Career Education for High School Students

Americans have always taken pride in having the best-educated workforce in the world, but now that is no longer true. In Tough Choices, Tough Times, the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce reports that over the past 30 years one country after another has surpassed the United States in the percentage of its population entering the workforce with the equivalent of a high school diploma, and many more countries are on the verge of doing so. Thirty years ago, the U.S. could lay claim to having 30 percent of the world’s population of college students. Today that proportion has fallen substantially, to 14 percent, and continues to decline. American students place anywhere from the middle of the pack to the bottom in all three continuing comparative studies of achievement in mathematics, science, and general literacy among advanced industrial nations. Students from low-income families are six times more likely not to finish high school than those from high-income families. Dropouts face severe obstacles to employment, livable wages, and civic participation; instead, many drift into crime. This situation means a loss of opportunities for the individuals, substantial cost to the govern¬ment and taxpayers, and a decline in productivity for businesses. Even those students who do graduate may not be well prepared. According to the National Reading Panel, American companies lose nearly $40 billion annually due to il¬literacy. A survey by the National Occupational Information Coordinating Com¬mittee and the National Career Development Association found that a majority of students report feeling unprepared in skills, knowledge, and attitudes upon entering the...

U can B taught at East Liberty, Erie, Wexford, Allentown, Philadelphia, and Harrisburg. Each Thursday from 3 to 4 p.m. over a 15-week period that began Jan. 15, participants gathered at seven PA Cyber support centers and satellite offices across the state for live, interactive online sessions on specific topics including entrepreneurship, website and graphic design, government and politics, jobs in the “green” sector, film, and trade careers. The live online sessions in this series originated from PA Cyber’s office in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty business district. They were streamed using Google software to offices at Greensburg, Erie, Wexford, Allentown, Philadelphia, and Harrisburg. Hissam and Brian Boothby, a facilitator in the gifted-talented program, are simultaneously streamed the sessions to other PA Cyber students at home on their laptops, using the same Collaborate meeting software students use to attend their regular PA Cyber virtual classes. In the second session, for example, Tom Kubilius of Bally Designs of Pittsburgh explained what entrepreneurship is, what entrepreneurs have in common, choices to be made in starting a business, creating a business plan, what a small business looks like, and why having a passion for what you do is important.   Jill Valentine, Director of Admissions and Marketing, 724.888-7814,...

U can B a healthcare employee with Adagio Health and Jefferson Hospital.  Great information for students and all the students who wanted to volunteer over the summer were able to get volunteer positions. The U can B solution The U can B Curriculum is tailored to meet your school’s needs, and allows each curriculum component to be expanded or contracted to fit within a specific number of weeks based on the strengths and weaknesses of the class. Classes included in the U can B curriculum include: • Entrepreneurship • Trades and Careers in the Trades • Website design and SEO • Film and TV • Green and Sustainable • Politics • Healthcare • and More! The U can B program provides a unique interactive classroom environment that utilizes “Google Live Stream Technology” in a partnership with Google. The program further engages the students with our proprietary Coffee With Film series, which showcases industry leaders and politicians with a variety of insight in those careers. The program is further augmented with In person speakers and experts that share real world experiences and advice in career development and planning. Finally, U can B’s Student Goal Tracker Software with Smart Technology connects each student with matched company profiles, internship opportunities and unique access to industry...

U can B Career Education Educating 7th – 12 Grade Students – Nationwide. Entrepreneurs and businesspeople, along with the non-profit organization Building Bridges for Business, are giving local students the chance to see what life is like after high school and college. U can B is now in numerous schools across the State of Pennsylvania and is expanding into several states in 2015. The Problem Americans have always taken pride in having the best-educated workforce in the world, but now that is no longer true. In Tough Choices, Tough Times, the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce reports that over the past 30 years one country after another has surpassed the United States in the percentage of its population entering the workforce with the equivalent of a high school diploma, and many more countries are on the verge of doing so. Thirty years ago, the U.S. could lay claim to having 30 percent of the world’s population of college students. Today that proportion has fallen substantially, to 14 percent, and continues to decline. American students place anywhere from the middle of the pack to the bottom in all three continuing comparative studies of achievement in mathematics, science, and general literacy among advanced industrial nations • Proven curriculum – Tailored to meet your school’s needs. Select the topics and Number of Weeks. • “Coffee With…” videos and in person interactive discussions are used to educate students on their purpose, passion and career options. • Educational programming – for students to connect with vital business resources. • On site visits – to local government locations, TV stations, and businesses to learn about career choices....