Based Alignments to National Family and Consumer Sciences Standards

These are included in an appendix at the end of the text.
If your state has developed FCS curriculum standards, be sure and locate the alignment of these standards to WBL so you can include them as justification for providing a multitude of WBL experiences for students.
 

Work-based Learning Continuum

The Linked Learning Alliance, a national coalition of educators, employers, and community organizations developed a continuum of WBL experiences, which can best be understood as a sequence and coordination of experiences that advance toward postsecondary education and professional careers (Linked Learning Alliance, 2012). This model refers to WBL experiences that increase in intensity over time as students move along the continuum, from general career knowledge to immersion in a career or industry. This is important to be aware of because most FCS programs offer two to three WBL experiences (e.g. practicum and career preparation courses) at the junior and senior grade levels in high school when there are many WBL experiences to be offered across all secondary grade levels. This continuum outlines three stages of WBL under four career development areas, which also includes examples of possible WBL experiences FCS teachers can provide their students (Linked Learning Alliance, 2012):

Career Awareness (6th-7th grades)

WBL experiences support learning ABOUT work. Career awareness is the broadest of the continuum phases. At this stage, students become aware of and learn about available career and education options. By being exposed to a variety of options, students can identify potential pathways towards specific fields or industries. Career awareness is also the phase where students can learn how education relates to work. Typically, students begin career awareness activities in elementary school and continue through middle school. Examples of possible WBL experiences:

  • Career-based Service Learning – engages students in experiential, hands-on projects in the community while deepening a student’s understanding of a career area of interest.
  • Career Fair – enables many students to explore a variety of career opportunities, network with potential employers and mentors, and learn how to communicate effectively and appropriately.
  • Lunch and Learns – are short, focused, 30-45 minutes sessions focused around career readiness, career exploration, or work experience-related topic by an industry professional.
  • Career Research Project – engages students in researching required skills, salary ranges, job duties, types of work and benefits, and educational requirements associated with a particular career field.
  • Industry Tours – an excursion for a group of students allowing them to receive an informative introduction, as well as observe, various career fields associated with an industry. This is an experience that can happen virtually, as well as in person.
  • Career Speakers (in-person or virtually) – provides opportunities for students to learn about the skills required in various industries or career fields; the career paths taken by those in the field; the tools, materials, and equipment used; and the work environment and expectations for performance. This can take place in the classroom or virtually through an online meeting platform (e.g., Zoom, Skype, etc.)
  • Career Videos – shows the types of work in which individuals employed in a career field are engaged. These videos can be of actual industries within a community that can include interviews, tours of the industries, and pop-up information and statistics on job markets, salaries, and educational requirements.
  • Take Our Daughters & Sons to Work Day (April) – provides an opportunity for students to go to work with a parent for an entire day. Parents have an opportunity to show their children the value of their education, help them discover the power and possibilities associated with a balanced work and family life, provide them with an opportunity to share how they envision the future, and allow them to begin steps toward their end goals in a hands-on and interactive environment. More information can be found at https://www.daughtersandsonstowork.org/.

Career Exploration (8th-9th grades)

WBL experiences support learning ABOUT work. Career exploration is similar to career awareness and is the next step after students identify and gain a deeper understanding of their available career options. Students learn about specific occupations during the career exploration phase and accumulate additional information to inform their decision-making process. Students generally obtain a full understanding of the entire range of career options. Additionally, students start to match individual skills and interests to specific education and career pathways. Examples of possible WBL experiences:

    • Industry Tours – see previous information under Career Awareness.
    • Informational Interviews – provides students the opportunity to get firsthand, relevant information about the realities of working within a particular career field. This can take place in-person or virtually through an online meeting platform (e.g., Zoom, Skype, etc.).
    • Job Shadows – provides a supervised observational experience in an approved business or industry setting that allows students to gain knowledge by observing technical skills they learned in the classroom. This is an experience that can happen virtually, as well as in person.
    • Mentorships – the student is matched with an adult professional in a chosen field of interest to explore careers, postsecondary options, industry expectations, and career readiness skills. The career mentor serves as a resource by sharing insights and providing guidance about the workplace, license or certification requirements in a career, and educational degrees. This is an experience that can happen virtually, as well as in person.
    • Simulations – allows students to experience opening a business, manufacturing products, and demonstrating career readiness skills in a non-threatening, safe environment in the classroom. Simulations can be for individuals or teams and are usually provided by the industry to simulate projects/products developed in that industry. Gaming technology has also evolved rapidly to include the virtual reality experience of career simulations (15 Best Online Life Simulation Games).
    • Summer Experiences – provides an extended opportunity for students to explore the workplace and develop technical and career readiness skills through a focused camp or summer internship experience. Community college and university campuses usually provide quite a few of these types of summer camps, such as a Chef Camp, Fashion Camp, Financial Planning Camp, etc.

Career Preparation (10th-11th grades) 

WBL experiences support learning THROUGH work. Career preparation provides students with the opportunity to learn through simulated and/or real work experiences. Students actively participate and interact with industry or community professionals to develop and enhance their skills and knowledge. This career preparation area of the continuum allows students to apply foundational knowledge and skills required for college and career readiness. Experiences are geared towards integrating academic and work-based skills. Examples of possible WBL experiences:

    • Integrated Industry Project (multiple interactions with industry partner) – allows students to use their critical thinking and problem-solving skills to help an industry partner solve a problem or develop a new product. This project can usually take four to six weeks or an entire semester to complete.
    • FCCLA Projects with industry partner involvement – provide students with an opportunity to interact with an industry partner when participating in various FCCLA competitive events, such as in skilled demonstration events like interviewing skills and in STAR events such as entrepreneurship.
    • Student-Run, School-Based Enterprise – is a simulated or actual business usually conducted on the school site with industry partner involvement. Students create and operate an economically viable venture that replicates a specific industry and generates revenue for FCCLA or school. School-based enterprises are activities through which students produce or provide goods or services for sale or for use by people other than themselves (e.g., Food Truck, Coffee Café, Clothing Store, etc.)
    • Virtual Enterprise – is a simulated or actual business with industry partner involvement, but it is conducted online similar to a school-based enterprise (e.g., Food Meal Kits, COVID-19 Masks). The virtual enterprise can be done in conjunction with a school-based enterprise on the school site, but can also be done separately if there is not a place on campus to develop one on-site.
    • Internships – provides students the opportunity to be placed at a workplace for a defined period of time to participate in and observe work firsthand within a given industry. Internships often allow students to rotate through several departments and job functions, and can be paid or unpaid experiences.
    • Service Learning – allows students to apply what they have learned in the classroom by volunteering with a non-profit related to their career interests. As a result of service learning, students learn more about the community and themselves while fulfilling a need in the community (e.g., Interior Design class working with Habitat for Humanity).

Career Training (11th-12th grades)

WBL experiences support learning FOR work for a specific range of occupations. Career training represents the culmination of the three previous career development areas of a student’s education and training. During this career development area, students begin learning and training for actual employment and preparation for postsecondary education. Students can demonstrate specific knowledge and skills related to their selected career field. Also, students begin participating in career training and postsecondary education towards the end of their high school career and well after graduation. Examples of possible WBL experiences:

    • Pre-Apprenticeships – is designed to prepare individuals to enter and succeed in registered apprenticeship programs. This program is a documented partnership with at least one registered apprenticeship program sponsor, and they expand the student’s career pathway opportunities with industry-based training combined with classroom instruction (U.S. Department of Labor, n.d.). It can last from a few weeks to a few months and can be paid or unpaid experiences (U.S. Department of Labor, n.d.)
    • Apprenticeships – are innovative WBL and postsecondary earn-and-learn models that meet national standards for registration with the U.S. Department of Labor (or federally recognized State Apprenticeship Agencies). They provide on-the-job learning and job-related technical instruction, as well as earned wages during the training. Training usually results in an industry-recognized credential (U.S. Department of Labor, n.d).
    • Entrepreneurship – provides students an opportunity to establish a business from the initial startup phase through full operation while receiving guidance from an industry partner. This includes beginning with an initial business idea, developing a business plan, actual start-up, and complete ownership. This can be as a class project or for FCCLA. This activity is considered a paid experience because the student(s) who starts a business will be receiving income from the sale of a product or providing a service, so he/she will assume the risks of creating the entrepreneurial venture. This may also take the form of school-based business that students help to set up and run with industry guidance.
    • Work-Based Simulations (Practicums) – provides students with experience in a simulated workplace (e.g., culinary lab) or supervised experience in an approved setting (e.g., elementary school setting). Students gain knowledge and apply learned skills in an actual FCS-industry setting combined with related classroom instruction. These are normally known as practicums and are unpaid experiences that prepare students for the real workplace setting.
    • Simulated Workplaces – this provides students the opportunity to master the skill sets and attributes necessary for gainful employment. It provides an educational environment that imitates the future workplace and the opportunity for students to be accountable for their learning, collects evidence of content mastery, and earns recognition for their achievements. It puts into place a formal and purposeful relationship between education and industry. It also removes many barriers for students in rural communities by offering this type of WBL experience. More information is available about this type of workplace in action at https://careertech.org/resource/west-virginia-simulated-workplace.
    • Mock Interviews – are practice interviews with an industry professional related to a student’s career interest. It provides students with an opportunity to answer difficult interview questions, develop interview strategies, improve their communication skills, and reduce their stress before an actual job interview. One event to consider is providing a “Job Interview Expo” where students are at tables with their resume, business cards, and laptops showing their career portfolio, and employers are invited from across the community to conduct a job interview with those students interested in their particular industry. This serves two purposes: job interview experience for students with several employers and possibly gaining employment right out of high school.
    • Work-Based Training (including Remote Jobs) – is a planned program of the school site and worksite to provide on-the-job experiences related to students’ career interests that are designed to enable the student to acquire knowledge and skills in a real work setting. This opportunity helps connect students with employers, whether in person or remotely, to prepare them for success in an ever-changing workplace, and is a paid experience.
WBL experiences along this WBL continuum are flexible in nature. For instance, the grade levels for each career development area are recommendations, and some of these areas, such as career awareness and career exploration, can be provided throughout any secondary grade level depending on the FCS courses offered within that school district. Additionally, WBL experiences along the continuum are not exclusive to each career development area. WBL experiences such as job shadows can occur in career preparation, and career fairs may extend to career exploration. Further, WBL experiences continue throughout a student’s working life as job opportunities shift or evolve. This allows students multiple entry and exit points as they progress along their academic and career paths. A graphic of this WBL continuum is available at https://connectednational.org/learn/key-resources/work-based-learning/. More resources on the various WBL experiences mentioned in this section and how to develop them can be found in an online LiveBinder at https://www.livebinders.com/edit/index/2672145 by using the following access key: WBLearning. This LiveBinder was prepared for secondary FCS teachers in Texas, so there is information related to industry associations available in Texas. However, this should inspire FCS teachers to investigate all of the FCS-related industry associations in their respective states to help them with developing future WBL experiences.

Work-Based Learning = Academic + Technical + Employability Knowledge and Skills

According to the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education’s (OCTAE) work-based learning framework, application of academic, technical, and employability knowledge and skills in a work setting
“. . . are based on rigorous academic and employability skill requirements; and include in-depth and hands-on work experiences (either on-site or through simulated/virtual methods), with activities ranging from career awareness and exploration to career preparation and training” (U.S. Department of Education, n.d., para 2).
Additionally, Perkins V reiterates the purpose of this law, which is “to develop more fully the academic knowledge and technical and employability skills of secondary students . . .” (U.S. Congress, 2018, Sec. 2). How can FCS educators ensure that these three major skills areas are effectively implemented into their courses?

Academic Knowledge and Skills

All students need foundational academic knowledge and skills to be postsecondary- and workplace-ready. However, to be truly workplace-ready, students need to be able to apply their academic knowledge and skills to authentic work situations. For example, employers often complain about the lack of effective communication skills students possess when hired into their workplace. FCS educators can integrate English skills by helping students see the connection of these skills in the classroom through various activities such as following oral and written instructions, greeting and introducing guest speakers, conducting a presentation, participating in mock interviews, using correct email etiquette, and analyzing a business proposal, to name a few.
A deficiency in math is also a common problem for employers, so more attention is needed on the application of geometrical principles in interior and fashion design plans, measurement conversions and proportions in hotel and culinary operations, probability and statistics in financial planning, as well as many other math skills. If there are FCS educators who do not feel as competent with their math abilities as they do in English, they should consider asking the math department to meet with them to discuss the math skills they teach in their respective FCS courses and how these skills can be enhanced in their lessons.
FCS educators should also take their state and/or national FCS standards and align these standards that best connect with the academic standards in English, Math, and Science. Then include these academic standards in lesson plans to reinforce the academic knowledge and skills needed in FCS-related career fields. It is crucial for FCS students to apply their academic knowledge and skills to authentic situations they may face in their careers, skills that take practice and are intentionally connected to students’ specific career goals.

Technical Knowledge and Skills

For students to be effectively ready for a career, they must possess at least entry-level job-specific knowledge and skills. According to the National Skills Coalition (2018), only 16% of high schools in the U.S. are providing the equivalent skills training needed for entry-level, high-demand jobs. So, how can FCS educators ensure the skills training they are providing is equivalent in preparing students for these entry-level positions? FCS-related industry and community partners need to be invited to the curriculum table to discuss the appropriate technical knowledge and skills that need to be taught, as well as to ensure the appropriate industry-recognized certifications are provided in particular FCS courses. At the secondary level, if there is little communication or coordination between FCS educators and industry and community partners, it will lead to unclear technical knowledge and skill requirements for different FCS-related industries and occupations.
Another method for ensuring classroom training is equivalent for entry-level positions is to invite industry and community partners to come in and help teach these technical skills in FCS classrooms. This would enhance the relevance and value of FCS courses for students, as well as motivate students to achieve the appropriate industry-recognized credential(s) that confirms they possess the technical knowledge and skills. Additionally, when FCS educators have received the appropriate industry-recognized credential(s) validating their technical knowledge and skills for an FCS-related industry area(s), they are better able to ensure their students can apply the technical knowledge and skills in achieving these industry-recognized credentials.
Lastly, FCS educators should utilize the U.S. Department of Labor’s online occupational network, known as O*NET (https://www.onetonline.org/). They consistently work with all industries to identify and update key work tasks, technology skills, work knowledge, work skills, work abilities, and work activities representing what students need to know and be able to do to be successful in a specific career field. Having students research this information and showing how they will acquire these technical skills in all FCS courses is essential in them seeing the importance of learning these skills, as well as being able to effectively communicate them on a resume and in a job interview.

Employability Knowledge and Skills

It’s not possible to predict what students should know to fully prepare for the workplace now and in the future, but what is certain is that employability skills are essential for success no matter the industry. This author heard an employer on a panel at a conference say, “I hire employees 100% of the time for their technical skills, but fire employees 99% of the time for their lack of soft (employability) skills” (Personal Communication, Bill Kersten, March 24, 2017). The employability skills students demonstrate will look different in various contexts but should be transferrable to any work environment.
The employability skills most employers need students to possess include (but are not limited to) the capacity to adapt, communicate, collaborate, create, critically think, problem-solve and be professional, responsible, and ethical. Numerous education and industry association stakeholders worked to identify a unifying set of employability skills critical to employee success based on an inventory of existing employability skills standards and assessments, which became the common framework for employability skills (U.S. Department of Education, 2016). More information about this Employability Skills Framework is located at https://cte.ed.gov/initiatives/employability-skills-framework.
Note: Permission to use this graphic was provided by the OCTAE since it’s being used for educational purposes.
FCS educators should integrate as many of these employability skills as possible throughout all of their courses, as well as help students apply them to real-world life and work situations. Many of these skills are also necessary for college readiness. At the end of this chapter, there is a resource titled, “Integrating Employability Skills: A Framework for All Educators,” that will show FCS educators how these skills were integrated into an example Food Preservation lesson. Additionally, the Employability Skills Framework site provides an “Employability Skills Checklist” for FCS educators to download that lists and explains all of the employability skills available for implementation into a lesson (U.S. Department of Education, n.d.). Both of these resources will help FCS educators effectively choose the appropriate employability skills to implement in their lessons.
In summary, it takes all three of these major skills for students to be ready for a career, especially for the WBL experiences in the career preparation and career training areas of the WBL continuum. FCS educators should focus on providing all students a strong foundation across all three skill sets so they are prepared both personally and professionally to have and live an optimal quality of life.

Aligning Work-Based Learning to Students’ Education and Career Goals

Approximately 42 states have mandated and implemented a career development and planning tool to support high school students in becoming college- and career-ready (U.S. Department of Labor, 2016). This tool is known as an Individual Learning Plan (also known as an Academic and Career Plan, High School and Beyond Plan, Next Step Plan, Individual Graduation Plan, Personal Graduation Plan, as well as many other names) that defines students’ career goals and postsecondary plans, which in turn informs the decisions about their courses and activities throughout high school (U.S. Department of Labor, 2016). This type of plan would also be the best way to align the WBL experiences provided along the WBL continuum towards students’ education and career goals.
Most individual learning plans contain:
  • Results of students’ career interest and skill assessments;
  • A meaningful program of study outlining specific courses aligned with students’ career aspirations;
  • Postsecondary plan related to students’ career pathway;
  • Participation in co-curricular and extracurricular activities; and
  • Participation in WBL experiences related to students’ career pathway; and
  • Flexible to allow changes in the program of study but be sufficiently structured to meet graduation requirements and admission to postsecondary education.
What is the name of this career development and planning tool in your state? What does it contain to help students reach their future education and career goals? A majority of these plans are implemented beginning in middle school and updated each year of high school with parental approval. All students develop this plan with their high school counselor/school administrator and parent(s), but an FCS educator can also participate as a collaborator in the continuous development of this plan. Due to many of these plans now being developed in a web-based career portfolio system (e.g., Naviance, Kuder, Xello, etc.), the FCS educator can ensure students upload various items related to their WBL experiences. These items can include pictures of students’ participation in various WBL experiences, journal reflections, employer evaluations, and projects conducted in the workplace, to name a few. This will make sure students have a career e-portfolio that showcases not only their academic success towards their educational goals but also the alignment of employment success related to their career goals. Further, FCS educators can ask postsecondary and industry/community partners to review students’ career e-portfolios for any improvements needed to enhance their postsecondary and employability opportunities beyond high school.
What if this type of plan is not available in your state? An FCS educator can still develop a similar plan using many of the free career e-portfolio systems available, such as PortfolioBox, Weebly, Google Sites, Wix, PBWorks, PortfolioGen, and Portfoliopen, to name a few. Also, many postsecondary institutions and industries are requiring individuals to submit a career e-portfolio as part of the application process for admission and employment, respectively. Therefore, FCS educators should encourage all students to develop a quality career e-portfolio they would be excited to showcase beyond high school.
Individual learning plans are a promising strategy for ensuring students are college- and career-ready, especially when students are given ownership of their plan and can see the relevance of continuing this plan beyond high school. FCS educators can be a student’s best advocate in engaging both the student and his/her family on why this plan will contribute greatly to the student’s future postsecondary and workplace success while in high school and beyond.
 
 

Delivery Methods Used in Providing Work-Based Learning Experiences

 There are two delivery methods used in education for providing work-based learning experiences. The first delivery method takes place in the FCS classroom. From the time secondary FCS students take an introductory course to their final senior-level course, they should be learning and connecting academic, technical, and employability skills they can successfully apply to any WBL experience. This would include

  • teaching a curriculum that has been developed in collaboration with industry, community, and postsecondary partners;
  • having a multitude of industry and community partners as career guests and when needed, as trainers in teaching new or advanced techniques with the assistance of the FCS educator; and
  • developing and providing as many WBL experiences with industry and community partners that progress in intensity to help confirm the career direction students decide to pursue beyond high school.
Next, program design and implementation determine how successful a WBL experience will be for students. This is critical for FCS educators to remember when choosing what WBL experiences to provide in their courses. If a student has a poor WBL experience, it will have lasting implications for other students and FCS educators in a school district. To develop quality WBL experiences that increase students’ success in these experiences, they should include the following characteristics (U.S. Department of Education, n.d.):
  • A purposeful focus on applied learning in preparation for providing a WBL experience;
  • Learning outcomes as the driver for designing a WBL experience;
  • Relevance to students’ career interests and their individual learning plan;
  • Integration with curriculum or connection to related academic courses;
  • Sufficient depth to allow for employability skill development and professional community engagement;
  • Ongoing interaction with professionals from FCS-related industries and the community;
  • Close supervision from both teachers and employers;
  • Opportunities for reflection and analysis;
  • Assessment of student learning that is aligned with industry-specific expectations;
  • Alignment with career and postsecondary opportunities; and
  • Documentation of student learning through the development of artifacts and portfolios.
Further, FCS educators need to provide an orientation for students participating in WBL experiences at an industry’s workplace. This can take place in a general way as part of the career guidance function at the school or in an FCS course, either through targeted inquiries or a speaker event. This can also take place at the worksite itself. The information to be covered in this orientation should include:
  • The FCS WBL standards at the state or national levels;
  • The connection of the WBL experience to students’ individual learning plans;
  • Workplace expectations specific to the industry or community partner’s site, including rules of conduct and the definition of “professionalism;”
  • Transportation issues;
  • Hours, attendance issues, and keeping timesheets;
  • Reflections and journal-keeping (if this is to be a requirement);
  • Technical information specific to the industry or site (e.g., mental illness for an internship with a homeless shelter)
  • Assignments and projects expected to be completed in the classroom or at the worksite to receive course credit;
  • Safety issues, including sexual harassment;
  • Supervision; and
  • Assessment and career e-portfolio development.
The second delivery method is providing WBL experiences at the industry and/or community partners’ workplace. At the workplace, the staff and student’s supervisor should provide a tour and basic information that includes the following:
  • Welcome and introductions, including basic information about the company;
  • Department specifics, basic job requirements and responsibilities, and job descriptions;
  • Workplace tour;
  • Safety issues and training;
  • Supervisor’s expectations; and
  • Materials and equipment.
This delivery method exposes students to new environments and expectations, as well as increases their “social capital.” Social capital is described most succinctly by the saying, “It’s not only what you know; it’s who you know.” In a WBL context, adult supervisors, mentors, staff, and others can provide students with access to valuable resources such as information, assistance, exposure to adult worlds, support, and encouragement. In turn, these connections can open new avenues for organizations to find candidates and, ideally, provide students with an inroad to the informal referral process that is so common in recruitment and hiring. Ways that a workplace or internship supervisor can increase students’ social capital include:
  • Setting high expectations for a student’s performance;
  • Showing students how to carry out their work duties, provide feedback, and check-in periodically;
  • Discussing options for solving a problem or carrying out a task and soliciting students’ feedback;
  • Chatting with students and asking follow-up questions; and
  • Asking students about their interests and introducing them to new places, ideas, or people.
The basic ingredients for the successful delivery of this method are providing WBL experiences that have clear job tasks and expectations, some level of responsibility, access to applied learning in a specific FCS-related industry, and feedback from supervisors and peers. When done well, this delivery method provides young people with meaningful exposure to workers, job duties, and workplaces, and offers opportunities to advance their learning of occupational and employability skills in ways that are difficult to achieve in the FCS classroom alone.
FCS educators should check with their school district’s CTE Director/Coordinator or state’s Career and Technical Education Department to see what required training and documents are needed before implementing any WBL experience within the career preparation and career training areas of the WBL continuum (e.g., apprenticeships, internships, practicums, and on-the-job training). Every state requires schools to follow state employment and child labor laws when implementing WBL experiences where students are receiving paid or unpaid training at a worksite for six weeks or longer during the school year.
This second delivery method also requires a strong partnership between the FCS educator and industry and community professionals. The next section will discuss ways to build strong and sustainable industry and community partnerships.

Engaging Industry Partners in Work-Based Learning

Industry partners have been involved in education since they were instrumental in creating the vocational education system in the 1920s when work was becoming more specialized (Pawlowski & Katz, 2014). However, the U.S. Department of Education (2019) has shown there has been a growing disconnect between businesses and schools over the past decade, as well as a significant drop in the number of students being employed in the workplace during the school year. This is occurring because industry partners are not sure how to get involved or how they can make a meaningful contribution with CTE educators in developing quality WBL experiences for students. Industries know they cannot build a workforce without the help of the education system, so there is a strong need for both FCS-related industry partners and secondary FCS educators to work together.

Partnership Elements and Benefits

To build quality WBL experiences for students, there has to be a partnership with the following elements (Pawlowski & Katz, 2014);
  • Partners collaborating as equals – everyone must have a say in what the partnership does and how it does it. If industry partners do not have some influence on how WBL experiences are developed, they may not remain partners for very long.
  • Shared interests or concerns – a return on investment (ROI) is one of the most critical aspects of a strong and sustainable partnership. Industry partners have to see how they’re going to benefit from their participation in helping with developing and implementing WBL experiences.
  • Partners bring something to the table – the benefit of having industry partners is the contributions they will bring to the table that can include resources, personnel, expertise, etc. to the effort of building quality WBL experiences.
  • A way to measure progress or outcomes – when developing a WBL experience with an industry partner, there needs to be a set of outcomes both industry and education partners would like to achieve, as well as a measurement tool that can be used to show progress and hard data for everyone to see.
FCS educators need to make sure they are asking industry representatives to serve as partners, not as sponsors. The difference is if the industry is providing resources to put an FCS educator’s WBL experiences into place and solve an FCS educator’s problem with lack of industry participation, then this is a sponsorship model (Pawlowski & Katz, 2014). A partnership model is asking industry partners to identify shared concerns and work together to design a solution that better accounts for the resources available from all industry partners and leverages the strengths of everyone involved in developing quality WBL experiences for students (Pawlowski & Katz, 2014).
What are the benefits for an FCS educator when industry partners make an impact on students? Research has shown the more engaged industry is with students, the following results occur (Pawlowski & Katz, 2014):
  • Students have stronger workplace skills – better prepared in working with people in professional settings, have improved presentation skills, the improved ability to conduct online searches to answer a question, and growth in their belief they can reach their goals with enough effort;
  • Increased student persistence – a ratio of one CTE course integrating at least one WBL experience to two academic courses minimized a student’s dropout risk;
  • Academic gains and college preparation – more likely to pass state-mandated exams and more likely to complete academic courses, especially those receiving dual credit, due to industry ensuring students see the relevance and connection of academic knowledge and skills in WBL experiences;
  • Better discipline and attendance – 13% reduction in the number of referrals and 89%-93% increase in attendance;
  • Increased student motivation and better decision-making – industry engagement makes learning more enjoyable and interesting for students, significantly enhances students’ learning and enthusiasm for academic and CTE subjects; and students were better able to make informed and confident choices about future careers;
  • Ability to live independently – produced an increase in confidence for students to live independently beyond high school; and
  • Academic and earnings benefits – 85% of students furthered their education and/or achieved employment in a field they were interested in pursuing beyond high school, as well as earned more money due to their work experience.
What are the benefits for industry partners when they participate in developing and providing WBL experiences in partnership with FCS educators (Pawlowski & Katz, 2014)?
  • Attracting new customers – industries have attracted new consumers and kept old consumers when they see the positive impact they are having on students in schools;
  • Brand strength – consumers hold higher regard for industries and brands that demonstrate a commitment to improving students’ educational outcomes;
  • Positive word of mouth – nearly 75% of Americans say that an industry’s commitment to education is an important factor when recommending an industry to others;
  • Influencing the influencers – when an industry commits to helping students achieve success in education; it influences the opinions of experts (e.g., academics, industry leaders, etc.) and reporting by the media.
Please keep in mind, this is not about allowing industry partners to market students such as distributing coupons or putting flyers into backpacks. This is about allowing industry partners to look good as a result of the good work they are doing with FCS educators. Industry partners may be interested in broadcasting their involvement with an FCS program by publicizing the partnership on in-store displays, using a school’s logo on their website, including information about the partnership in their customer mailings, and more (Pawlowski & Katz, 2014).
When industry partners have a role in the selection of outcomes and design of the WBL experiences, not only will they be more committed to this partnership with FCS educators, but the FCS educator will also be able to create the WBL experiences in a way that takes advantage of all the resources industry partners can make available. The first step is to find common ground on the desired student outcomes, along with a realization that all partners (industry and education) must receive some benefits from the relationship (Pawlowski & Katz, 2014). An FCS educator needs to take the time to find out what benefits are important to each industry partner. This allows the FCS educator to structure the WBL experiences that will meet the needs of industry partners, creating a return on their investment that will keep them committed over the long haul. Additionally, “paying attention to the results industry partners want to achieve creates an atmosphere of trust that is critical when asking about the resources they might want to contribute to the partnership” (Pawlowski & Katz, 2014, p. 25).

Recruiting FCS-Related Industry Partners

So, how does an FCS educator recruit FCS-related industry partners to help with the development and implementation of quality WBL experiences? This is one of the biggest challenges for FCS educators because they do not feel comfortable calling on industry partners they do not know. The key is to take advantage of existing connections to build new relationships because then the FCS educator and future partner will already have something in common, like a mutual contact or shared interest (Pawlowski & Katz, 2014).
The first step is to develop a target list. There are organizations in a city, region, and state that identify the largest and fastest-growing companies, often broken out by industry sector, providing an FCS educator with an excellent starting point (Pawlowski & Katz, 2014). Some of them include the local chamber of commerce, regional workforce organization (Workforce Development Board Finder), and economic development corporation (www.ecodevdirectory.com). FCS educators should ask to make a WBL presentation at these particular organizations so the representatives can help inform and locate the best and reputable FCS-related industry partners, and then send contact information to the FCS educator. Connecting with these particular organizations, as well as local civic organizations (e.g., Rotary clubs), will provide FCS educators with a strong initial list of the FCS-related industries, as well as potential industries that are coming to that community.
Second, the FCS educator should tap into his/her personal network. This would include friends, family and extended family members, and those that an FCS educator works with outside of school such as his/her involvement in church, charitable work, professional organization, an athletic league, to name a few. Each of these relationships puts the FCS educator in touch with people he/she would not have met, and who have personal and professional networks of their own. This network of relationships might take an FCS educator farther than he/she might expect.
Third, every one of the educators and administrators in a school building, whether in CTE or not, has contacts with the business world who might be interested in working to help FCS educators develop and implement WBL experiences for students. Ask them to work through their contact files to see what kinds of introductions they can make. It would also be a good idea to ask the CTE Director/Coordinator to bring all CTE teachers together regularly to share connections, especially if there is more than one middle and high school campus in that school district.
Fourth, the FCS educator and school administrators deal with many vendors to supply FCS programs with needed materials. If an FCS educator is buying the same kinds of materials that FCS-related businesses are buying, then the odds are that these vendors are also selling to FCS-related businesses in a local community. FCS educators should contact these vendors and ask if they know of anyone they can introduce them to; this would give them a chance to help out two customers at once.
Fifth, most FCS educators have a handful of active and committed industry partners who have already bought into the FCS program. Whether they have served as guest speakers, mentors, judges for FCCLA events, and/or served on an FCS Advisory Board, they can also serve as excellent ambassadors when reaching out to their peers because they will have a firsthand understanding of the need for students to engage in WBL experiences related to the FCS program. If a school district also has an overall CTE Advisory Board, this would be another great group to target.
Sixth, students’ parents are an often overlooked component of an industry network. If an FCS educator has had the chance to get to know his/her students’ parents, he/she will see how well parents are connected in the community; in fact, some may even work at the industries on an FCS educator’s target list. Also, parents have a powerful motivation to see an FCS educator’s program succeed, especially if their child is interested in an FCS-related field.
Seventh, many secondary-level FCS programs have active relationships with educators at their local community colleges and/or universities, whether formal (such as articulation agreements or dual credit arrangements) or informal. These educators have their own networks of industries within a shared industry sector and will see the value in helping their partners connect with secondary-level FCS students.
Eight, there are many FCS industry-related associations at the state level that also have local chapters, such as the state restaurant association. These industry associations have hundreds of companies/organizations they serve across the state and in the local community. FCS educators should contact these associations at the state level to explain why they are developing WBL experiences for their students. These associations, in turn, would help with connecting to prospective industry partners located in the community, as well as to those that are hiring remotely for internships and part-time employment across the state.
Last, but not least, is contacting former students who were very involved in the FCS program because they will have likely pursued an FCS-related career field, possibly even working at some of the companies on the target list. These former students would be the best representative of the value of an FCS program to a prospective industry partner.

Engaging Partners for the Long Haul

There is a belief in business that it costs much more to get a new customer than it does to keep a current one. This is true for industry partnerships as well. Think about the effort it takes to find an industry partner and then persuade them to start working with an FCS educator and his/her students. It is easy to appreciate how valuable quality industry partners are, and how important it is to keep them.
One of the ways to show industry partners how valued they are is to ask them if they would be interested in serving on your school or district’s FCS advisory board. Inviting industry partners to serve on this advisory board provides a gateway to the business community, providing an easy way for industry leaders to learn more about the FCS program and how it relates to their needs, just as it provides a way for FCS educators to learn more about the industry’s needs so the FCS educator can better prepare their students. Partners increase in value the longer they stay with an FCS program and enjoy the success of their work with students. They start to understand how the school operates; they build long-term relationships with FCS educators and students; and they are comfortable advocating for WBL experiences, spreading the word to community leaders, and to other industries who might partner with the FCS educator as well (Pawlowski & Katz, 2014).
What benefits can an FCS advisory board offer for the success of WBL experiences? There are several, including (Pawlowski & Katz, 2014):
  • Real-time industry information helps the FCS educator set the right outcomes for the WBL experiences. FCS programs exist to prepare students for real-world opportunities. However, if FCS educators do not have current information on industry requirements and expectations – if FCS educators do not know what types of positions employers are hiring for, and if they do not know what employers expect of their employees – it will be extremely difficult to adequately prepare their students for success in WBL. This advisory board can play a critically important role in keeping WBL experiences aligned with the industries it serves.
  • An increase in industry and community support, including more volunteers and more resources. When an FCS advisory board contains representatives from every FCS-related industry available in that community, they will have the best information about the FCS educators’ needs in providing quality WBL experiences for students and the greatest ability to meet those needs.
  • Increased access to students and FCS educator WBL opportunities. This advisory board will be well-positioned to respond to the need in developing and implementing quality WBL experiences for FCS students, both through their own companies and through their network of connections. Additionally, they would be able to provide externship opportunities for FCS educators to keep them connected to their profession and others in the field.
  • Stronger community awareness and support, particularly within the business community. In addition to being influential representatives of the FCS industry, these board members can connect the FCS educator with dozens or even hundreds of others in the business community. Committed board members are excellent ambassadors and advocates for FCS, spreading the word about the FCS program and WBL experiences being provided for students, as well as inviting others to join in as volunteers and supporters.
Why do education and industry partnerships end? Because of school leadership reasons. “Schools did not treat them as being important. Educators were not given the time needed to support the partnership; there were no consequences for poor management; or the school did not invest in the relationship, in terms of recognizing partners or focusing on partnership retention” (Pawlowski & Katz, 2014, p. 118). Because of these reasons, FCS educators and industry partners need to invite these school leaders to attend FCS advisory board meetings and show the yearly success of these WBL experiences for students to ensure school leaders make these partnerships a priority. Measures for assessing the success of WBL experiences will be discussed later in this chapter.

Work-Based Learning Supervision

 Plan and Prepare for Successful WBL Experiences

To enhance the success of the students participating in career preparation and career training WBL experiences, orientation and preparation activities should occur both within the classroom and workplace. Parents, students, FCS educators, and industry partners should be adequately prepared in both expectations and the process to be followed. The expectations are normally documented in a WBL experience agreement, liability agreement, and permission forms. Connections should be made between the work to be performed, skills required and academic and technical skill attainment before the WBL experience begins. The agreement should be in place in a timely manner to allow for appropriate implementation. In some schools, this may mean the semester before it goes into effect.
For students taking advantage of WBL experiences at a worksite, they should receive a thorough orientation that includes:
  • The nature of the industry;
  • Workplace culture, safety, health, and legal considerations associated with the WBL experience;
  • Work to be performed with identified expectations;
  • Required attire; and
  • Workplace conduct.
Reflection and assessment procedures should be explained and in place to assist students in determining their work productivity and abilities, with the opportunity to correct weaknesses that may arise.
If a professional WBL experience is discontinued, actions that may result in the removal should be clear and the procedures in place before the activity begins. Both should be communicated to gain the understanding and support of all parties involved. An improvement plan can be developed to assist with student issues and should be explored before deciding to stop the WBL experience. If the student is not returning to the worksite, an in-house alternative experience is expected to continue the development of the student’s skills as determined by their learning objectives. This alternative is required to meet the remaining competencies. The last option is to remove the student from the WBL experience altogether.
Below is a checklist to help the FCS educator ensure they plan and prepare for successful WBL experiences:
  • Provide a thorough orientation for both students and workplace partners.
  • Share expectations with everyone participating in the WBL experience.
  • Complete the WBL Experience Agreement – check with the school district or state education department because they likely have developed this type of agreement that can be accessed online;
  • Determine and review procedure if the agreement is not followed;
  • Treat students as regular employees;
  • Create an in-house alternative experience (e.g., working in the school’s counseling office without pay) if the WBL career preparation or career training experience is discontinued.

Provide Effective Workplace Supervision

Effective supervision is vital to successful career preparation and career training WBL experiences for students. It is the responsibility of FCS educators to locate and identify industry partners who are willing to provide supervision with encouragement and patience at the workplace. FCS educators should be prepared to provide expertise and resources to industry partners to assist them in successfully supervising and mentoring the students. This includes how to communicate workplace expectations, provide feedback about performance, and coach to motivate performance.
Industry partners should understand that students may need assistance while they develop the maturity required for job success. These maturity skills include punctuality, persistence, responsibility, initiative, and openness to constructive criticism.
An orientation/training should be provided to students that covers:
  • The nature of the industry’s business;
  • A review of the industry’s organizational chart;
  • The workplace culture, including attire and behavior;
  • A review of the workplace safety and health program;
  • Office procedures;
  • Tasks required of the student;
  • The connections between the student’s learning and workplace needs; and
  • A tour of the workplace.
Evaluation forms and procedures should be provided to the industry partner with training provided, if necessary. Industry partners appreciate educators being brief, targeted, and concise.
Below is a checklist to help the FCS educator ensure there is effective workplace supervision:
  • Assist in developing worksite orientation for the student.
  • Develop ongoing evaluation forms and procedures.
  • Share expectations for student feedback and intervention strategies.
  • Offer training on how to mentor students.
  • Assist with the coaching of students.

Promote Safety

Workplaces can be safe learning places for students if a few rules are applied. Students should be placed in WBL experiences that consider their age, experience and maturity, and the safety of the environment. Industry partners can ensure job safety and health information is integrated within the students’ orientation and FCS educators can include information on safety in the workplace and encourage common sense, caution, and strict attention to the restrictions placed on them. In some WBL experiences, having a signed liability agreement would be beneficial.
Industry partners should include the following in the student’s safety training:
  • Common safety and health hazards they may face on the job;
  • Control measures in place to reduce or eliminate hazards;
  • Reporting procedures and policies;
  • Safety training for tasks they will be performing;
  • Training in the proper use of equipment;
  • Access to Personal Protective Equipment, if needed, and how to use it;
  • Expectations of workers to think of others in reducing hazards and unsafe areas;
  • The expectation of keeping a clean and organized work area; and
  • The role of the supervisor is to look out for them.
If students have received an OSHA General Industry credential or other credential related to safety in another industry area, such as ServSafe, then this reduces the cost, time, and information employers/supervisors have to cover in the safety training. The student should bring this credential to the workplace so it has a copy on file.
Below is a checklist to help the FCS educator ensure safety is promoted for successful WBL experiences:
  • Ensure workplace and tasks meet safety standards appropriate for the age and skill level of the student.
  • Prepare students to be safe and health conscious (including use common sense and caution).
  • Promote the worksite training to include legal, safety, and health habits desired.
  • Provide direction/intervention if an issue of safety arises.

Manage the Hours a Student is at the Workplace

Time Consideration and Limitations:

The time students spend at the workplace (or on a service project) on a given day or week should be balanced with the regular demands of school and other activities in which students are involved. State and federal child labor laws are designed with sensible limits to the hours they can work. FCS educators should provide a review of the appropriate hours, if necessary, and be willing to step in if work hour assignments and labor law violations are in question.
FCS educators and industry partners can encourage students to develop a personal management plan to keep track of school activities and work assignments. Both can encourage students to report conflicts in a timely manner to allow for the reassignment of work hours when school responsibility conflicts arise.

School Attendance:

It is suggested the FCS educator attempt to resolve school attendance problems through the student and/or parent conferences and not involve the employer/supervisor. In some instances, the student might be gone from school but could return for the WBL experience at the worksite. This is a local school decision; however, it is commonly held if a student is not at school, the worksite experience is also not allowed. This may also be stipulated in the WBL experience agreement signed by all parties. After exhausting these established procedures, the FCS educator may turn to the employer/supervisor for two types of help:
  1. Conference: Discuss with the student the importance and necessity of school attendance.
  2. Time Off: If discussing school attendance does not resolve the problem, the FCS educator may ask the employer/supervisor to give the student time off from work without pay. It is also important to let the student know why his/her work schedule has been reduced. This could provide a life lesson otherwise not possible.

Job Attendance:

Sometimes the reverse problem occurs. Students develop poor attendance patterns on the job even though they follow school policies just fine. Students need to be reminded they agreed in writing to be punctual and regular in attendance. Keeping a record of dates and minutes worked can provide documentation in the event of needing to verify work habits. In all situations, students should be aware of how work habits impact the work, industry partner, and other workers.
The following policies can be considered with regard to job attendance:
  1. Illness/Emergency: Students agree to comply with workplace absence policies and notify the employer/supervisor of an absence from work due to illness or emergency before their scheduled start time. (The FCS educator may wish to follow up, but it is the students’ responsibility for this communication).
  2. Activity/Appointment: Students ask the employer/supervisor two weeks in advance to be excused from work for a school activity or personal appointment. This models work courtesy.
Below is a checklist to help the FCS educator manage the hours a student is at the workplace:
  • Ensure worksite follows work hour laws.
  • Instruct students in the basics of time management, recordkeeping, and communication skills to minimize school/work conflicts.
  • Provide sample forms for reporting school/work conflicts.
  • Be willing to step in on behalf of the student if a violation is in question.
  • Resolve attendance issues in a timely manner, involving the employer/supervisor if necessary.
  • Be willing to step in on behalf of the worksite if the student is missing work or failing to communicate such in a timely manner.

Provide Ongoing Support

Importance of Communication:

Maintaining regular communication/follow-up and addressing any problems quickly is vital to maintaining a successful relationship between all parties involved in the WBL experience. Contact by telephone, written communication, and scheduled workplace visits greatly enhance the experience. Visits to the workplace can be documented through a record sheet and can include a follow-up interview with the employer/supervisor and student, together or separately.

Improvement Plans:

FCS educators should establish open lines of communication with the employer/supervisor, student, and parents/guardians to encourage contact when problems arise. If a student, employer/supervisor, or worksite does not follow the WBL Experience Agreement, intervention may be necessary. An improvement plan can be developed to assist with student issues and in some situations, the experience may need to be discontinued. If the student is not returning to the worksite, an in-house alternative experience is expected to continue the development of the student’s skills as determined by their learning objectives.
FCS educators should provide all entities with copies of the agreement forms and contact information at the start of the WBL experience so that students, parents, worksite employers/supervisors, and FCS educators can communicate easily.
Below is a checklist to help the FCS educator provide ongoing support for successful WBL experiences:
  • Establish open lines of communication between all parties involved.
  • Make regular visits to the workplace, noting work observed.
  • Follow up workplace visits with students and/or employer/supervisor interviews.
  • Provide resources for the employer/supervisor as requested.
  • Create student improvement plans, as necessary.
  • Dissolve the WBL Experience Agreement if necessary.
  • Provide similar in-house experience if the worksite placement is discontinued.
  • Provide all parties with copies of the signed WBL Experience Agreement (as applies).

 

Barriers, Challenges, and Solutions for Offering Work-Based Learning Experiences

This section of the chapter will discuss the most common barriers and challenges that FCS educators will face in providing WBL experiences for their students, especially those experiences related to the career preparation and career training areas of the WBL continuum. However, there are solutions to help FCS educators face those challenges and barriers by potential employers/supervisors.

Barrier/Challenge: Confusion about Child Labor and Occupational Safety Laws

The first challenge most FCS educators and school administrators will face is the confusion with federal and state child labor and occupational safety laws, particularly as they relate to participation in the workplace by 16- and 17-year-old students. It appears every school district has to navigate which labor laws to follow first, federal or state, and then to navigate which ones are applicable or not applicable for students.
Solution: At 16 years of age, students may be employed in any occupation other than one declared to be hazardous. There are no hour restrictions on workers 16 years or older. A variety of occupations can be performed by minors ages 14 and 15 including additional occupations as part of a WBL experience. For more detailed information (including exemptions and restricted hours) refer to the state’s Child Labor Law Reference Guide.
Additionally, an FCS educator should consider offering students the opportunity to receive an OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) 10-Hour General Industry credential, especially if one is not offered in a particular FCS course. This is where students will learn about the basics of OSHA, as well as many of the most common hazards in general for any workplace. This is available through CareerSafe, an OSHA-approved provider, at https://www.careersafeonline.com/. When students complete the training for this credential, they will take this card to their employers. It automatically makes students marketable because it saves employers money and time in not having to provide this training themselves.

Barrier/Challenge: Costs and Availability of Liability and Workers’ Compensation Insurance

A second challenge is there may be some employers reluctant to participate in some WBL experiences due to concerns about liability and workmen’s compensation insurance. Employers have been told that the costs of extending liability insurance coverage to minors in their workplace was prohibitively expensive. Some employers have been told by their liability insurer that they refuse to cover minors in WBL experiences.
Solution: Workers’ compensation covers every employee equally, regardless of age. The workers’ compensation premium is calculated based on payroll, type of work, and experience of the employer. Age and years of experience of workers are not used to calculate the cost of a workers’ compensation policy, nor the payout of claims. As a result, actual costs are low for hiring WBL students and existing protections are sufficient (U.S. Department, 2019).
Unpaid internships also allow students to gain work experience without being considered an “employee” if they are primarily on site to learn and receive no direct compensation from the company. In such cases, commercial liability insurance for private employers and high-risk accident insurance for school districts protect students and employers. However, to classify a student as an “unpaid intern,” rather than a paid employee, specific criteria cited by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) must be met. See USDOL Fact Sheet 71 for a list of those criteria.
Other solutions include working with a third-party organization (known as an intermediary) to serve as the “employer of record.” For example, if a chamber of commerce chooses to sponsor an internship program, they normally will provide payroll and insurance support to companies that host interns. Another example is having temporary employment agencies place students in FCS-related industries. School districts can also extend their liability insurance policy to include students participating in WBL experiences just as they include athletes. Further, quite a few CTE state directors are voicing support for federal or state action to ease the liability concerns of industries, such as providing subsidies for the costs of liability insurance for WBL participants.

Barrier/Challenge: Absence of Employer Incentives

Another barrier is that more businesses would participate in WBL experiences if they were provided incentives to do so. Financial incentives are not needed for career awareness and career exploration of WBL experiences. However, businesses could use some financial motives to offer WBL training opportunities (e.g., apprenticeships, internships, and on-the-job training) since there is a larger time commitment from employers/supervisors, and additional time will be taken away from supervisors/managers to train the students, therefore reducing their efficiency. Businesses have to build the capacity of their staff to support intentional training and development and learning of students, which is more difficult for medium size to smaller businesses. Therefore, providing government incentives to take on WBL training experiences with students can make a critical difference for businesses choosing to participate in these experiences.
Solution: The National Skills Coalition (2018) found 18 states that provided at least one type of employer subsidy for WBL participation. These include a $1,000 direct tax credit for each apprentice a business employs, reduction in liability insurance, and revamping the Work Opportunity Tax Credit. The Work Opportunity Tax Credit is where businesses can claim a tax benefit for hiring students from low-income communities in summer employment, but it would be expanded to include year-round paid work experiences for all students in a WBL program tied to students’ individual learning plans.
This is where building strong and sustainable partnerships play a huge role in helping to address this barrier at the state level. Additionally, working with the FCS-related industry associations at the state level would be highly recommended to help state legislators and the state workforce department understand the ramifications of this barrier.
Further, here is a link to a research-based report on additional questions businesses may have with hiring high school students into their workplace: What Employers Need to Know: Frequently Asked Questions About High School Students in Workplaces (2015). Lastly, this is a link to a 2016 report developed by Advance CTE on the state’s role in removing legal barriers around WBL: The State’s Role In Removing Legal Barriers Around Work-Based Learning, along with examples of states that are successfully dealing with these legal barriers.

Barrier/Challenge: Lack of Access to Transportation

Transportation can be a significant barrier to greater WBL participation for students, particularly economically disadvantaged students who reside in rural communities or other areas that lack public transportation.
Solution: FCS educators can partner with the local transportation authority and city government to establish a new dedicated bus route to serve the community without existing access to public transportation and build an official bus stop just outside the school building. In collaboration with other local schools, a route can be coordinated that provides the shortest travel time possible and aligns it with a WBL experience’s start and end times. This can reduce overall commuting time for many students by an hour or more and remove critical barriers to accessing WBL experiences.
Another solution is to use either state and/or federal CTE funds on gas cards, Uber or Lyft cards, bus passes, and in some cases, car repairs. In larger communities such as New York City, Detroit, St. Louis, Washington, and others, they have provided free transit passes for WBL participants. If an FCS educator is in a state-funded CTE program, then there is usually transportation money to support students’ participation in WBL experiences off campus. Check with your state’s CTE department who can inform your local school district’s Finance/Business Services Director about the availability of these funds to help with transportation costs.

Barrier/Challenge: School Policies and Practices that Inhibit WBL Participation

Another challenge is school policies and practices that can inhibit students from participating in some or all WBL experiences. Inflexible scheduling, for example, can be a barrier.
Solution: If schools are truly preparing students for the “career readiness” aspect of their high school education, then they must enable students to balance work experience and education. This can also be solved by measuring the success of students and industry partners’ experiences with the WBL experiences they have participated in through the FCS program and providing hard data for school administrators on how these experiences are improving attendance, reducing behavior and discipline problems, and improving academic, technical, and employability knowledge and skills.
 
Also, not offering credit for participation in WBL experiences related to the career training area of the WBL continuum was another barrier. This also reduced the number of students participating in these experiences because there was not a strong incentive for them to participate.
Solution: The FCS educator can work with industry and postsecondary partners to develop a persuasive proposal on how they can develop WBL experiences (semester- or year-long experiences) that would provide high school and dual college credits. Then they would present their proposal to the campus administrator. This proposal process is normally appreciated by campus administrators because it further helps them justify with their district supervisors why high school and college credit should be provided for WBL experiences. Also, if approved, this will be a strong incentive for parents and students to participate in WBL experiences.
 
Further, when students are not able to participate in career awareness and career exploration activities in the early grades, this impedes greater participation by high school students in WBL experiences.
Solution: Career awareness and career exploration activities are essential for students to experience before the career preparation and training opportunities in order to achieve maximum success when making decisions about their future education and career choice(s). The success of career awareness and career exploration opportunities originates from the conversations following those experiences to help guide further career exploration and appropriate coursework. Without these intentional conversations, the various career experiences will just be an experience, not a scaffolding opportunity to guide future workplace learning and career decisions.
Also, this exemplifies the importance of parents and school counselors being included in career awareness and career exploration activities in the early grades to address the predominant mindset of students, parents, and counselors that college is the next step after graduating high school and college education is seen as a prerequisite for entry into decent jobs.

Barrier/Challenge: Inadequate Services and Supports for Special Populations Students

Inadequate services and supports are a barrier to WBL participation by students from special populations. These students deserve the same opportunities to participate in WBL experiences but may need additional services and supports. For example, WBL recruitment materials should be in multiple languages; outreach to students and their families be carried out in partnership with community-based organizations; and training be provided to WBL educators, staff, and support personnel to adapt, scaffold, and differentiate their offerings to make them accessible for English language learners.
Solution: To engage special populations students in WBL experiences, FCS educators can work with their respective district administrator in Special Education, as well as with the individual in charge of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, which are available in all communities. A purposeful collaboration with these individuals and other community-based organizations (e.g., Goodwill Industries) can help develop the support services to address this barrier. Additionally, community-based organizations can bring their particular experiences and expertise to help inform the design, implementation, and progress of WBL experiences.
 

Barrier/Challenge: COVID-19

Many occupations were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, including those in the leisure and hospitality, retail, and education and health services—all FCS-related career fields. The majority of these jobs do not support work-from-home and when the pandemic hit and stay-at-home orders were issued, 25% of these students became unemployed (U.S. Department of Education, 2019). The pandemic highlighted new issues and barriers in helping students connect with WBL experiences. Accessing, engaging, and keeping students safe while connecting them to WBL opportunities has become a barrier. Business closures, decreases in business operations, and job losses have caused reductions in WBL opportunities. Also, many students lacked the technology and broadband access necessary to access remote WBL experiences.
Solution: Technology can be leveraged to provide WBL virtual, simulated, and augmented reality in places that have geographic barriers, such as rural areas as well as economic barriers (e.g., Nepris, Virtual Job Shadow.com). WBL delivered through technology allows students to participate who otherwise would be limited due to a lack of industries or resources. Many state workforce departments provided career fairs and summer internship programs through a virtual experience following the pandemic (U.S. Department, 2019). Other states pivoted and created virtual tour videos in place of field trips. The LiveBinder for WBL mentioned in a previous section of this chapter provides resources for setting up WBL virtual experiences.
Students are no longer confined geographically and can connect with professionals across the country and globe. This means students can more easily explore their authentic interests. It also means students in rural or under-resourced communities are not limited by their teacher’s network or town’s companies. There were states able to provide virtual internship placements by transitioning students from in-person interviews to online platform interviews (e.g., Zoom, Teams, etc.); state education agencies designed a project-based framework and created planning tools to support host employers; all host employers submitted plans outlining a project of value to the employer or community, with a question or problem statement that interns would be solving; staff provided feedback on the submitted plans; and host employers submitted weekly schedules aligned to the framework (U.S. Department of Education, 2019).
There are additional barriers and challenges FCS educators may face in providing WBL experiences for students, but the majority of them will always have a solution when FCS educators work together with industry partners, school administrators, teacher colleagues, state workforce departments, and other stakeholders who desire to help students achieve postsecondary and workplace success beyond high school.

Federal and State Education Laws Impacting Work-Based Learning Experiences

In this section, you will learn about several federal and state laws that can have a significant impact on WBL experiences. As an FCS educator, it is important to understand how these laws benefit and protect you and your students. One of these includes Child Labor Laws, which are listed below in each of the tables when employing 14- to 15-year-olds and 16- to 17-year-olds.
14-15 Years of Age: Work Hours
  Federal State Conclusion
Nonagricultural Occupations §570.35 specifies the number of hours and times of dayminors under 16 are permitted to work under federal law. Hours of employment for 14- and 15-year-olds specifies the number of hours and times of day minors under 16 are permitted to work. This link is based on the Texas labor laws, so please be sure and check with your state’s labor laws for this information. There are some differences in state and federal laws for nonagricultural occupations. The reason for this is that all businesses are subject to state law, but only those businesses covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) are subject to federal law. Here is the fact sheet by the U.S. DOL to show what businesses are covered under FLSA: Fact Sheet #14
Exceptions or Exemptions Work Experience & Career Exploration Program §570.36, through the WECEP, permits the employment of14- and 15-year-olds during school hours, for as many as3 hours on a school day, and for as many as 23 hours in aschool week. Work Experience Program Each state will have different restrictions on 14- to 15-year-olds participating in a WBL program, so check with your state’s workforce department for clarification. In Texas, the child labor laws do not apply if students are participating in an approved WBL program by our Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). States that do not enforce any child labor laws due to students’ participation in a state-approved WBL experience is requiring the CTE teacher and industry partner to agree on the appropriate times for students to work each day and week through a signed WBL Experience Agreement. This will be enforced by the state’s workforce department if an employer violates it.
14-15 Years of Age: Permitted Employment
  Federal State Conclusion
Nonagricultural Occupations §570.34 Occupations that may be performed…Lists nonagricultural jobs that are permitted for 14-15year-olds. Note: Any job not specifically permitted is prohibited. Permitted Occupations for 14- and 15-Year Olds specifies the occupations students 14- to 15-years-old can participate in through a WBL experience. This link is based on the Texas labor law, so please be sure and check with your state’s labor laws for this information. There usually is an extensive list of permitted occupations for 14- and 15-year old students on a state’s workforce department website. This is vital for a CTE teacher to view so that students are placed in appropriate workplaces.
14-15 Years of Age: Prohibited Employment & Exceptions/Exemptions 
  Federal State Conclusion
Nonagricultural Occupations §570.33 lists nonagricultural jobs that are particularly hazardous to 14- and 15-year-olds. In addition to §570.33, 14-and 15-year-olds may not be employed in ANY occupation that is declared hazardous by the Secretary of Labor: Codes 570.50 – 570.68 or a simple list of HO #1 – HO #17. EXEMPTIONS/EXCEPTIONS§570.36, through the Work Experience and CareerExploration Program, 14- and 15-year-olds are permitted to be employed in prohibited occupations but only after a specific variance has been granted by the Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division. Prohibited Occupations for 14- and 15-Year Olds specifies the occupations students 14- to 15-years-old cannot participate in through a WBL experience. This link is based on the Texas labor law, so please be sure and check with your state’s labor laws for this information. EXEMPTIONS/ EXCEPTIONSIn Texas, these students are prohibited from being employed in solicitation jobs, jobs that require commercial driving, sexually-oriented businesses; and sales & service of alcohol. There usually is an extensive list of prohibited occupations for 14- and 15-year old students on a state’s workforce department website, as well as a list of restrictions on employment. This is vital for a CTE teacher to view so that students are not placed in inappropriate workplaces.
 
16-17 Years of Age: Work Hours
  Federal State Conclusion
Nonagricultural Occupations 16- and 17-years-old may work unlimited hours. Be sure and check with your state’s labor laws for this information. In Texas, 16- and 17-years-old may work unlimited hours. 16- and 17-year-olds may work unlimited hours.
16-17 Years of Age: Permitted Employment
  Federal State Conclusion
Nonagricultural Occupations Any job that has not been declared hazardous by theSecretary of Labor is permissible for 16- and 17-year-olds. Most jobs, except those that have been deemed hazardous by your state’s Secretary of Labor, are acceptable for 16- and 17-year-olds. Most jobs not deemed hazardous by the Secretary of Labor are acceptable for this age group.
16-17 Years of Age: Prohibited Employment & Exceptions/Exemptions
  Federal State Conclusion
Nonagricultural Occupations §570.50 – 570.68 (simple list of HO 1 –17) states that jobs deemed hazardous by the Secretary of Labor are NOT permissible for 16- and 17-year-olds even when the minor is employed by his parents.  EXCEPTIONS/EXEMPTIONSApprentices and Student LearnersExemptions: 16- and 17-year-old apprentices and student learners are permitted to perform the following hazardous occupations undercertain conditions: HO #5, HO #8, HO # 12, HO #14, HO #16 and HO #17.Note that the State does not include HO #17 (trenching/ excavating) on its exemption list. Driving§570.129: permits 17-year-olds to drive but with restrictions. Prohibited Occupations for 16- and 17-Year Olds specify the occupations students 16- to 17-years old cannot participate in through a WBL experience. This link is based on the Texas labor law, so please be sure and check with your state’s labor laws for this information. EXEMPTIONS/ EXCEPTIONSIn Texas, for the prohibited occupations listed with an asterisk, a student who is 16- or 17-years old may be employed as an apprentice or as a student-learner in an approved WBL experience.
  • Apprentice:
  • Employed in a recognized apprenticeable trade
  • Work is incidental to training
  • Work is intermittent, short, under close journeyman supervision, and registered or under a written agreement about work standards
  • Student-learner:
  • Enrolled in an authorized WBL program with a written agreement
  • Work is incidental to training
  • Work is intermittent, short, and under close supervision
  • Safety instructions are given by the school and employer
  • A schedule of organized and progressive work is prepared
 State and federal laws both prohibit 16- and 17-year-olds from working in occupations deemed hazardous by the Secretary of Labor. EXCEPTIONS/EXEMPTION Apprentices and Student Learners State and federal law both provide exemptions from certain hazardous occupations to certified apprentices and student-learners. However, these exceptions are not identical. Driving ExemptionBoth state and federal laws provide driving exemptions (with restrictions) to 17-year-olds. 

Sexually Oriented Business

State law prohibits the employment of a child in a sexually oriented business, requires a sexually oriented business to maintain certain photographic identification records, and provides for a criminal penalty.

Sales & Service of Alcohol

The provisions for selling or serving alcohol are not regulated by a state’s child labor laws. For those requirements, please consult the appropriate Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
570.126: Parental Exemption
A parent or a person standing in place of a parent may employ his child or a child in his custody under the age of 16 years in any occupation other than the following: (a) Manufacturing; (b) mining; (c) an occupation found by the Secretary to be particularly hazardous or detrimental to health or well-being for children between the ages of 16 and 18 years.
 
Child Labor Bulletin 101: Non-Agricultural Occupations (page 3)
The federal child labor provisions do not apply to:
  • Children 16- and 17-years-old employed by their parents in occupations other than those declared hazardous by the Secretary of Labor; and
  • Children under 16 years of age employed by their parents in occupations other than manufacturing or mining or occupations declared hazardous by the Secretary of Labor.
 
Wages and the Fair Labor Standards Act – establishes minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and youth employment standards affecting employees in the private sector and in Federal, State, and local governments.
 

Other Federal Laws:

As an FCS educator, you must ensure all businesses providing WBL experiences for students follow these laws:

Other State Laws:

Every state’s department of education provides specific education rules and laws for operating WBL experiences at the middle and high school levels. Therefore, FCS educators should review these rules and laws to be sure they are in compliance with them. For example, some states may ask FCS educators to have a particular CTE teacher certification or earn an additional certification to be qualified in teaching and providing WBL experiences in an FCS program. Other states may ask FCS educators to take an approved WBL training course to understand all of the requirements and laws related to the career preparation and career training WBL experiences on the WBL continuum. So, be sure to check with your state’s CTE department on when and where this training is available.

Measuring the Success of Work-Based Learning Experiences for Students and Industry Partners

As mentioned throughout this chapter, all WBL experiences should align with FCS-related industry standards and connect to students’ classroom learning as a means to provide context and relevancy, as well as relate to students’ education and career goals. One of the most important, yet perhaps most challenging, in providing WBL experiences for students is measuring and evaluating the quality of these experiences. A primary function of a WBL measurement strategy is to define and differentiate intended outcomes for different types of experiences, and then use those outcomes to ensure that these experiences are high quality and meaningful for students.
There are various measures to assess student learning from WBL experiences and five key decision points for FCS educators and industry partners to consider when selecting an appropriate measure (American Institutes for Research, n.d.). They include:
  1. Determining what the goals are for measuring WBL – the goals of measuring WBL can help narrow which type of measure will be the best fit to meet these goals. For example, if the primary goal is to collect data for continuous improvement efforts to the WBL experience provided for the student, then the FCS educator will want to select a measure that will provide the type of data to help make the needed improvements.
  2. Determining who selects the WBL learning measure – FCS educators should have flexibility in adjusting measures to fit the needs of their students and industry partners with some input also from school administrators. If you are utilizing your FCS Advisory Board, this will give them greater authority to determine who selects the measure and the level of flexibility. They should have the flexibility to select the measure that best assesses the particular WBL experience because it will be based on developing the specific knowledge and skills the student needs and on his/her strengths and weaknesses and career interests. Additionally, the measure can align more closely to the WBL experience; for example, measuring technical knowledge and skills that are specific to the industry available in that community.
  3. Defining the WBL knowledge and skills you plan to measure – Engaging industry partners and other stakeholders (e.g., administrators, teachers, counselors, etc.) can help FCS educators define the essential knowledge and skills students need to learn from their WBL experience and graduate college and career ready. Industry partners can help clarify what employability skills and technical skills students will need to develop throughout their WBL experience. However, FCS educators will need to help industry partners learn how to modify or scaffold these skills to the student level.
  4. Planning how to support WBL measure implementation – To implement successfully any WBL measure, it will require some capacity and supports from the district and school administrators. The first is training and materials. Once a particular WBL measure has been developed, it may require some additional training and resources that are differentiated by various stakeholders such as students, employers, and school staff. For example, if the decision has been made to use a portfolio and rubric as WBL measures, then students, employers, and possibly counselors will need to be trained on the rubric and guidance on how to put together the portfolio. To ensure the WBL measure accurately assesses the identified skills and knowledge, it will require some calibration. Calibrating a measure will ensure that all users have the same understanding of the knowledge and skills assessed and how to interpret and score them via the measure. Sometimes the skills assessed such as communication seem intuitive, but the measure requires a specific understanding of that skill to be measured accurately.
  5. Selecting the appropriate WBL measure – Once a decision has been made on the WBL measure that best fits the WBL experience, there could be some other decisions that arise and need to be made after the measure is implemented. This could include additional improvements to the measure or using a different measure based on collected data results.
Similar to academic content, there are several benefits for students and for states, school districts, and school campuses to document and measure student learning from WBL experiences. For students, measuring WBL allows them to reflect on their learning, identify knowledge and skills gained, and connect that learning to future career goals. This can help students explicitly call out the skills learned in a resume or job interview. For states, school districts, and school campuses, measuring WBL provides data that can be used for continuous improvement efforts to improve the quality of WBL experiences for all students and help these experiences remain sustainable for years to come.
The College and Career Readiness and Success Center (CCRS Center) conducted a document scan collecting and analyzing WBL measures (American Institutes for Research, n.d.). States selected included leaders in WBL and states who specified in their state Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plans that they plan to use WBL as an indicator of career readiness in their state accountability (American Institutes for Research, n.d.). They also collected documents from the largest two to four districts in each state. In addition to the measures, they collected related WBL resources, such as guidebooks and presentations, that often included the context on how to implement the measure (American Institutes for Research, n.d.). They searched for resources publicly available on state or district websites and found a total of 109 WBL measures and resources (American Institutes for Research, n.d.). This included 30 employer evaluations, 23 rubrics, 19 self-assessments or self-reflections, seven work logs, and five portfolios (American Institutes for Research, n.d.).
Their document analysis identified themes focused on what is measured, how it is measured, and who measures it. What was measured were the skills and knowledge students developed throughout their WBL experience. These included academic knowledge, technical skills, and employability skills (American Institutes for Research, n.d.). Those who measured WBL included students, employers, teachers, and intermediaries. States and school districts commonly used the following measures to assess student learning from WBL: portfolios, rubrics, employer evaluations and work logs, and self-assessment or self-reflection (American Institutes for Research, n.d.). In some cases, states in their scan used multiple types of measurement tools, such as a portfolio that included a rubric and a student self-assessment (American Institutes for Research, n.d.). As FCS educators consider which measure or measures to select, please keep in mind that these measures are not mutually exclusive.
The first WBL measure an FCS educator should consider exploring is the portfolio, especially since this type of tool is being used to house most students’ individual learning plans. A portfolio is a purposeful collection of student learning over time that demonstrates students’ learning progress. Portfolios are used to evaluate what skills and knowledge students learn. Typically, a student will submit in a portfolio student work created throughout the WBL experience; for example, work samples such as presentations, research papers, spreadsheets, business plans, and photos. The creation of the portfolio is typically led by the student but it is strongly encouraged to make it a collaborative process with guidance and approval from the FCS educator and industry partner.
This leads to the second WBL measure an FCS educator is very familiar with and should use known as the rubric. A rubric provides the guidelines for evaluating student work and can assess the quality of student skills or knowledge gained across multiple levels of performance. An FCS educator and industry partner score the student work submitted in a portfolio using a rubric.
The next WBL measure an FCS educator should use with industry partners is an employer feedback evaluation. This is completed by the employer/supervisor to document and assess the student’s performance during the experience or the development of his/her skills and knowledge. Employer feedback typically assesses students’ traits, behaviors, or the accomplishment of a goal or task. This could include traits such as honesty, behaviors such as professional appearance, and setting a goal that is focused on developing specific skills or completing a task.
Employer feedback could also be used to assess program quality and implementation for WBL. For example, an employer/supervisor could be asked to what extent the FCS educator provided support and coordination during the WBL experience. This could be a way to collect data to make improvements to the WBL experience’s quality, improve student and employer/supervisor match-ups, or identify additional supports needed for employers/supervisors and students.
The fourth WBL measure an FCS educator could use is a student self-assessment or self-reflection. Students need to evaluate or rate their own abilities, skills, or performance during a WBL experience. Students can write reflections to open-ended prompts on their WBL experience or the development of skills or knowledge.
These are the main four measures utilized to measure WBL experiences based on the study the CCRS Center conducted, but FCS educators can certainly consider other measures with the help of their industry partners, such as students conducting a WBL presentation showcasing everything they had learned in each or all of the WBL experiences they were able to participate in during the school year. Again, the type of measure(s) chosen should be based on the five decisions mentioned earlier in this chapter, as well as data collected yearly to ensure these measures are effective in evaluating the success of the WBL experiences.
For this particular section of the chapter, here is a link to a set of resource handouts for each of the measures discussed that provide examples of measurement tools that can be adapted easily by the FCS educator and industry partner to fit the WBL experiences provided for students: https://ccrscenter.org/sites/default/files/WBLMeasures_Module1_Handouts.pdf.
 
 

Summary

WBL supports a continuum of lifelong learning and skill development for a range of 6th-12th grade students. WBL enables students to develop technical and employability skills that can help them succeed beyond high school. High-quality WBL experiences help students build positive relationships with adults, develop social capital, and build their networks, which can help open doors for employment opportunities. These experiences additionally allow students to experience new environments, learn new skills, build a career identity, and better chart a path to and through postsecondary education that aligns with their career goals.
Additionally, WBL has benefits for employers and communities. Businesses and organizations partnering in WBL programs gain early access to potential employees, cultivate a pipeline of talent who have training and knowledge specific to their industry, and have the opportunity to bring new perspectives and voices into the company. WBL programs that are closely tied to the labor and economic needs of the local community can reduce unemployment and help attract new business and industry.
When FCS educators are effectively trained to develop and implement WBL experiences, students will have the knowledge and skills necessary for career development and success in an ever-changing technological and global society. The classroom instruction will be linked to relevant, structured, real-world experiences where students learn from industry and community leaders. The workplace and classroom learning will be applied directly to the student’s future role as a family member, worker, and citizen. Students will leave school better prepared and more focused on their future and education choices because of their participation in a multitude of FCS WBL experiences.

Exercises

  1. You would like to start a new initiative and provide a Career Awareness Week that includes various work-based learning (WBL) experiences for FCS students during the first week in March. Decide which career awareness WBL experiences you will facilitate during this week. Be sure to consider the common career awareness options discussed in this chapter.
You are going to develop a plan for coordinating and implementing the experiences that you selected for Career Awareness Week. Be sure to answer the questions below to help develop your plan. Your goal is to develop an outline of the proposed Career Awareness Week to share with your school leadership.
  1. What are the student learning objectives for this Career Awareness Week?
  2. Which academic, technical, and employability skills will students enhance through these experiences?
  3. Who will you partner with on this initiative within your school?
  4. How will you engage industry partners in the planning and implementation process?
  5. What resources will you need to successfully promote and implement Career Awareness Week (e.g., materials, technology, funds, etc.)?
  6. What measure(s) will you use to assess the quality and success of your Career Awareness Week?
  1. Meaningful career exploration for students is two-pronged. It involves:
  • Reflecting on an individual’s own interests, strengths, skills, values, and preferences. Students are encouraged to engage in self-discovery with activities that answer questions like:
    • Which subjects do I most enjoy and excel in?
    • What kind of things do I like to do outside of school?

    • What kind of activities do I do that make time feel like it is flying by? (This is a good indication of flow, an important component of happiness and satisfaction.)

  • Learning about fields of study, industries, and specific occupations. This process includes understanding things like:
    • Attributes of careers, e.g., core tasks involved, average salary, working conditions, etc.
    • What kind of qualifications one might need to achieve each job, e.g., post-secondary study, experience, etc.
    • How some careers connect to others, e.g., a chef could also get a job as a restaurant manager/owner, dietitian, food scientist, food service manager, etc.
You will consider at least two or more career exploration WBL experiences for both your middle and high school FCS students that meet the two-pronged areas mentioned above. Be sure to consider the common career exploration WBL options discussed in this chapter.

You will develop a plan for coordinating and implementing the WBL experiences for career exploration. Be sure to answer the questions below to help develop your plan. Your goal is to develop an outline of the proposed Career Exploration WBL experiences to share with your school leadership.

  1. What are the student learning objectives for the Career Exploration WBL experiences have chosen?
  2. Which academic, technical, and employability skills will students enhance through these experiences?
  3. Who will you partner with to ensure these WBL experiences are successful with students?
  4. How will you engage partners in the planning and implementation process?
  5. What measure(s) will you use to assess the quality and success of your Career Exploration WBL experiences with students?
  1. Your Career Awareness Week was a huge success! The program was so successful that you have accepted the challenge to serve on a subcommittee tasked with expanding the focus to encompass career preparation. Because Career Awareness Week is only 5 days long, you and your team members have decided to focus on activities that help students promote themselves for WBL career preparation experiences, e.g., professional presentation, networking skills, developing a resume, interview skills, conducting employer research, dressing for success, developing an elevator pitch, etc.
Decide which activities you will facilitate during this Career Preparation Week for the next school year. Be sure to consider the common career preparation options discussed in this chapter. Develop a plan for coordinating and implementing the activities that your team selects for this week. Be sure to answer the questions below to help develop your plan. The goal for your committee is to develop an outline for the proposed Career Preparation Week to share with your school leadership.
  1. What are the student learning objectives for this Career Preparation Week?
  2. Which academic, technical, and employability skills will students enhance through these experiences?
  3. How will you partner with employers, parents, and colleagues on this initiative?
  4. What resources will you need to successfully promote and implement Career Preparation Week (e.g., materials, technology, funds, etc.)?
  5. What measure(s) will you use to assess the quality and success of your Career Awareness Week?
  1. All apprenticeship programs include a key classroom or related training and instructional component to help students develop skills and earn a certified credential that is recognized industry-wide. Pre-Apprenticeship programs are designed to prepare individuals to enter and succeed in a Registered Apprenticeship Program. They can be housed on a high school campus as well as in the workplace. Currently, there are no pre-apprenticeships in the following FCS-related programs in Texas: Culinary, Hospitality, Human Services, Interior Design, and Fashion Design. How would you go about establishing a pre-apprenticeship opportunity for FCS students in one of these program areas?
You will develop a plan for coordinating and implementing a Pre-Apprenticeship program for a particular FCS program mentioned above. Pre-Apprenticeship programs are not federally vetted; however, the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship has defined quality pre-apprenticeship programs as those that incorporate the following elements:
  • Connect to existing apprenticeship program;
  • Approved training and curriculum;
  • Opportunity to earn an industry-recognized credential;
  • Hands-on learning with a career focus that can be housed in high school; and
  • Access to support services and career counseling.
Be sure to answer the questions below to help develop your plan. Your goal is to develop an outline of the proposed FCS-related Pre-Apprenticeship Program to share with your school leadership.
  1. What would be the learning objectives for students participating in the FCS-related Pre-Apprenticeship program?
  2. Who will you partner with to ensure this Pre-Apprenticeship program is successful with students? Is there a local community or technical college you can partner with? A strong industry association or employer group? A restaurant, hotel, or nonprofit employers that hire large numbers of entry-level workers?
  3. How will you engage partners in the planning and implementation process? Are there any barriers or challenges that could possibly prohibit this particular WBL experience for students?
  4. What measure(s) will you use to assess the quality and success of the FCS-related Pre-Apprenticeship program with students?

 

References

American Institutes for Research. (n.d.) Work-Based learning measures series: Selecting appropriate measures. https://ccrscenter.org/technical-assistance-networks/professional-learning-modules/work-based-learning-measures-series

LEADFCS Education. (2018). The FCS National Standards. http://www.leadfcsed.org/national-standards.html

Linked Learning Alliance. (2012). Work-based learning in linked learning: Definitions, outcomes, and quality criteria. https://casn.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/resource_files/WBL_Definitions_Outcomes_Criteria_pg_120512_v2.pdf

Mason, R. E., & Haines, P. G. (1972). Cooperative occupation education and work experiences in the curriculum. Interstate Printers and Publishers.

National Skills Coalition. (2018). The skills mismatch. https://www.nationalskillscoalition.org/skills-mismatch/

Pawlowski, B., & Katz, C. (2014). Employer engagement toolkit. National Center for College & Career Transitions.

Strengthening the Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, H.R. 2353, §7(55), 115th Cong. (2018). https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/2353/text

U.S. Department of Education (n.d.). Work-based learning tool kit: Creating a state work-based learning (WBL) strategy. https://cte.ed.gov/toolkit/strategy.html

U.S. Department of Education. (2019). Rethink work-based learning: A call to action. Perkins Collaborative Resource Network. https://cte.ed.gov/initiatives/work-based-learning

U.S. Department of Education. (2018). Perkins V. Perkins Collaborative Resource Network. https://cte.ed.gov/legislation/perkins-v

U.S. Department of Education. (2016). Employability skills. Perkins Collaborative Resource Network. https://cte.ed.gov/initiatives/employability-skills-framework

U.S. Department of Education. (2014). Tech Prep Education. Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/cte/techprep.html

U.S. Department of Labor. (n.d.). Apprenticeship. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/apprenticeship

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About the author

name: Cynthia L. Miller

Cynthia L. Miller is an assistant professor in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences Education at Texas Tech University. Dr. Miller teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in career preparation, family issues and social action, curriculum, critical science, career development facilitator training, and assessment and evaluation. Her current research is determining and measuring the work-based learning experiences provided in secondary Family & Consumer Sciences programs, as well as how they are measured for sustainability in the future.
 
Correspondence concerning this chapter should be addressed to: Cynthia L. Miller, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences Education, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409. E-mail: cynthia.l.miller@ttu.edu.

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Teaching Family and Consumer Sciences in the 21st Century Copyright © by Amanda K. Holland and Karen L. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.

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