Career Link Program Development Plan
School Districts that are considering Career Link programs typically follow these steps:
- Staff development
- What are Career Link programs?
- Do our high school students have a need for these programs?
- How can these programs benefit our students, our school, our community?
- What has been the experience of area schools with Career Link programs?
- Program options and articulation opportunities
- High school task team and NIACC School Partnerships team dialogue and develop proposal
- Program plans (called Career Link drawing boards)
- High school task team and NIACC School Partnerships coordinator draft a sequence of courses into a full program
- High school and NIACC schedules/courses used to create optimum program design
- Update and strengthen existing articulation agreements
- NIACC and high school instructors dialogue; School Partnership Coordinator facilitates
- New articulation agreements signed
- Proposed Career Link program plan shared with entire high school staff/school board
- Consensus reached
- NIACC board and local school board presidents sign 28E Career Link program agreement
- High school staff member designated as Career Link program liaison
- Liaison assumes key role in ensuring student and program success
- Publicity and promotion
- Information letters and brochures designed, printed, and mailed
- Customized high school/NIACC Career Link catalog designed, printed, and distributed
- Information to students, parents, community (newspaper, radio, DVD, school newsletter)
- Student/parent/community information night (NIACC and high school staff facilitate)
- High school and NIACC jointly enroll students in Career Link programs
- Students complete program application and register for NIACC/high school classes
- High school Career Link liaison and NIACC School Partnerships Coordinator meet with high school students to design and plan class schedules that meet individual student needs
- Implement programs, monitor student progress, evaluate