Career and Technical Education Helps Students Prepare for Global World: Report

NEW YORK, January 6, 2016 — Career and Technical Education (CTE) is a promising way to prepare U.S. students for the increasing number of careers requiring global competency, according to a new report by Asia Society entitled Preparing a Globally Competent Workforce through High-Quality Career and Technical Education.

CTE programs aim to ready students for careers and are responsive to industry needs. These programs encompass automotive technology, agriculture, and construction, but also extend to digital media, advanced manufacturing, global logistics, STEM and others.

“Globally minded CTE programs can provide the rigorous and authentic setting necessary to prepare students for the competitive world economy, while offering a more engaging, motivating, and relevant education experience,” the report authors argue.

The report, produced in partnership with the Association for Career and Technical Education, Longview Foundation and the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium, offers insight into how educators can integrate global competency into their CTE classrooms, including embedding global competencies into lesson plans, establishing international partnerships, and incorporating world language study as part of a student’s program of study.

The authors also share case studies of globally minded CTE programs from across the U.S.:

Global STEM Education Center (Massachusetts) connects local classrooms with classrooms around the world. Students work with their international partners to conceptualize, design, and complete in-depth research and hands-on projects.

Amazing Global Marketplace (Jefferson County, Kentucky) is a business program that inspires and prepares students to become actively involved in the global marketplace by allowing them to participate in simulated international business practices.

Health Sciences and Human Services High School (Washington) requires a semester of Global Health for freshmen. The class uses a project-based learning approach to cover topics such as communicable and non-communicable disease, policies of the World Health Organization, major global health problems, awareness of and advocacy for issues, and debate of health interventions.

Sherwood High School (Oregon) teacher John Niebergall has developed an activity where students simulate global manufacturing by creating components to a product in geographically distributed locations and then shipping those final parts to a single school for final assembly and testing.

Bergen County Academies (New Jersey) integrates international content and perspective across grade levels, core subject areas, and elective courses. All students are required to take at least three years of study in the same core language of French, Spanish, or Mandarin.

TriValley High School (New York) teacher Tara Berescik integrates global perspectives into her agricultural courses. Students have brainstormed trips that would allow them to better understand agricultural practices, pitched their ideas to the school board, created business plans, raised money for travel expenses, and visited four continents.

In the coming months, Asia Society will work to create new tools and resources to assist CTE teachers in integrating global issues and perspectives into their classrooms. For more information, contact Heather Singmaster, Assistant Director, Education, Asia Society. (hsingmaster@asiasociety.org)