Legislature(2021 - 2022)DAVIS 106
04/07/2021 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
Note: the audio ![]()
and video ![]()
recordings are distinct records and are obtained from different sources. As such there may be key differences between the two. The audio recordings are captured by our records offices as the official record of the meeting and will have more accurate timestamps. Use the icons to switch between them.
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation(s): Career & Technical Education (cte): Reports from the Field | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
April 7, 2021
8:02 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Harriet Drummond, Co-Chair
Representative Andi Story, Co-Chair
Representative Tiffany Zulkosky
Representative Grier Hopkins
Representative Mike Prax
Representative Mike Cronk
Representative Ronald Gillham
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION(S): Career & Technical Education (CTE): Reports
from the Field
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
DOUG WALRATH, Director
Northwestern Alaska Career and Technical Center
Nome, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the presentation on Career &
Technical Education (CTE): Reports from the Field, presented a
PowerPoint, titled "Status of Career and Technical Education
(CTE) in the Bering Straits region: A Regional Training Center's
Perspective."
DEBORAH RIDDLE, Division Operations Manager
Division of Innovation and Education Excellence
Alaska Department of Education and Early Development
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the presentation on Career &
Technical Education (CTE): Reports from the Field, co-presented
a PowerPoint, titled "Alaska Career & Technical Education
Overview."
BRAD BILLINGS, Career and Technical Education Administrator
Division of Innovation and Education Excellence
Department of Education and Early Development
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the presentation on Career &
Technical Education (CTE): Reports from the Field, co-presented
a PowerPoint, titled "Alaska Career & Technical Education
Overview."
TERI COTHREN, President
Alaska Association for Career and Technical Education
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the presentation on Career &
Technical Education (CTE): Reports from the Field, gave a
presentation on the Alaska Association for Career and Technical
Education.
ZACH STENSON, Career and Technical Education Director
Bristol Bay Regional Career and Technical Education Program
Palmer, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the presentation on Career &
Technical Education (CTE): Reports from the Field, gave a
presentation on the Bristol Bay Regional Career and Technical
Education Program.
MATT WIDAMAN, Work Experience & Workforce Coordinator
Career and Technical Education
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
Soldotna, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the presentation on Career &
Technical Education (CTE): Reports from the Field, gave a
presentation about Career and Technical Education in the Kenai
Peninsula Borough School District
COLIN STEWART, Coordinator
Career and Technical Education
Lower Kuskokwim School District
Bethel, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the presentation on Career &
Technical Education (CTE): Reports from the Field, presented a
Career and Technical Education Report from the Lower Kuskokwim
School District.
JONI SIMPSON, Director
Career and Technical Education
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the presentation on Career &
Technical Education (CTE): Reports from the Field, presented on
the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District's Career and
Technical Education Program.
CATHY LECOMPTE, Division Director
Alaska Vocational Technical Center (AVTEC)
Department of Labor and Workforce Development
Seward, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: During the presentation on Career &
Technical Education (CTE): Reports from the Field, gave a
presentation on the Alaska Vocational Technical Center.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:02:07 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY called the House Education Standing Committee
meeting to order at 8:02 a.m. Representatives Drummond, Cronk,
Gillham, Hopkins, Prax, and Story were present at the call to
order. Representative Zulkosky arrived (via teleconference) as
the meeting was in progress.
^PRESENTATION(S): Career & Technical Education (CTE): Reports
from the Field
8:03:17 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY announced that the only order of business would
be a presentation on Career & Technical Education (CTE):
Reports from the Field.
8:04:43 AM
DOUG WALRATH, Director, Northwestern Alaska Career and Technical
Center, began his presentation on slide 1 by introducing the
Northwestern Alaska Career and Technical Center (NACTEC). He
explained that NACTEC is the Nome-based regional training
center. The organization is a cross district partnership of the
Bering Strait School District, Nome Public Schools, and the City
of Nome. The center is supported by the Alaska Department of
Education and Early Development (DEED) with boarding school
stipends and a residential training program, and by the
Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DLWD) with
Technical and Vocational Education Program (TVEP) funding.
Villages as far north as Shishmaref, as far west as St. Lawrence
Island, and all around Norton Sound are served by NACTEC, Mr.
Walrath explained. Students fly in for residential training.
MR. WALRATH read from the next slide, titled, "NACTEC Community
Technical Education (CTE) Focus," which read as follows
[original punctuation provided]:
1. NACTEC delivers variable term (2-4 week intensive
formats) residential CTE programs aligning with
priority industries: Healthcare, Transportation,
Construction, Hospitality & Tourism, Seafood
Harvesting & Processing.
• Northwest Area Health Education Center
(NW AHEC)
• DMV 3rd Party Examiner/Approved D.E.
School
• AVTEC Maritime: USCG certified training
(certifications)
• UAF-CTC: FAA approval Aviation
Maintenance (dual credit)
8:08:00 AM
MR. Walrath shared slide 3, titled "CTE Training = Workforce
Development Alignment." He explained the NACTEC works so its
courses align with what is happening in the region. The first
article on the slide showed a new project to be funded in Nome,
and Mr. Walrath pointed out that this would create need for
commercial driver licenses (CDLs). The second article also
suggested a future need for heavy equipment operators, requiring
more CDLs.
MR. WALRATH directed attention to slide 4, "COVID-Impacted
Environment." He explained that students who would otherwise
have had twenty-five plus CTE offerings have not been able to
fly in. The organization aligns with two school districts, so
NACTEC shifted its staff to semester-based education for Nome
Public Schools and was able to offer a wide array of training
that otherwise would not have been available in that format. He
stated that NACTEC has also delivered a limited adult Driver
Education training with a one-on-one environment for COVID-19
safety protocols.
8:10:11 AM
MR. WALRATH shared slide 5, "Distance Delivery CTE Virtual
Environment." He explained that NACTEC wanted to create an
interface where students could come to Nome in a virtual world,
so they could explore NACTEC's facilities. The slide displayed
3D scans giving a "dollhouse view" of the residential living
center and the auto shop. He said this information is available
at www.nacteconline.org. The interactive site is embedded with
information-rich tags, so a viewer can learn more about a given
course.
MR. WALRATH shared slide 6, "Distance Delivery CTE - Course,"
which read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
• Small Engine Repair 29 videos
• Intro to Aviation 15 videos
• Intro to Healthcare
• Heavy Equipment Operator
• Flux Core Arc Welding
• Potential Statewide Delivery w/ DEED
MR. WALRATH explained that NACTEC decided to offer five distance
delivery courses. The organization produced videos to share
information about traditionally hands-on courses.
8:13:28 AM
MR. WALRATH turned to slide 7, "Distance Delivery CTE -
Aviation." He explained that NACTEC redesigned its website,
giving access to the Intro to Aviation course and to Aviation
Ground School. He said that NACTEC already had aviation
training devices in village schools thanks to a Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) grant. The students use a "GoogleDoc"
flight log to enter their flights, and NACTEC is able to track
who is using it and who is interested in aviation.
MR. WALRATH directed attention to slide 8, "Distance Delivery
CTE - Healthcare." He stated that NACTEC is offering an Intro
to Health Course, QPR - Suicide Prevention, and bandaging
workshops for junior-high students.
MR. WALRATH presented the final slide of his presentation,
"NACTEC Legislative Emphasis." He explained that there were a
few things he wanted to draw attention towards. The first was
HB 100 "Extend Workforce Invest Board Allocations" which is a
TVEP reauthorization bill, which NACTEC had been a recipient of
since 2009. The second item was DEED residential stipends,
which they did not receive this year because they were not able
to deliver residential training. The last item to which he drew
attention was the Alaska Education Tax Credit. He noted that
the tax credit was stripped in 2018 of a program that allowed
business and industry to make contributions to programs like
NACTEC. From 2010 to 2019 the Alaska Education Tax Credit
represented twenty-eight percent of NACTEC's operating budget.
In 2020 and 2021 it is now 12 percent of NACTEC's operating
budget, Mr. Walrath said.
8:17:20 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked how many students went through the
program in a year.
MR. WALRATH replied that in recent years the organization served
above 400 students in a year.
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked how students were doing at obtaining
employment, and if that was in the region or elsewhere.
MR. WALRATH directed attention to the homepage of NACTEC's
website, which displays NACTEC's "success series posters." He
pointed out that there is also a tab for graduates to submit
information, but he didn't have the exact number.
Qualitatively, he said, students are seen [working] around Nome
and in their villages, as well.
8:19:24 AM
REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND asked about the Alaska Vocational
Technical Center (AVTEC) maritime program in Seward. She asked
how maritime training differed once training was relocated to
Nome.
MR. WALRATH replied that NACTEC's partnership with AVTEC permits
the delivery of Coastguard certified programs through the Nome
Campus. He said that AVTEC staff comes up and teams with NACTEC
staff to deliver the training. Bringing students in from the
villages and instructors up from AVTEC permits a lower cost of
training and gives the students exposure to AVTEC in high
school, he explained. He said the students can then continue on
from their introduction to nautical skills into seaman training.
REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND clarified that this meant the
government-certified United States Coast Guard (USCG) training
was not available in Nome unless the certified AVTEC crew comes
up.
MR. WALRATH replied that Representative Drummond's understanding
was correct, and that NACTEC needs a certified instructor. The
two organizations have had the relationship for three years
prior to this past COVID-19-impacted year.
8:21:46 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY asked that any further questions be submitted to
her office so the committee could move on to the next presenter.
She commented that since students were not coming in for
residential, the program had switched to a semester system and
now had more Nome students, and she asked if NACTEC had plans to
continue that collaboration.
8:22:38 AM
DEBORAH RIDDLE, Division Operations Manager, Division of
Innovation and Education Excellence, introduced herself to the
committee.
8:22:55 AM
BRAD BILLINGS, Career and Technical Education Administrator,
Division of Innovation and Education Excellence, Alaska
Department of Education and Early Development , introduced
himself to the committee.
8:23:07 AM
MS. RIDDLE directed attention to slide 2. She told the
committee members that the department's mission is to provide an
excellent education for every student every day. She pointed
out a phrase from DEED's vision, to help "shape worthwhile and
satisfying lives." Ms. Riddle said that with Career and
Technical Education (CTE) partners, [DEED] strives to set
students up to earn a living wage in a career pathway that is
meaningful to them. She explained that the presentations are
about how DEED's partners are helping students do that. She
said the department does this by providing information to
partners and [school] districts.
MS. RIDDLE moved to slide 3, "Alaska's Education Challenge."
She highlighted the second point on the slide which read as
follows [original punctuation provided]:
2.Increase career, technical, and culturally relevant
education to meet student and workforce needs
MS. RIDDLE explained that CTE works very strongly with partners.
She said that there is a community that is working with students
and adults of all ages to try to [help students achieve] living
wage jobs as they move forward in their lives.
8:24:26 AM
MR. BILLINGS moved onto slide 4 regarding post-secondary
institutions. Mr. Billings emphasized that partnerships are
integral to the department's goals, and that CTE is effective
because of partnerships. He explained the idea of taking
students beyond the classroom to work opportunities with the
goal of high-skill, high-wage jobs. He the directed attention
to a graphic in the corner of the slide and said the programs
within [Alaska's] high schools are in the lower-left circle with
an arrow on it. That is DEED funding that flows through the
division. He shared that these are Carl Perkins federal funds
designed to promote CTE opportunities to high schools. Then
[there are] the state formula funds that are distributed to
schools, which is state money, he explained.
MR. BILLINGS acknowledged some organizations that serve high
schools and secondary schools and are pushing students beyond
the classroom. The first of which are known as Career and
Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs). The state has seven of
these, he explained, offering Future Farmers of America,
Educators Rising, and Business Professionals of America as
examples. These are organizations, he explained, that are
providing students with a leadership opportunity, and allowing
them to move out into the community and into the workplace. The
second organization [in the graphic] is Alaska's Association for
Career and Technical Education (ACTE). He explained that this
is a local organization that is linked to a national
organization that advocates and collaborates with school
districts and other stakeholders to develop and promote CTE
resources.
MR. BILLINGS reiterated that while the figure in the corner [of
the slide] represents what is happening through DEED, the
partnerships involved create links. Linking to post-secondary
institutions through dual credit systems allows students both
high school credit, as well as credit in university systems, or
through technical and trade schools or institutions, he
continued. The other important partnership, Mr. Billings
explained, is through employers and industry through work-based
learning. He explained that the career information system helps
students research what careers are available to them, clear up
to an apprenticeship, a formal arrangement with an employer, or
a work release type situation. That, he said, is moving
students out into the workplace. He stated that DEED partners
with industry through many of the adult training institutions
that DLWD delivers. Again, he stated, this is all moving
students towards high-wage, high-skill jobs.
8:27:53 AM
MR. BILLINGS introduced slide 5, "Secondary CTE Resource
Ecosystem." Again, he emphasized the partnerships involved and
proceeded to explain the program funding. The division receives
$5.1 million from Carl Perkins federal funds, he informed the
committee members. He explained that eighty-five percent of
that moves directly through to school districts and to a handful
of postsecondary stakeholders. On top of that, he said, CTE has
$17.6 million from [ the Base Student Allocation (BSA) formula]
funds [from the state of Alaska]. Within [the BSA] formula,
1.015 percent is directed towards school districts for CTE
activities. Though not strictly tracked, he explained that
larger districts may be putting more money towards their strong
CTE programs. Mr. billings said that then CTE expands outwards
with private government grants to secondary schools. He noted
that this is not something the division is measuring, but it is
impactful. An even larger resource pool, he continued, are the
post-secondary government institutions, the DOLWD, the
University of Alaska [UA] system, and training institutions like
the TVEP training institution. Beyond that, he said, is the
industries, and [the funds] they are spending on training
employees and developing work force pipelines. He concluded
that there is a large ecosystem, of which DEED's piece is a
small piece, but the key is magnifying and linking that small
piece to these larger resources.
8:30:05 AM
MR. BILLINGS introduced slide 6, "Career and Technical
Education: Cluster to Course." He stated that the Carl Perkins
Funding focuses DEED on programs of study. He noted that the
diagram of organizational structures on the slide begins with
the [outer sphere] "Career Cluster," with "Health Science" as an
example. He informed committee members that there are 16 career
clusters [such as Health Science] that are recognized
nationally. The diagram then moves down to the smallest unit of
management, he explained, which is a "Course," or a classroom.
He offered his experience when he was in middle school and first
introduced to CTE in a stand-alone course, "Introduction to
Woodshop." He noted that it didn't necessarily link him to
employment opportunities, credits, or credentials beyond the
classroom. He argued that [CTE programs have] gotten a lot
smarter and more intentional in how [the programs] are linking
those things. He pointed to the middle circle of the diagram,
the "Program of Study/CTEPS" and explained that this is the unit
of organization and management in the high school and secondary
level that is the program of study.
8:31:29 AM
MR. BILLINGS introduced slide 7, "High Quality CTE Program of
Study." He began by stating that a program of study is
responsive to demand. He recalled Mr. Walrath mentioning the
deep water port that was being put into Nome. That is a demand,
Mr. Billings explained, that is going to need workers, and so
the Career and Technical Education Programs of Study (CTEPS)
should be responsive to local, regional, and state-level demand.
The second thing, Mr. Billings continued, is it should allow for
students to develop career awareness and to explore different
careers. The third thing that a CTEPS should provide is
multiple "stacked" courses, he said. He argued that it's not
just dabbling in woodshop and then going over and taking a Home
Economics course and never the two shall meet. He suggested
rather that these are courses that are moving the student from
exploratory and employability skills to technical skills that
can then be applied in the workplace. The fourth thing CTE
should provide is representative of existing standards academic,
employability, and then from the industry side with technical
standards. He said that the additional characteristic of a
program of study is that it is focused on credentials and
credits that apply after the student graduates. He said this
could be dual credit with the university, or it could be having
a leg up in a training program such as AVTEC upon graduation.
He concluded that a program of study focuses on work-based
learning and moving beyond the classroom. He said this could be
a registered apprenticeship or work-based credit that a student
can get while in school.
8:33:44 AM
MR. BILLINGS presented slide 8, "CTE Partnerships." He
explained that Carl Perkins funding requires a local advisory
committee and consultation with the committee on an ongoing
basis. He said as school districts develop a CTE plan, the
districts gather industry representatives, parents, student
representatives, and different stakeholders. The districts
consult the stakeholders to get a sense of what is needed and
what the interest is in, which is an important partnership that
happens locally, he shared. He then gave an endorsement to what
Mr. Walrath said about the TVEP reauthorization and pointed out
that DEED is not supervising or handling the funding that goes
into the TVEP institutions. He stated that [TVEP institutions]
have been amazing at intentionally reaching out to high school
students and have partnered with DEED and have been present at
school district training events to make sure that the
institutions are connecting with those upcoming high school
students.
MR. BILLINGS said UA has an Alaska transition coalition. He
explained that DEED has partnered with the universities and sat
elbow to elbow at some training events with representatives from
the various UA campuses and systems. This is important because
those arrangements are made between a school district and a
local or regional campus, he stated. Having those individuals
from the University of Alaska Transition Coalition (UATC)
sitting elbow to elbow with school district CTE representatives
has been vital and important and is something DEED would like to
continue, he said. These are just some examples of the
partnerships that DEED is expanding, he said.
8:36:23 AM
MR. BILLINGS presented slide 9, "Integrated Career Pathways
Model." He explained that this is an illustration to
demonstrate the same idea [from the previous slide] of
partnerships. In the past, it could be that the split arrow was
actually two separate arrows, he said referring to the slide.
There was what was happening in schools, and then there were the
larger training and opportunities for adults, he explained.
About two decades ago there was an intentional effort nationally
so that the programs of studies being built in schools would
feed into what students would face as adults, he said. [The
goal is] to provide opportunities and a leg up for [student's
futures], he said. He argued that this illustration
reemphasized that CTEPS is designed to flow into what the adult
opportunities are going to be.
MR. BILLINGS presented slide 10, "COVID-19 Flexibility and
Innovation." He declared that the elephant in the room has been
the interruption caused by COVID-19. He said normally school
districts need to spend federal funds by June 30; however, DEED
was able to work with the U.S. Department of Education to allow
for some flexibility for districts to carry those funds forward.
He noted that there was a lot of travel that was planned in the
spring of 2020 that didn't happen, and so there were funds that
were [left unused]. Rather than gathering that back, he
explained that DEED wanted to make sure that the districts still
had access to those funds.
MR. BILLINGS said that in the spring of 2020 DEED had a weekly
collaborative call that was a gathering of school district CTE
representatives via webinar to talk about issues. He reminded
the committee members that things were changing daily then, and
so [it was important to] talk about challenges to CTE [and
share] solutions that were bubbling up across the state. He
shared that DEED has two annual conferences: one is supported
by the ACTE, the other by DEED. Both of those, he continued,
happened virtually, and so DEED was able to continue with that
training and partnership even though [CTE professionals] are not
meeting face to face as they were in the past. He recognized
the school districts and post-secondary partners, and the
innovation and efforts involved in the past year.
MR. BILLINGS concluded by addressing slide 11, "CTE Resources,"
which lists resources available on DEED's webpage and slide 12,
"Contact Information," which gave contact information for Ms.
Riddle and Mr. Billings.
8:39:33 AM
MS. RIDDLE, regarding Slide 11, directed attention to the
"Alaska CTE Perkins State Plan," explaining that this was the
plan that DEED created in response to the new legislation that
reauthorized the Carl Perkins program. The link from the slide
discusses DEED's goals and ideas moving forward. She explained
that the plan was done collaboratively with many of the partners
addressing the committee members today. She also pointed out
the "Alaska Work-Based Learning Guide" that DEED created last
year in partnership with DLWD, DCCED, and some of the districts.
She then offered to field questions.
8:40:34 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked if specific trades, skills, or classes
were set at the federal, state, or community level.
MR. BILLINGS replied that federally there are a number of
designators for different types of courses to try and provide
consistency. However, he continued, the program was built
locally, so school districts define the courses they have, and
[the districts] would develop the curriculum. If partnering
with a specific industry or organization, [the districts] may
use that organization's curriculum and course work. He said
that is up to the school district to develop. Carl Perkins
funds [must] be used to respond to an economic need, he
explained. What the data shows is that the developing
industries may partner with a training institution or another
school district to build a course Mr. Billings explained,
arguing that courses are ultimately developed locally.
8:42:18 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY asked if DEED had a list of CTE programs in the
state by district and/or school so there was information on each
region and area. If not, she noted she would find that
information helpful to have, including a list of the dual credit
opportunities. She stated that it is important for members of
the committee to know what is happening with the CTE world.
MR. BILLINGS replied DEED was approving courses funded through
Carl Perkins funds and tracking those CTEPS, and that is
something DEED should be able to compile. He explained that the
arrangements for dual credits are managed locally, through a
particular campus through an articulation agreement. That
information could be gathered by reaching out to school
districts, he offered, and so DEED should be able to provide an
answer.
8:44:14 AM
TERI COTHREN, President, Alaska Association for Career and
Technical Education (Alaska ACET), thanked the committee members
for the opportunity to discuss the association and the
importance of CTE for the state of Alaska. She stated that she
would provide an overview of the Alaska ACTE, how the
association's initiatives are supporting CTE across the state,
and a few data points to demonstrate the importance of CTE,
especially as [CTE providers] work together to assist in
Alaska's economic recovery.
MS. COTHREN presented slide 2, "Our Mission and Vision." She
shared that Alaska ACTE's board members are united in the
mission to ensure all Alaska students have access to quality CTE
across Alaska secondary districts and across post-secondary
providers. She said that as an association, Alaska ACTE's
broader vision highlights the value of education and its
commitment to supporting partnerships between educators and
industry to address Alaska's workforce needs.
8:45:25 AM
MS. COTHREN presented slide 3, which listed the Board of
Directors. She shared the Board of Directors was comprised of
volunteers from across the state who work in both secondary and
post-secondary education. She noted that Alaska ACTE is
fortunate to have an ex-officio board member from the DEED
which, as Mr. Billings and Mr. Walrath mentioned, is a key
partner of Alaska ACTE.
MS. COTHREN presented slide 4, "Alaska Economic and ACTE
Regions." She stated that several of the board members are
representative of Alaska's six economic regions. Board members'
active participation on the board and within their regions
strengthens Alaska ACTE's ability as an association to carry out
its mission and provide the mechanism to connect with partners
across the state, she shared.
MS. COTHREN next moved onto slide 5, "National Affiliation &
Member Benefits." She explained that about four years ago the
association joined the national ACTE to become an affiliated
association. She said this expanded Alaska ACTE's benefits to
their members, including Alaska ACTE's ability as an association
to offer continuing education through the CTE learning portal
that provides CTE professionals access to over 170 self-paced
online courses and the opportunity for college credit. She said
the association's affiliation with National ACTE provides the
award winners the opportunity to be recognized at a regional
level. This also expands recognition of CTE excellence in
Alaska, she pointed out. She said that as a state association,
Alaska ACTE publishes three newsletters each year to highlight
CTE around the state and to keep their members updated on CTE
activities. She said Alaska ACTE also maintains a website and
social media presence to elevate the awareness and importance of
CTE. As advocating for CTE is essential to the association's
mission, the board members appreciate opportunities such as this
hearing to advocate for CTE. She mentions that another way
Alaska ACTE has provided advocacy, is to work with their members
to pass resolutions of support for CTE legislation. Most
recently Alaska ACTE passed a resolution of support to
reauthorize the technical vocational program that has already
been mentioned by the previous presenters, an important program
to provide stable funding for CTE across the state. The
legislation introduced last legislative session by Chair Story
to provide avenues for students to incorporate CTE into their
APS application is also a resolution of support Alaska ACTE
passed.
8:47:59 AM
MS. COTHREN introduced slide 6,"Alaska ACTE Clearinghouse." She
highlighted two additional ways the association is providing
professional development and networking opportunities as an
association to their members and the state. In 2019, Alaska
ACTE decided to take the lead in responding to a long-time
request of CTE educators and administrators, she said, who asked
for a clearinghouse that would help with onboarding by providing
access to CTE resources, but also stand and leverage existing
quality and diverse resources that enhance students' career
pathways and help to improve alignment and provide a platform to
work with peers. She explained that the association is in the
development phase and is targeted to be fully operational later
this year.
MS. COTHREN presented slide 7, "Professional Development
Conference." She stated that each year the association hosts a
professional development conference to bring CTE educators,
administrators, and industry together to learn, network, and
grow CTE. She explained that the association utilized the
opportunity that 2020 presented to host its first ever virtual
conference last October. While the survey results were
positive, she continued, Alaska ACTE hopes to deliver the next
conference in person this fall in response to members' request
to be able to access the hands on training and additional
networking opportunities that the in-person conference provides.
8:49:29 AM
MS. COTHREN directed attention to slide 8, "Awards, celebrating
excellence in CTE." She stated that a highlight of the
conference is the awards luncheon, where the association has the
privilege to recognize the outstanding work of the CT
professionals across Alaska. She explained that award winners
are nominated by peers in the six categories shown on the slide:
CTE Teacher of the Year, New CTE Teacher of the Year, CTE
Leadership Award, Community Service Award, Career Guidance
Award, and Innovative Program Award.
MS. COTHREN introduced slide 9, "2020 Community Service Award."
She highlighted one of the recent award winners, noting it was a
great example [considering the social effects of COVID-19]. The
Bering Strait School District (BSSD) CTE Program received the
2020 Community Service Award, she shared, for manufacturing
personal protective equipment (PPE). As the urgency of the
pandemic increased, PPE for regional first responders, health
care providers, and seafood industry workers became extremely
difficult to obtain, she explained. The Bering Strait School
District stepped up and mobilized their CTE program to produce
PPE for essential workers throughout the region, Ms. Cothern
said. She informed the committee that the BSSD CTE program
produced 1,200 three-dimensional (3D) printed face shields and
countless cloth masks. The PPE was produced in record time
under challenging circumstances and was in the hands of people
before the national supply chain was able to adequately respond
to their regional needs, she stated. She concluded that the
program's success contributed to the Norton Sound Seafood
Products' processing season, concluding this September without a
single COVID-19 case.
8:51:06 AM
MS. COTHREN presented slide 10, "Value of CTE." She highlighted
a few points that show how critical CTE is to Alaska's work
force and economy, especially in a time of economic recovery.
She explained that CTE programs in Alaska prepare students for
highly technical careers in oil and gas, mining, maritime,
healthcare, aviation, information technology, and much more.
She explained that the data shows that when secondary students
concentrate in a CTE pathway, they graduate at a higher rate
than their peers, with a graduation rate of 95 precent in
Alaska. She noted that 41 percent of Alaska CTE students are
economically disadvantaged, a trend that has been on the rise
for five years. Through CTE secondary pathways, there are often
opportunities for students to access college credit, helping to
close the equity gap and increase transitions to post-secondary
and employment. She pointed out that there are thousands of
Alaskans enrolled in secondary and post-secondary CTE programs,
obtaining skills that lead to employment or to advance their
careers. Ms. Cothren noted that this is especially critical at
this time [because of the effects of COVID-19 on the economy].
When considering Alaskans who have been displaced by the
pandemic, she explained, CTE pathways provide short-term
training opportunities to "re-skill" and "up-skill" Alaskans,
getting them back to work, strengthening employment, and
boosting Alaska's economic recovery. Ms. Cothren thanked the
committee members for supporting CTE in Alaska. She said it is
good for Alaska's students, industries, and the state.
8:53:07 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS asked how Alaska ACTE is working to build
connections between districts and local apprenticeship programs,
so students can be ready to begin careers in the state.
MS. COTHREN replied that the association has board members that
are representative of all six regions across the state, and the
board members regularly network with school districts in those
regions to support all pathways of teaching CTE that are
inclusive of pre-apprenticeship, on-the-job, work-based learning
and opportunities that lead to apprenticeships. She also
mentioned the association's newsletter which highlights those
opportunities in order to increase awareness of those CTE
pathways that would include apprenticeships.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS asked whether the amount of state formula
funds for CTE funding has been sufficient.
MS. COTHREN responded that she felt that question would be
better directed toward DEED.
8:55:12 AM
REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND asked about board members' affiliations,
noting that it would be helpful to know what companies, school
districts, or other organizations board members are affiliated
with. She also suggested that the two graphs on slide 10 each
deserve their own slide. She stated that [the slide] has a lot
of critical information that would help the committee members
tremendously.
CO-CHAIR STORY asked what the timeline was regarding the
clearinghouse idea.
MS. COTHREN replied that Alaska ACTE is in the development phase
and hopes to have the clearinghouse fully operational in the
fall.
8:57:11 AM
ZACH STENSON, Career and Technical Education Director, Bristol
Bay Regional Career and Technical Education (BBRCTE) Program,
began his presentation on slides 2 and 3, informing the
committee members that BBRCTE is a new consortium made up of
four regional school districts, including the Bristol Bay Region
School District, Dillingham School District, Southwest Region
School District, and Lake and Peninsula School District. The
main goal of the consortium is to build a regional workforce
from the ground up and to offer students the opportunities to
learn about different pathways and different career options, he
explained. The consortium operates through twenty-one different
schools, ranging in size from several hundred to fifteen
students, he noted. The consortium enables the different
schools to offer a consistent CTE program to these different
sizes of schools. He said that industry experts are brought
into the classes, and students are brought into the two main
hubs, Dillingham and Naknek, four times a year for one-week
intensives. The focus of those classes, he explained, is on
jobs and careers that are in need in the state and within the
region. The instructors are experts within the region or the
state, who are able to take time to focus on training students
and building their skills, he shared.
9:00:17 AM
MR. STENSON moved to slide 4 and spoke to some shifts taken in
the past year in CTE to accommodate not being able to have
students in the week-long residential dormitory [because of the
pandemic]. One of the changes was through a partnership with
Honda, he shared. He explained that Honda donated engines to
all the interested communities, while the instructor in Naknek
created a series of lessons and recordings, allowing students to
go through a digital service technician training at their own
pace. He drew attention to the background image on the slide
which was of a 12-volt electrical kit that students used to
learn how to wire the majority of appliances on a skiff, as well
as many electronics that would be found on a commercial fishing
vessel, through a distance Zoom program with an instructor in
Dillingham through the Alaska Sea Grant. The consortium has
been able to shift into its Distance Allied Health classes with
students progressing towards a certified nursing assistant
certificate in a two-year program thanks to BBRCTE's partnership
with the Alaska Health Education Center (AHEC), he said. He
said this has helped students keep progressing through a medical
terminology program. He also noted that BBRCTE had made some
shifts for aviation, with students studying unmanned aviation
and fixed-wing aircraft through a dual credit program with the
Bristol Bay campus in partnership with a company in McGrath
called Av-STEM. He mentioned that while this has been a big
shift, there are some opportunities that BBRCTE hasn't been able
to do in the past.
MR. STENSON highlighted a recently completed virtual career fair
that was created in partnership with the region's community
development quota (CDQ) group, the Bristol Bay Economic
Development Corporation (BBEDC). He acknowledged that it is
challenging for students to look for summer employment or what's
next without access to interviews, and so the partnerships put
on the virtual career fair. He noted that there were about 200
participants from across the region with forty tables staffed
with local, regional, state, and national employers and
recruiters. He quoted teacher Nancy Mills, from Chignik Lagoon,
as having said, "Thank you for putting this together. It has
been so fun watching lightbulbs go off and excited expressions
on my students' faces. Students are buzzing with career focused
conversations. What a great event." The fair was such a
success, that Mr. Stenson said BBRCTE plans to continue with
some version of the event, because having such a wide range of
presenters and having so many students be able to participate
[made it successful].
9:05:01 AM
MR. STENSON presented slide 5, "2021-2022 Programs." He wanted
to look at some changes for the next year. He stated that some
of the learning that BBRCTE had done in the past school year
focused on how the program can offer coursework virtually is
being filtered into blended plans for next year. In the next
year, he continued, BBRCTE will focus on welding and
fabrication, with four different weeks scheduled for students to
come in and gain their American welding society certification.
In between those weeks, he explained, each student will be sent
home with a virtual welding kit to their home communities so
they may continue their welding practice and will be meeting
once a week with their instructor as they build their skills in
the communities where they do not have access to a welding shop.
Through this platform, he continued, they will be offering a
distance aluminum skiff building academy this summer to help get
students further along in their coursework. Looking at
commercial fishing coursework, he said, being able mix in the
12-volt maritime electric kit in addition to the week-long
intensives will allow the students to advance further.
MR. STENSON discussed a semester-long business and
entrepreneurship class through Alaska Business Week. Next year,
he explained, rather than just being offered as a one-week
intensive, BBRCTE is looking at how to build and strengthen the
program through a mix of some distance coursework with Alaska
Business Week and by having them come in, in person.
MR. STENSON also mentioned BBRCTE's hope that the distance
coursework could help lead the program with its future goals.
The program is planning to build more to help students
transition into work studies and internship programs, he
explained. He said he felt one of the program's biggest
weaknesses is that there is not a good system in place to
support students after finishing their programs. Regarding the
question from earlier in the meeting of how student success is
tracked once they enter the workforce, Mr. Stenson said BBRCTE
neither has a system for that nor a good system to build
internships, but it is hopeful that offering blended courses
where students work with their instructors via distance learning
will support the program in transitioning to internships and
work study programs.
9:08:15 AM
MR. STENSON moved on to slide 6. He acknowledged that the
program is only as strong as its partners. He opined that the
program has been fortunate to have an incredible leadership team
of superintendents that value all the students involved, not
just those from their respective districts. He also
acknowledged the CDQ group, the Bristol Bay Native Corporation
(BBNC), DEED, the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Bristol
Bay Campus, AVTEC, AHEC, and most recently Honda. He reiterated
that the work being done is collaborative, and he believes that
in the next year the ability to collaborate, because of having
had so many virtual opportunities to discuss things, is going to
grow.
MR. STENSON left the committee with an anecdote of a successful
student. He shared that a teacher expressed that the reason one
of her students was coming to school was because he was told he
couldn't just show up and do the small engines distance program
and not do his other courses. That course was such a driver for
the student, Mr. Stenson said, that he went on to receive the
"Most Valuable Mechanic" award. He stressed the importance and
the impact of the CTE program and thanked the committee members
for their time.
9:10:39 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked about the internship program and how
BBRCTE is interfacing with employers in the region.
MR. STENSON replied that currently BBRCTE's discussions with
both the advisory committee and with different employers is
focused on what the employer needs are. He said BBRCTE hopes to
launch this program next year and is currently looking through
rules and regulations in terms of age and employment so the
program can do this in a way that will be beneficial to
employers. He clarified that BBRCTE's advisory committee
doesn't have a real framework, and there is a lot of creation
right now in how this can be done in a way that everybody is
going to feel comfortable regarding liability. He noted that
they are open to any assistance with this program from around
the state.
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX opined that developing networks and gaining
experience are important aspects of the program.
CO-CHAIR STORY commented that in many districts and in other
countries there is a requirement that juniors and seniors have
industry partners.
9:13:02 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND asked how virtual welding kits work.
MR. STENSON replied that the virtual welding kits look like real
welding kits. The user puts on a virtual welding hood, which is
connected to the computer, he explained, and similar equipment
to welding guns were still used. He acknowledged that it is not
as exciting or as real as welding, but it still gives students
hands-on practice.
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND clarified that the welding hood was a virtual
reality mask. She asked if the hood led to broadband
availability issues.
MR. STENSON replied no, broadband is not an issue, because it is
a program that loads directly from a computer, and welds are
saved for instructors to review. While BBRCTE is still working
out the kinks, he said, there is a way for instructors to go
back and review those welds to be able to offer weekly coaching
to the students. He mentioned that a grant from the Alaska
Community Foundation funds this portion of the program.
9:16:27 AM
MATT WIDAMAN, CTE Specialist, Kenai Peninsula Borough School
District (KPBSD), began his presentation and directed attention
to slide 2. He referred to KPBSD as a "Microcosm of Alaska,"
noting that there are schools only accessible by boat or plane,
as well as schools on the road system. He noted that the
district has forty-two schools, which have challenges related to
CTE and student opportunity.
MR. WIDAMAN discussed how COVID-19 affected the school year,
which began remotely. He explained that the district is broken
up into three sections: the South Peninsula, the Eastside, and
the Central Peninsula. There are variations between the
sections, but Mr. Widaman spoke to the Central Peninsula,
because that's where the district's mass numbers are located.
He stated that the district returned to in-person schooling for
the months of September and October, then went back to remote
schooling November through January, and then by mid-January the
district was back in schools. He said KPBSD has done a back and
forth shift of consistency for the [CTE] program, as well.
9:18:21 AM
MR. WIDAMAN presented slide 3, "Response to COVID." He stated
that in response to COVID, the [the CTE program] had to do a lot
of staff mitigation protocols and students had a lot of PPE
because with CTE there is a lot of sharing, a lot of handling
equipment, and so forth. He said the district had to brief its
instructors on how to best facilitate those aspects. Some of
the challenges were hands-on courses such as welding,
construction, and culinary arts, he noted. He further noted
that many courses had decreased enrollment, and many students
were shifted to other opportunities. When the kids were sent
home, he continued, [they received] construction kits to
simulate building supplies; materials were sent to the students
to give them hands on experience and to keep them involved with
the course. Mr. Widaman highlighted that when the district was
shut down, the length of time of the shutdown was undetermined,
so the school district came up with specific mitigation plans
just for the CTE course. The district realized it [needed to be
able to offer hands on learning] so it was able to offer
mitigation plans with the larger schools of Soldotna High, Kenai
Central High, and Nikiski Middle/High School specifically for
those classes, he shared. He noted that one of the things the
district has seen has been an uptick in work experience course
students, and as Mr. Billings mentioned earlier, that is an
important part of the program of study. Many students looked
for an increase in work experience aligned with their course of
studies, he said. Mr. Widaman added that the opportunities the
district wanted to offer were through the Kenai Peninsula
College. Students were taking college courses there, he
offered, and also through AVTEC for nautical skills courses. He
explained that the district reached out to "post-secondaries" to
facilitate further training.
9:20:44 AM
MR. WIDAMAN presented slide 4, "Career and Technical Student
Organization (CTSO)." He said that the district continued with
the CTSOs, which is a strong foundation for students going into
the workplace or post-secondary. He said there are three main
offerings. The first he shared is Skills USA, which has
unfortunately been cancelled the past two years because it is
very hands-on. The second he told the committee about is
Educators Rising, which is district wide, so the district was
able to complete it with several state and national finalists.
The third, he explained, is a strong Future Farmers of America
(FFA) chapter. He mentioned that students will compete in
Seward in an upcoming state conference.
MR. WIDAMAN presented slide 5, KPBSD Career Pathways." He told
the committee members that while there are 16 career pathways
recognized nationally, KPBSD has combined them into eight career
pathways because they do not have courses to meet each pathway.
When coming up with course designs, he explained that the
district identified the CTE outcomes for the district's
students, and Lower 48 positions and jobs. He said there are
always three primary questions they hear from stakeholders, as
shown on slide 5, which read as follows [original punctuation
provided]:
What preparation and skills are needed for the
workplace and post-secondary education or training?
Employability Skills?
Other ways to best prepare our students for workplace
or career readiness? Industry credentials?
What courses or pathways should be a focus? 5 years?
9:22:48 AM
MR. WIDAMAN presented slide 6, "Economic Trends." He informed
the committee members that the district looks at economic trends
both statewide and within Kenai. With the help of DLWD, the
district tries to identify who Kenai's constituents are,
tracking data about net migration, job placement, and available
industries, he said. The district keeps up with economic or
current trends that highlight or showcase its programs.
MR. WIDAMAN presented slide 7. He said one of the new focuses
the district is pushing is computer science aspects. With
COVID-19, he said, there has been a large increase in computing
jobs that are available from home services to being able to work
remotely.
MR. WIDAMAN presented slide 8, "Kenai Peninsula Construction
Academy." He said that one of the great opportunities aside
from Perkins funding for KPBSD's CTE programs was a grant
opportunity through the Alaska Community Foundation. The
district applied for the grant with the Alaska Construction
Academy (AKCA) located in the Kenai Peninsula, and next fall
four courses will be offered for high school students focused on
electrical, plumbing, welding, and construction, he said. Any
time the district has partnered with post-secondary institutions
such as AVTEC, University of Alaska Anchorage-Kenai Peninsula
College (UAA-KPC), and AKCA, he stated, has resulted in amazing
opportunities for students.
MR. WIDAMAN presented slide 9. He stated that in response to
COVID-19 and the related shutdowns and many courses remaining
unfulfilled regarding hands-on requirements, the district has
provided a number of summer opportunities for students. He
cited offerings from the slide which read as follows [original
punctuation provided]:
Kenai Peninsula College- Emergency Trauma Technician
Kenai Central High School- Construction Academies-
Alaska Petroleum Academies(2)- KPEDD
Certified Nursing Assistant- Mtn. Haven/Providence-
Seward Area
Microsoft Certification Online Course- KPBSD
Workplace and Internship Readiness Online Course-
KPBSD
MR. WIDAMAN thanked the committee members for having him speak.
9:26:38 AM
REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND, referring to slide 4, asked what
happened in the year prior to the pandemic that shut down the
Skills USA region and state events.
MR. WIDAMAN responded that the previous year's events were
scheduled in March. He explained that the 2019 year was normal,
but the event wasn't held in 2020 or 2021.
REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND referred to slide 5 and asked if
students were trained in Alaska and then left for jobs in the
Lower 48.
MR. WIDAMAN replied not necessarily, the district is trying to
give them a well-rounded student experience. As shown in the
economic trends on slide 6, he explained, it identifies that
Alaska is losing many teens and students in their twenties. The
district's thought, he offered, is that maybe they are leaving
for post-secondary education and training, and the district is
trying to identify and meet the needs of the students, not just
specific jobs for Alaska.
9:28:32 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS asked if the partnership with Educators
Rising was for training future educators, and how it worked with
the K-12 outreach program at the University of Alaska.
MR. WIDAMAN replied Educators Rising is an organization that
provides courses and classes for the district's students. He
explained that the course is taught by Emanuela Pokryfki who
wrote the courses with the University system. There is an
articulation through University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) in
alignment, he said. He then confirmed it is to get students
interested in the education field and provide opportunities
through credits through UAS.
9:30:54 AM
COLIN STEWART, CTE Coordinator, Lower Kuskokwim School District
(LKSD), presented a CTE Report from the district. Mr. Stewart
informed the committee that he moved to Alaska from Washington
ten years ago to the coastal village of Kongiganak, where he
taught. He said there are 22 communities with 27 different
schools in the district, and that LKSD is the largest school
district in Alaska. The district office in Bethel heavily
supports many programs in all the villages, especially the
secondary level, he said.
MR. STEWART presented slide 3, "CTE Programs Overview." He then
read career pathways listed in a diagram on the slide: skilled
trades, engineering, education, multimedia, computer science,
health careers, and tribal management. He explained that these
are the pathways focused on in Bethel. He said that because the
district is spread across a wide region and there is limited
instructor capacity, the CTE programs are provided in a variety
of formats. He mentioned the phrase "traditional, in-person,
at-home school" and said that in Bethel, the district is
fortunate to have a few long-term, quality CTE instructors. In
the villages, he continued, the district has [CTE instructors]
from time to time, but much of this is done through "distance
delivery via zoom." The district just began teaching this way
during the pandemic, but prior to that for the past fifteen to
twenty years the district had been using [indisc.] equipment and
had delivered a CTE video-teleconference conference course. He
said that CTE instruction is also provided through "Variable
length boarding programs." He explained that these courses have
a few components; there are intensives where students come in
for five to ten days, take a CTE intensive course, and then
return to their home village, or they can come in for an entire
semester and enroll in the population of Bethel Regional High
School, taking all of the regular core courses, as well as a CTE
course or courses in the student's area of study.
MR. STEWART said another way CTE instruction is provided is
through an "itinerant instructor." The district has two
itinerant positions, only one of which is filled, he shared.
The itinerant instructor travels from village to village and
provides welding and driver education instruction. Another
example he offered of how the district provides CTE is through
"third party educational opportunities." He used the example
"Alaska Excel" which is a non-profit educational entity that is
housed in Anchorage and serves Western Alaska, having started
out of Kuspuk School District. He also mentioned using dual-
credit opportunities and bringing in instructors from the
college to do another form of an intensive. The final format
being used to enhance CTE in villages he shared was "homegrown
instructors." The district has been advertising for instructors
with an area of interest and some background. In construction,
for example, he said, the district would bring in a master
trainer and train students up to be introductory level shop
teachers. This provides opportunities for students that would
not normally exist, he said. Then the district is able to
advertise to those students some of the other opportunities that
are in those fields.
9:35:29 AM
MR. STEWART presented slide 4, "Challenges with and prior to
COVID 19." He reiterated that the district had been trying to
build its own CTE instructors, explaining that this is because
CTE instructors are very hard to find, keep, and train. He said
it is unlikely that a village school would be able to hire a
full time CTE instructor on staff. Most instructors must teach
a variety of subject matters so that general education can be
covered. He explained that typically village schools require
some level of travel to access CTE, whether that is sending
instructors out to the villages, bringing students in for the
boarding program or intensives, or sending them to Anchorage for
an Excel Alaska program. Another issue he noted was the
revolving administration, not necessarily at the district level,
but at the school level, and that can change priorities on how
to staff a school. Each principal, he explained, has quite a
bit of leverage on how the schools are staffed and what is
chosen for instructional programs. The district can provide
opportunities, but they will staff the schools how they see fit
for current needs, Mr. Stewart said. He stated that when COVID-
19 hit, it hit the delta hard, and the schools have been shut
down [for in-person learning] for the past year. He explained
that that eliminated all travel and made it very difficult to
continue the district's go-to CTE instructional ways. He said
that in response the district built an intranet. Each home was
provided with a GCI antenna that could only connect to the
intranet system, he said. This provided the opportunity for
Zoom and Noodle, a learning management system on which
instructors are able to build and create courses. He clarified
that this has been a bandage that lacks the resources used in
everyday education. He referenced previous speakers' discussion
points, of the ability to teach online courses using a variety
of different formats. For his district, however, he said that
if a learning tool wasn't on Noodle, the district didn't have
access to it.
9:38:13 AM
MR. STEWART presented slide 5, "Success with Work Based
Learning." Work-based learning was able to continue, he said.
The district started a partnership with Yukon-Kuskokwim Health
Corporation (YKHC), the regional health corporation, the
previous year and was able to continue the program with the help
of AHEC coordinators. Students in the health careers path must
apply for the program, take a number of classes, and have
positive recommendations from instructors. Because of these
quality controls, students coming in have been received very
well by department managers at YKHC. He said the district
currently has students placed in dental and optometry, and both
department managers are very happy with the students and are
looking for more students when the district can provide more.
Again, he reiterated, with the COVID-19 shutdown many CTE
classes were limited. The student pool is small right now for
students that would be eligible to apply for the opportunity, he
stated. The district, he continued, has future openings planned
with other departments as the student pool increases, and the
district is hoping to have multiple students in each department
willing to take on students. He noted that this is a paid
internship, and after going through the logistics with both
district lawyers and YKHC lawyers, it was determined that would
limit liability and provide employment, and the students are
also happy about this opportunity.
9:40:15 AM
MR. STEWART concluded his presentation with slide 6, "Things
learned and strengths moving forward." He stated that the
committee has discussed the need for reliable Internet, and
shared that he called into the meeting on his phone to be sure
he didn't get dropped from the call. He stated that this is a
district- and region-wide problem. Internet is extremely
expensive, and most village families do not have it because of
the extreme costs and limited monthly usage. He explained that
the Internet in Bethel is so slow he can hardly check his email.
This is an ongoing problem, but he wanted to highlight it. He
told the committee that the district has worked on partnerships
with tribal entities and is working on one right now to provide
at least [high school] seniors with home Internet connectivity
so they can work on finishing up their classes and meet with
their counselors for post-secondary and career planning.
MR. STEWART said that CTE networking across the state has never
been stronger. He referenced connections with associations in
CTE. He stated that the district is fortunate to have the
network of CTE educators in Alaska. He noted that he was
involved in the clearinghouse project previously mentioned by
Ms. Riddle which was made up of Alaska ACTE board members.
Instructors have asked for a program like this for years, he
explained, to see what others are doing and to share and consume
content. The next step after the clearinghouse, he continued,
is to have information published and easily accessible so CTE
educators can connect. He offered the example that if interest
is observed in welding, then the clearinghouse would offer a
welding instructor virtual meeting so individuals could further
discuss in a live format.
9:43:51 AM
JONI SIMPSON, Director, CTE, Fairbanks North Star Borough School
District (FNSBSD), began her presentation on slide 2, entitled,
"FNSBSD CTE PATHWAYS, Current & Future." She explained that the
programs listed in black on the slide are courses that the
district is actively teaching, and those with an asterisk are
dual credit opportunities for multiple courses within those
pathways. Slide 2 lists the programs in black as follows
[original punctuation provided]:
Health Science*
Emergency Services (EMS/Fire)*
Architecture & Construction*
Welding*
Automotive*(Small Engines, Automotive, Auto Body)
Culinary Arts
IT*
Engineering & Aviation*
Arts/AV*
Work Based Learning (Internships Work For Credit)
MS. SIMPSON continued, explaining that the pathways shown in
teal on the slide are those that the district is working on
developing and adding in the next three to five years. They
show on the slide as follows [original punctuation provided]:
Agriculture
Hospitality and Tourism
Medical Billing and Coding
Cosmetology
Education
Emergency Services (Law Enforcement & Dispatch)
Business & Marketing
Student Business Enterprise
Cybersecurity, Networking, and Coding (to be added to
IT)
Drones (to be added to Engineering & Aviation)
9:45:14 AM
MS. SIMPSON presented slide 3,"Industry Recognized Credentials."
She explained that each of the district's pathways have industry
recognized credentials built into them. Not only do students
leave with industry recognized credentials, but junior and
senior years overlap with post-secondary or industry partners to
make the transition from high school into the workforce or into
post-secondary training seamless. She said these certifications
that the students earn give them an advantage moving into the
post-secondary world.
MS. SIMPSON presented slide 4, "CTE DURING COVID-19." Like the
others have stated, she said, COVID-19 threw the district a
curve ball, but being in CTE, the district figured things out.
When working in a job or industry, one is presented with
challenges every single day, she explained. This challenge was
how to deliver hands-on activity through remote distance
learning, she stated. The high schools were in remote learning
the entire school year until February, when coming back in
person became optional with continued remote, she shared. She
said FNSBSD worked with Alaska ACTE and the national
organization. These organizations put out new information on an
almost daily basis on how to maintain high quality CTE programs
during a pandemic, she said.
9:47:13 AM
MS. SIMPSON continued on to slide 5. She said the district had
to quickly shift to remote learning, so it worked directly with
industries such as the Home Building Institute (HBI), which had
shifted quickly from a hands-on model to an online model to make
sure the highest of industry standards was available to
construction students. The district also worked with a company
called Onshape, which made a program similar to AutoCAD to be
used on the Chromebooks deployed to all the students. She said
the district also worked with industry so students could
continue working towards certifications such as [American
Welding Society] (AWS), [cardiopulmonary resuscitation] (CPR),
and First Aid.
MS. SIMPSON said FNSBDS came up with many mitigation plans and
purchased an enormous amount of additional PPE for the students.
Many students wanted to come back in person once given the
option for their CTE programs. The school bought individual
welding hoods for all students, because the hoods could not be
sanitized at a level that was safe to share, she shared, which
was a big drain on the district's budget.
MS. SIMPSON pointed out that the good thing that came out of the
pandemic was that it brought Alaska's CTE community together.
She said there isn't a day that goes by that she is not
collaborating with other CTE people from around the state. She
has worked with DEED, other CTE directors, teachers, and
administrators. She expressed that she hopes these connections
continue as schools return to normalcy. She noted that the
district has had a recent shift to statewide professional
development. The district received a grant through DEED to
teach a statewide class for CTE teachers, administrators, and
councilors, she shared. The class has 52 people enrolled in it
and meets every week to discuss best practice, she explained, to
keep everyone moving forward through the pandemic. She
reiterated that the district hopes to perpetuate this class
beyond the pandemic to encourage more cooperation and
professional development.
9:50:05 AM
MS. SIMPSON moved to slide 6, "Challenges." She stated that one
of the problems that CTE has is CTE teacher recruitment. She
said it is getting more difficult to recruit CTE teachers and
gave a few reasons why. First, in the state of Alaska there are
no post-secondary programs educators can go through to become
certified CTE teachers. She explained that she was able to get
a CTE endorsement while attending college in Montana, but that
is not an option in Alaska. Because of this, she shared,
[districts] have had to recruit from outside. She shared that
the district gets some CTE teachers through Type M Limited
Certificates through industry. The shortcomings of this is that
individuals coming out of industry cannot earn tenure, often get
a worse retirement package, and often can only teach part time,
she explained, so these teachers will leave and go back to
industry. Even with teachers coming from academia who want to
teach CTE as well, the school needs to invest in a lot of
academic development to understand the many pathways and
industry recognized credentials.
MS. SIMPSON addressed budget issues as a challenge that CTE and
the district are facing. She stated that budgets have been
steadily decreasing over the past few years. She said it used
to be that the state funds were larger than the district's Carl
Perkins fund, but over the years they are almost even now. When
adding in all the extra costs to run a CTE program, she said
FNSBSD is very mindful of its finances. The CTE program also
relies on grants to make sure the programs are high quality.
She said facilities are always an issue. She explained that it
is hard to expand programs because that often requires a
facility expansion, renovation, or modification, which is then
another budget consideration.
9:54:17 AM
MS. SIMPSON directed attention to slide 7, "Aspirations." She
said that to be in CTE one has to be an optimist, and one has to
be a forward thinker. The CTE program [is looking to expand on
a number of fronts], she shared. She offered as an example that
the program is expanding the work-based learning options, and
stated that the program has pre-apprenticeships in collaboration
with the Fairbanks Pipeline Training Center and the district's
union partners. She said the program has been very successful
and the district hopes to expand that model to healthcare and
cosmetology. She said the CTE program also wants to expand its
internship program, so it is available in each of the pathways.
MS. SIMPSON said the district is continuing to expand business
partnerships. She expressed that the district hopes to reach
out to more businesses. She also shared that the district hopes
to move to either multiple or alternative graduation pathways.
It is a goal to make certain students are gaining credit for
their CTE courses while building their high school program, so
they can stay in that pathway. She offered the example that a
student in an aviation program, who was doing a lot of science
and math, was not just receiving elective credits for those
courses, rather that student was earning core credits. This
helps the students stay engaged in the pathways, she said, all
the way through graduation and beyond.
MS. SIMPSON reiterated FNSBSD's intention to expand
collaboration within the state. She mentioned that FNSBSD is
partnering with Yukon-Koyukuk School District (YKSD) more than
ever has been done in the past. She referred to this as "a gift
that COVID gave us," and said the district would like to
continue that collaboration. Here in the district's backyard,
[FNSBSD and YKSD] are going to do some professional development
together next fall, she offered.
MS. SIMPSON also said the district plans on strengthening the
CTSOs. She informed the committee members that she works with
DEED as the state coordinator for CTSOs. Last year, she said,
DEED was just ready to do some outreach with Bristol Bay right
before COVID-19 hit, and so DEED was unable to do that. She
said she hopes not only to strengthen CTSOs in the district, but
also statewide, though additional funding will be needed.
9:58:37 AM
CATHY LECOMPTE, Division Director, Alaska Vocational Technical
Center (AVTEC), Department of Labor and Workforce Development,
began her presentation on slide 1, "AVTEC at a glance." She
told the committee members that AVTEC is a division of DLWD.
She shared that being part of a state agency is unique compared
to other similar programs across the country. The division
trains over 1,100 Alaskans annually and had been in operation
since 1969, she explained. She also shared that AVTEC is
nationally accredited through the Council on Occupational
Education. She noted that the division offers many credentials
for students to earn.
MS. LECOMPTE directed attention to slide 2, "Our Mission?" which
read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
AVTEC delivers flexible, accessible, and affordable
workforce training that is responsive to the dynamic
needs of business and industry and serves Alaska's
diverse communities.
10:00:41 AM
MS. LECOMPTE presented slides 2 and 3, regarding training
programs, which read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
Flexible, accessible, & affordable trainin
? Occupational Programs provide opportunities for
student to gain technical and employability skills to
gain employment in entry level positions; trade
specific for 90-180 days of training.
? Job upgrade for incumbent workers aimed to increase
upward mobility; customized training based on employer
and employee needs.
? Continuing Education to maintain employed status
through job specific skills training to increase
productivity; customized training based on employer
and employee needs.
MS. LECOMPTE shared an example of a job upgrade with a
partnership that DLWD had with the Alaska Energy Authority (AEA)
which involved power plant operator and bulk fuels training and
person-in-charge, shore-side training on transferring bulk
fuels. She stated that there are 132 village power plant
organizations that AVTEC worked with on that particular
training.
MS. LECOMPTE said the continuing education is currently in the
form of related technical instruction, which is the instruction
that is required in an apprenticeship for apprentices to
supplement and augment their on-the-job training. She said this
is mostly for construction and healthcare, and it is all
available online.
10:02:03 AM
MS. LECOMPTE presented slides 4 and 5, "Training at AVTEC is
different?" which read as follows [original punctuation
provided]:
? CLOCK HOURS NOT CREDIT HOURS:
? Workplace simulation in chosen career field; over
1,000 hours of training in 38 weeks.
? DEMONSTRATED COMPETENCY:
? No grades, 90% demonstrated mastery of skills and
earned industry credentials.
? TECHNICAL & EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS EMBEDDED:
? Technical and employability skills such as job
search, interviewing skills and resume writing part of
the training.
? JOB SEARCH & EMPLOYMENT:
? Up to one year after training is complete, job
search and employment assistance is available.
MS. LECOMPTE presented slide 6, "Responsive to dynamic needs of
business?" which read as follows [original punctuation
provided]:
?Occupational Advisory Committees
? Comprised of employers and subject matter experts
from business and industry.
? Meet or connect regularly to conduct review of
training content and provide feedback to ensure what
students are learning is what they need in the
workplace.
? Visit classrooms to make presentations to students
and to recruit students for employment.
? Contribute money and equipment via education tax
credits to support the resource needs of the programs.
MS. LECOMPTE gave one example relating to AVTEC's information
technology (IT) department. She explained that IT students used
to learn to build computers, but the employer feedback expressed
a need for cloud computing and security instead.
10:05:27 AM
MS. LECOMPTE presented slides 7 and 8, "AVTEC Occupational
Programs," which read as follows [original punctuation
provided]:
?Culinary Arts*
?Construction Technology*
?Diesel / Heavy Equipment Technology
?Industrial Welding
?Information Technology Networking*
?Business & Office Technology*
?Industrial Electricity*
Plumbing & Heating
?Refrigeration*
MS. LECOMPTE indicated the programs with an asterisk that were
more successful with pivoting [during the pandemic]. She
continued that with the type of training offered, students are
hands-on with their work, so it is very difficult to transition
to an online environment in such a short period of time;
however, this was managed with some programs. She used the
culinary arts program as an example, explaining that they were
able to do their nutrition class online. She said that when
AVTEC quit training in March 2020 and sent everyone home, many
classes were close to completion, so the program was able to
facilitate getting many students jobs. The construction class
is a four-month program that was about half way through, so
those students were brought back to finish up, she explained.
Many instructors made videos, she continued. Diesel and
Industrial Welding has two starts, in August and in January, so
the August start was ready to go, so AVTEC got them connected
and employed, and those who began in January were invited back
in the fall, she explained.
MS. LECOMPTE said that information technology and networking
moved easily online and have been very successful in that
environment. Business and office technology has moved back and
forth [between online and in-person learning] which has been
done adeptly, she said. Industrial electricity also was able to
go back and forth because there was a lot of computation and
reading of code she explained. She reiterated that while some
of these programs lend themselves to online delivery, there
still must be some of the hands-on component, so students were
brought back for intensives in the fall.
10:07:37 AM
MS. LECOMPTE directed attention to slide 9, "Alaska Maritime
Training Center*." She said the programs that she just shared
are occupational programs [where students go from] zero
employable skills to employable in less than ten months or to "a
career in less than a year." The Alaska Maritime Training
Center (AMTC), she explained, is a different form of delivery,
consisting of more short-term courses. There are over 40 U.S.
Coast Guard (USCG) and International Maritime Organization (IMO)
approved courses available for both beginner and advanced
training, she shared. The Alaska Maritime Training Center has
been able to pivot to online delivery in many of its courses
through USCG approval, she said. In addition to that, Ms.
LeCompte said, AVTEC has pioneered a new program called
"Proctorio," one of only two maritime training programs in the
country that is USCG approved to use this software, which allows
for remote proctoring of exams. She explained that students
still needed to be physically present for licensing exams, but
this software allowed students to remotely take proctored exams.
MS. LECOMPTE pointed out the pathway on the slide that students
take in the AMTC program. First was "Youth Outreach/Pre-
Apprentice," next was "Licenses/Certifications," and finally
"Advanced Training." She told committee members that the
trainings at AMTC are equivalent to those that a student would
receive at a maritime academy. She explained that this program
takes a little longer than [academies], as students go out, get
sea time, then learn, license, and advance. She shared that one
student has advanced to the level of "sea pilot" through AVTEC
training.
10:10:05 AM
MS. LECOMPTE moved to slide 10, "Maritime Career Pathway?" She
shared that the Maritime career pathway is the best developed
pathway that AVTEC has. The program has a high school course,
"Introduction to Nautical Skills," that is taught via distance
and gives students an opportunity to see what a maritime career
would look like. If a student is successful in that course,
AVTEC has Perkins post-secondary funding that pays for the
student to get basic training, she said, and when the students
complete that, they are employable and can get internships or
apprenticeships. She highlighted the "Senior Year to Career,"
which allows high school seniors to start at AVTEC early.
10:11:30 AM
MS. LECOMPTE moved on to slides 11 and 12, "Non-credit to credit
pathways?" She shared that AVTEC partners with UAF so students
in business information and IT can purchase credits from UAF and
apply those credits toward earning an Associate of Applied
Science in IT or business. Ms. LeCompte highlighted a similar
program at UAS where mariners can buy credits with licenses
earned at AVTEC to apply to an Associate in Applied Science in
marine transportation or power technology.
MS. LECOMPTE introduced slide 13, "Covid-10 response
priorities." She said AVTEC's pathways go from high school to
post-secondary, and the program's goal is to give Alaskans more
options, so they can go to school, get an apprenticeship, or go
to work.
10:12:46 AM
MS. LECOMOPTE stated that AVTEC's number one COVID-19-related
priority has been the health and safety of students and staff.
She shared that students were sent home on March 18, 2020, and
AVTEC accommodated students to gain employment and get access to
training. She said that AVTEC restarted in the fall and brought
students back in the program's "COVID Enrollment Model," which
allowed for social distancing and required masking, among a
number of other protocols. She shared that although a few
students got sick, the school never had to shut down, and there
have been no new cases this spring.
MS. LECOMPTE presented slide 14, "Challenges," which read as
follows [original punctuation provided]:
?Budget due to reduced enrollments for health and
safety of students
?Uncertainty of what next during the pandemic
?Bridging the digital divide for staff and students
MS. LECOMPTE noted that the CARES Act funding helped but didn't
fill all the budget gaps. She said the CARES Act funding helped
with the digital divide.
MS. LECOMPTE concluded her presentation with slide 15, "Student
Success," which read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
? FIVE YEAR AVERAGE COMPLETION RATE OVER 90%
? WITH LITTLE OR NO STUDENT LOAN DEBT
? FIVE YEAR EMPLOYMENT RATE AT NEARLY 90%
? FUTURE EARNING POTENTIAL OVER 60% MORE THAN BEFORE
COMPLETING TRAINING
? RETURN ON INVESTMENT
? AVTEC RANKED IN TOP 10% FOR ROI* BY GEORGETOWN
UNIVERSITY
MS. LECOMPTE said when students come to AVTEC they know what
they want to do, which lends itself to student success.
10:18:07 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Education Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 10:18 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| 4.7.21 House Education Committee Meeting - CTE.pdf |
HEDC 4/7/2021 8:00:00 AM |
Career & Technical Education |
| Fairbanks North Star Borough CTE 4.7.21.pdf |
HEDC 4/7/2021 8:00:00 AM |
Career & Technical Education |
| 4.7.2021 (H)EDC Hearing DEED Follow-Up.pdf |
HEDC 4/7/2021 8:00:00 AM |
|
| UAS FY2020 and FY2021 Dual Enrollment Courses.pdf |
HEDC 4/7/2021 8:00:00 AM |
|
| CTE Courses Offered by School District.xlsx |
HEDC 4/7/2021 8:00:00 AM |
|
| State DEED CTE infographic [2020].pdf |
HEDC 4/7/2021 8:00:00 AM |