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Career and Technical Education connects careers and education. Iowa
code identifies the following career and technical service areas:
Agricultural Education, Business and Information Technology, Family and
Consumer Sciences Education, Health Occupations Education, Industrial
Technology Education, and Marketing Education.
Agricultural Education prepares students for successful careers and a lifetime of
informed choices in the global agriculture, food, fiber and natural resources systems.
Contact: Dale Gruis at 515-281-4712 or dale.gruis@iowa.gov
Business and Information Technology
prepares students to master knowledge and skills needed to function as
citizens, consumers, employees, managers, business owners, and
directors of their economic futures through the study of accounting,
business law, career development, communication, computation,
economics, personal finance, entrepreneurship, information technology,
international business, management, and marketing.
Contact: Colleen Hunt at 515-281-0319 or colleen.hunt@iowa.gov
Family and Consumer Sciences
Education empowers individuals and families across the life span to manage the
challenges of living and working in a diverse global society. Our unique focus
is on families, work, and their relationships.
Contact: Mary Ann Adams at 515-281-4716 or maryann.adams@iowa.gov
Health Occupations Education programs prepare
students for careers and higher education in more than 200 occupations in the
health care field, in a variety of settings, including clinics, home health,
hospitals, insurance industry, laboratories and research, and, nursing
homes. The individual interested in the
health care field will have the opportunity to prepare for professional careers
that plan, manage and provide therapeutic services, diagnostic services, health
informatics, support services and biotechnology research and development.
Contact: Catherine Vance at 515-281-4722 or catherine.vance@iowa.gov
Industrial Technology Education programs prepare students for
careers and higher education within Manufacturing Technology,
Engineering and Design, Construction Technology, Transportation
Technology and Communication. Students are provided technical
knowledge that emphasizes high standards and quality experiences in
leadership, teamwork, citizenship and character development.
Contact: Andrew Wermes at 515-281-8353 or andrew.wermes@iowa.gov
Marketing Education enables students to understand and apply
marketing, management, and entrepreneurial principles; to make rational
economic decisions; and to exhibit social responsibility in a global
economy.
Contact: Colleen Hunt at 515-281-0319 or colleen.hunt@iowa.gov
Designing Effective Career & Technical Education Programs
All Aspects: All Aspects is an integral part of the 1998 Carl D. Perkins Vocational
and Applied Technology Act (Perkins III). A provision in this act calls
for students to have "strong experience in and an understanding of
those aspects of industry the students are preparing to enter." Career and technical programs should be designed to
delivery a broad understanding of all aspects of business, industry and labor.
Programs designed to address all aspects will provide instruction about
the following concepts: planning, management, finance, technical
and production skills, underlying principles of technology, labor
issues, community issues, and health, safety, and environmental issues.
What is All Aspects? (All Aspects of an Industry) (266.17 KB)
Occupational Proficiency: A measure of students' achievement in learning the critical competencies delivered in the respective program
area. Occupational proficiency is reported on program completers.
Program Completer: A program completer is any student that has
completed the course sequence identified for a respective career and
technical program. (A program must be a minimum of 3 units of instruction within the respective program area.)
Program Sequence: Career and technical programs must be
designed to include a minimum of 3 units of instruction within the
respective program area.
Advisory Committees: Iowa Code, Section 258.9 states that
institutions receiving federal or state vocational education funds
shall, as a condition of approval by the State Board, appoint a local
advisory council composed of public members. Legislation requires
description of how institutions will actively involve parents,
teachers, local businesses, and labor in planning, development,
implementation and evaluation of programs.
Career and Technical Student Organizations
Statement of Support
Career and technical student
organizations (CTSOs) provide a unique program of career and leadership
development, motivation and recognition for youth and adult students in
secondary and postsecondary education that are or were enrolled in
career and technical education programs.
INTEGRATION
Career and technical student organizations are not
"clubs" to which only a few vocational students are members, but a CTSO is a
powerful instructional tool that works best when it is integrated into the vocational
curriculum and classroom by instructors who are committed to the development of the total
person. CTSOs are referred to as "curricular" or "co-curricular," but
they are not "extracurricular."
Career and technical student organizations provide instructional strategies for students to develop,
improve and expand occupational competencies related to a particular career interest.
Other integration activities include serving as an extension of the classroom/laboratory
instructional program which enriches and enhances classroom/laboratory learning.
These organizations present organized activities for students to gain personal and
leadership skills making the student more employable and preparing them to become
productive employees/employers, citizens and family members.
MEMBERSHIP
CTSOs in Iowa currently serve over 19,000 students at the
secondary and postsecondary levels. Organizations active in the state
include:
- Business Professionals of America -- Secondary and Postsecondary
- DECA -- Secondary and Postsecondary
- FBLA/PBL -- Future Business Leaders/Phi Beta Lambda
- FFA -- Secondary
- Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) -- Secondary
- Health Occupations Students Of America (HOSA) -- Secondary and
Postsecondary
- Iowa Young Farmers Education Association (IYFEA) -- Adult
- Postsecondary Agricultural Students (PAS) -- Postsecondary
- Technology Students Association (TSA) -- Secondary
- SkillsUSA (VICA) -- Secondary and
Postsecondary
These organizations not only have local, district and state events, but
offer national and international networking options and experiences.
RESPONSIBILITY
The Iowa Department of Education is responsible for identifying the
appropriate staffing and staff functions in order to meet national guidelines for CTSO
affiliation and state plan objectives for CTSOs. To facilitate the integration of CTSO
activities into local career and technical education programs, the Iowa Department of Education
provides the following types of support:
- Guidance in the implementation of CTSOs in all career and technical education
programs.
- Administrative support to the state associations of each CTSO.
- Provide a state advisor to manage and facilitate each state association.
- Financial support for state association administrative costs, including:
telephone, travel, postage, printing, office space, and clerical support.
- Meeting rooms, storage space, and interdepartmental support services.
- Administrative support that enables state associations and state
advisors to operate according to the state and national constitutions and by-laws and
within state policies and guidelines.
- Development and printing of handbooks and newsletters that communicate
the policies and guidelines of local, state, and national organizations.
- Sponsorship for local, district, and state meetings/conferences.
- Development, financial support, and administration of inservice training
for chapter advisors.
- Development and delivery of officer training workshops for local,
district and state officers.
- Technical assistance for development and implementation of fiscal
management policies and guidelines to ensure compliance with accepted accounting practices
and sound association management.
- Coordination with local vocational administrators and instructors to
gain the most from vocational programs and their respective VSO.
- Encouragement and motivation for vocational teacher educators to conduct
preservice and inservice courses to increase the effectiveness of the CTOSs when integrated
into the vocational education classroom.
- Coordination with the national CTSO in developing and completing a
meaningful program-of-work for the organization at local, state, regional, national and
international levels.
STUDENT OUTCOMES
Students participating in career and technical student
organizations have the opportunity to develop and enhance their leadership and citizenship
skills within the context of career and program interests which also enhances their
occupational skills and future employability. These organizations provide students
opportunities in a caring, secure environment to participate in leadership initiatives,
and to enhance their awareness of the role of community service and responsibility to
governmental affairs.
Activities are designed to provide opportunities for student achievement in sound
decision-making, positive professional appearances, and skill attainment. These
experiences are enhanced through involvement of business, industry, and labor in a climate
of positive interaction and cooperation. For many students, this is the only leadership
opportunity they will experience during their educational careers. Communities, states,
and the nation benefit, as well as the individual and their families.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Producing viable, active citizens who are concerned
about their professions and the welfare of their communities, states, and nation is the
positive product. Career and technical student organizations have an excellent reputation and years
of success in Iowa.
This is the time to address the responsibility for maintaining and
enhancing the future of CTSOs with the financial support that is
required at the local and state level to best serve the students of
Iowa.
Links
Association for Career & Technical Education
Iowa ACTE
Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
Iowa FFA Association
National FFA Organization
Iowa Postsecondary Agriculture Student Organization (PAS)
National Postsecondary Agriculture Student Organization (PAS)
Iowa Association of Agricultural Educators
Iowa FFA Foundation -- Serving all of Team Ag Ed
Business and Information Technology
Iowa Business Education Association (IBEA)
Business Professionals of America (BPA), Iowa Association
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), Iowa
Phi Beta Lambda (PBL), Iowa
Business Professionals of America (BPA)
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)/Phi Beta Lambda (PBL)
National Business Education Association (NBEA)
National Association of Supervisors of Business Education (NASBE)
North Central Business Education Association (NCBEA)
Family and Consumer Sciences
Iowa FCS
Marketing
Iowa DECA
DECA, Inc.
MarkED/Career Paths Resource Center
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Career & Technical Education 
