Thank you for your support of Career and Technical Education in Alaska!
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The Alaska Dispatch News reports that the Northwest Arctic Borough School District has received a grant from Verizon to purchase a 3-D printer for each of its 12 schools. The grant was one of 80 that Verizon awarded across the country to help boost STEM.
Read the ADN article here. Please note: This is an update from a previous announcement posted on Dec. 12.
From Bjørn Wolter, Ph.D. Career & Technical Education Alaska Department of Education & Early Development The CTE Perkins Spring Workshop will be held at the downtown Hilton, March 2-4, 2015. A group rate of $99/night is available if booked by February 20th. EED/CTE will only reimburse at this rate. Please use the attached registration form to request monetary support from EED for travel to the workshop. This form is due no later than close of business on February 20th. Please note that due to a change in the new Uniform Grant Guidance (OMB Super-Circular) that takes effect December 26th, we are no longer allowed to offer meals with the conference. You will therefore need to plan on charging your district’s grant for your per diem while attending ($60/day).
UAA's "CTC Insider" article focuses on the Alaska Middle College School, a partnership between UAA Community and Technical College and the Mat-Su Borough School District. Learn how high school students are able to work towards their Associate of Arts Degree during their last two years of high school. Read the article here.
 Register now for AVTEC's Introduction to Nautical Skills Class
Applications are due January 30, 2015 for the Red Boucher Scholarship, which supports outstanding Alaskans pursuing careers in technology education and/or training. For complete details, see the scholarship website at http://alaskacf.org/blog/scholarships/red-boucher-scholarship.
American Apprenticeship Grants - Applications accepted through April 30, 2015
From the US Department of Labor - "The Department of Labor is inviting public-private partnerships to apply for grants to develop and implement innovative, high-quality registered apprenticeship programs. Up to $100 million in grants will be financed by a user fee paid by employers to hire foreign workers into the United States under the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program. This grant competition will help more Americans become apprentices, a proven path to quality employment and the middle class: 87 percent of apprentices are employed after completing their programs and the average starting wage for apprenticeship graduates is over $50,000. The American Apprenticeship Grants competition will focus on public-private partnerships between employers, business associations, joint labor-management organizations, labor organizations, training providers, community colleges, local and state governments, the workforce system, non-profits and faith-based organizations." For full details and the application package, please see the grant program website at http://www.dol.gov/apprenticeship/grants.htm.  Download Excel crosswalk of CTE Plan and workforce plans. It is essential for Alaska to plan for its current and future workforce needs. Four key industries have developed and are currently implementing their workforce plans. These plans contain many common themes, including building career awareness for students, developing programs of study and career pathways, aligning programs so students may easily transition from one level to the next, and collaborating among educators and business/industry. These themes and others are also found in the CTE Plan, which provides strategies for quality career technical training for any industry. How do the workforce plans align with the CTE Plan? Download an Excel Crosswalk here! Use the links below to read each workforce plan: According to UAA's Request for Letters of Intent, "The CTE Teacher Coaching Project is intended to support new Career & Technical Education (CTE) teachers, Type M teachers who are bringing their industry experience to the classroom and those teachers whose experience and preparation are in more traditional academic areas, but who are now responsible for delivering instruction in one or more CTE fields. The project will pair experienced CTE teacher coaches with selected educators in a peer support model. Coaching will be supplemented with three one-credit academic courses offered through the UAA Community & Technical College. For FY 15 this is a pilot project, with results intended to inform future coaching approaches."
Deadline for submission of proposals is January 15, 2015. You may download the entire Request here. Contact Kelly Donnelly, kadonnelly@uaa.alaska.edu, or 907-786-6364 with any questions. "The BP Teachers of Excellence program recognizes teachers from throughout Alaska for their dedication to teaching and for inspiring students. Since the program launched in 1995, hundreds of remarkable teachers have been recognized by their peers, students, parents and community members as BP Teachers of Excellence."
Nominations are being accepted through January 30, 2015. Please visit the website for details and instructions on nominations. The Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Division of Business Partnerships, is accepting informal public comments on its FY16 requests for grant applications (RGAs) for the CTE Plan Implementation Grant, STEP Grant, and Oil and Gas Training Fund Grant. Comments on the RGAs are being accepted through December 19th, 2014.
Business Partnerships is unable to reply to each comment submitted, and, while comments will be taken into consideration for inclusion in any final solicitations, submission of a comment does not guarantee inclusion in the final document. Any final solicitations may differ from the draft RGAs made available at this time. Publication of these draft RGAs is informational only and does not constitute a solicitation for proposals. While an official solicitation is anticipated for mid-January 2015, solicitations for one or more programs may be delayed or may not be issued at all. ****************************************************************************** Career and Technical Education Grant Program: The goal of the Career and Technical Education plan is to establish and expand career and technical education programs that address emerging demands and opportunities, adequately prepares Alaskans for success in their chosen careers, and provides access to training across the state's diverse regions and populations. The program focuses on developing or enhancing high quality career and technical education programs, including upgrades to equipment or facilities. The draft RGA is available at http://labor.alaska.gov/bp/forms/Draft_CTE_FY16_RGA.pdf. Please submit comments by December 19 to carol.schumacher@alaska.gov ****************************************************************************** Alaska Oil and Gas Training Fund: The purpose of the Alaska Oil and Gas Occupations Training Fund is to prepare Alaska workers for in-demand occupations in oil and gas exploration, development, construction, and distribution. Through the Alaska Oil and Gas Workforce Development Plan, the industry has identified engineering; the geosciences; remote sensing and inspection; health, safety, security, and environment; and maritime as priority occupational groups. The draft RGA is available at http://labor.alaska.gov/bp/forms/Draft_AOGTF_FY16_RGA.pdf. Please submit comments by December 19 to: julie.frizzell@alaska.gov ****************************************************************************** State Training and Employment Program: The State Training and Employment Program was instituted to provide grants to organizations that provide training and employment assistance services. Its purpose is to enhance the quality of in-state job training and employment assistance, and to make in-state job training and employment assistance more easily available to employers, employees, and future employees by supplementing or leveraging existing training and employment assistance programs. The draft RGA is available at http://labor.alaska.gov/bp/forms/Draft_STEP_FY16_RGA.pdf. Please submit comments by December 19 to: julie.frizzell@alaska.gov ****************************************************************************** Want to learn more about the APS? Students, parents, and educators are invited to join a free webinar offered by the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education (ACPE). The next webinar is Wednesday, December 10, at 5:30 PM. Pre-registration is required for this no-cost webinar.
For more information, visit http://acpe.alaska.gov/STUDENT-PARENT/Grants_Scholarships/Alaska_Performance_Scholarship. Alaska Business Monthly Magazine highlights the success of the Alaska Construction Academies program in a recent article by Kirsten Swann.
"Building Alaska’s Workforce: Multi-industry partnerships prevail with Alaska Construction Academies" - Read the article here.
The State Board of Education & Early Development will meet on December 4-5 in Anchorage. According to the department's Information Exchange Newsletter, "the board will take public comment on agenda and non-agenda items on Thursday, December 4. Comment at this oral hearing is limited to three minutes per person and five minutes per group. Public comment can be made for this meeting, during this time only, by calling 1-855-463-5009 if you are outside of Juneau. For participation from Juneau, call 463-5009. This meeting will be streamed through the Legislative Information Office over http://www.alaskalegislature.tv/ beginning at 8:00 a.m. on December 4, and 8:30 a.m. on December 5 (audio only). Click on the meeting name to listen to the meeting proceedings. When public comment is over, the meeting will continue to be broadcast at the above web site."
You may view and download the agenda and the entire meeting packet here http://education.alaska.gov/State_Board/pdf/14_december_packet.pdf.  Recommendations for better career preparation programs The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) has just issued a report - Opportunities and Options: Making Career Preparation Work for Students - which calls on states to adopt three main recommendations in order to ensure all students are career-ready:
The Alaska Career Information System (AKCIS) is providing three online training opportunities this month for AKCIS administrators (teachers, counselors, advisors, etc.). Advanced registration is required.
For additional information, or to register for an upcoming AKCIS online training module, visit the ACPE website at https://acpe.alaska.gov/STUDENT-PARENT/College_Career/AKCIS/AKCIS_Training |
