Rowan-Salisbury School System

The skills and knowledge needed in the workforce have changed significantly over the past few decades. How can education prepare students to successfully navigate this new workforce?

A strong career and technical education component in our high schools and middle schools provides the academic, technical skills, employment skills and knowledge to pursue postsecondary training and/or a career. Career and technical education is no longer just about teaching students a narrow set of skills sufficient for entry-level jobs; it is about preparing students for careers.

A nine-question survey is now available for local business and industry to provide preliminary data to guide the school district’s efforts in pathway development. The survey will collect data regarding types of industries, job growth, and skills needed. The link to the survey can be found on the Rowan-Salisbury School System homepage (www.rss.k12.nc.us) and was sent to all members of the Rowan Chamber of Commerce by email.

Although specific skills such as masonry or carpentry skills are still available, the focus of the Rowan-Salisbury School System is on academies that emphasize important 21st century skills.

Business, marketing and communication, including web design and broadcasting, as well as academies for arts, health science and agriculture are already in place. Now the school system is going a step further to develop new career pathways for our students in order to meet the changing demands of the workforce and industry. These new pathways offer a clear sequence of education coursework and/or training credentials aligned with employer-validated work readiness standards and competencies. Areas that are in consideration include advanced manufacturing, global logistics and clean energy.

With any change, it takes the input from all stakeholders to align the change to the needs of the community. Teachers, administrators, the Rowan Salisbury Board of Education and career and technical experts are providing input and so can you.

For a primer on how career and technical education can help students be ready for college or a career, go to http://www.aypf.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2013/04/CCRS-CTE-Primer-2013.pdf .