August CTAE Newsletter

BIMONTHLY NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2022 EDITION 7

A bimonthly newsletter highlighting the transformative power of Florida’s Career, Technical and Adult Education programs.

WELCOME letter It is the beginning of the academic year, and my hope is that you are all refreshed and ready to mentor, guide and transform the lives of incoming students and adult learners. I hope that this year we find that folks are more engaged in Career, Technical and Adult Education and are willing to expand their educational opportunities because it has been lifted up as a viable option for success in your institutions.

Dr. Kevin O’Farrell Chancellor, Department of Education Division of Career, Technical and Adult Education

Just last month, at the Learners to Earners Workforce Summit, we announced our partnership with the Florida Chamber of Commerce Foundation and CareerSource Florida on the Future of Work Florida.

The Future of Work Florida will galvanize support for career and technical education as part of the Get There campaign. The Future of Work Florida will showcase to businesses, parents and students that Florida has a dynamic, long-term plan to fuel the future.

We recently surveyed Florida parents, students and non-college-educated adults to gauge their opinions on Career, Technical and Adult education programs. It was interesting to read that half of the non-collegeeducated adults expressed interest once they heard about the programs and how quickly they could be completed. Students were impressed with the high-wage potential, while all groups appreciated the affordability.

However, there were areas where we noticed a disconnect between parents and students. For example, 62 percent of parents wanted to hear more about in-demand jobs that don’t require a four-year degree, but only one in three students said the same.

This contrast could be explained as a perception problem. For too long, students have been told attending a university is the only path to a successful career, even though the evidence proves otherwise.

As we enter this new academic season as parents, educators and community-standard bearers, we must help change that false narrative, and celebrate workforce education as a viable postsecondary option.

I look forward to working with you all this year, Kevin O’Farrell, Ph.D. Chancellor, The Division of Career, Technical and Adult Education

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TABLE OF contents 4|

Student Sensation

CTE Makes Positive Changes in Student’s Life

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Florida college system

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Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness Program get there toolkit

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Teacher Highlight Adult Education Teacher Leads and Inspires

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Magenta Studio

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Program Highlight

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Work-Based Learning

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GED® Administrator of the year Recent News

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Future Of Work Florida

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Social Media Shoutouts

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Get There Website

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Upcoming Events

Governor Ron Desantis Awards $15.6 Million to Expand Access to Cybersecurity and IT Training

Gulf Coast State College Provides Scholarship Program to Support Incoming Students Within its Service District

Increase Work-Based Learning, Lower Crime

Florida’s Future Depends on Ensuring that our State Not Only Attracts Talent but Retains it

See Recent Updates Made to the Get There Website

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Use these free Get There materials to enhance and support your own workforce education messages and activities.

A Customization Tool to Help you Promote your CTE Programs in your Community

News About how Florida is Supporting and Promoting CTE Programs

Institutions and Partners Across Florida Sharing and Promoting CTE

Each Observence Serves as Another Opportunity to Celebrate CTE

STUDENt sensation D.A Dorsey Technical College’s Medical Coder-Biller program. Medical coding and billing specialists help healthcare facilities manage insurance claims, invoices and payments. At the program, Veronica met instructor Irma Als. Irma supported and inspired Veronica throughout her program, imparting her knowledge in all aspects of the Medical Coding and Billing industry.

Veronica learned about anatomy and physiology as well as the medical terminology she’d need to know for her chosen profession.

In under a year, Veronica was able to complete her required 1,110 contact hours for the Medical Coder/Biller program and began studying for the Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) Exam. In April 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Veronica successfully passed the AHIMA National Certified Coder Specialist Exam. Soon after, Veronica began her career as a Medical Coder Specialist with the Bruce W. Carter Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Miami. Veronica says, “Pushing through my struggles and aspiring to becoming a Coder/Biller is truly one of the best decisions I ever made.”

Veronica Jones D.A. Dorsey Technical College Graduate

CTE makes positive changes in student’s life

It’s because of programs like D.A. Dorsey Technical College’s Medical Coder-Biller program and dedicated instructors like Irma Als that students such as Veronica can get to work faster, more affordably, and at a pace that our state needs them most - now.

by DCAE Staff

Veronica Jones is the epitome of perseverance and dedication. She faced many setbacks in her personal life, including her mother’s passing and the onset of her oldest brother’s severe health issues. These events left her depressed and withdrawn. But she didn’t stay that way for long.

Veronica decided she wasn’t going to get anywhere in life by feeling sorry for herself, so she enrolled in 4

florida college system

Governor Ron DeSantis Awards $15.6 Million to Expand Access to Cybersecurity and IT Training Governor Ron DeSantis and Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz announced $15.6 million to expand cybersecurity and IT training in Florida. This announcement is part of Governor DeSantis’ goal to make Florida the best state in the nation for workforce education by 2030. The funding is through a joint endeavor of the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Center for Cybersecurity to inspire and prepare more students to pursue fulfilling and lucrative careers in cybersecurity/information technology while helping address a national skills shortage in these areas. The 24 projects that will be funded through this $15.6 million are anticipated to train 27,000 Florida students over the next year. Read more on the announcement here, bit.ly/3NrLYmF. 5

TEACHER HIGHLIGHT training that popped up. At one time, someone mocked, “You go to every conference.” I didn’t care.

I was totally in love with ESOL and the learners, and I wanted them to have the best I could give. So, I needed to learn.

adult education teacher leads and inspires Submitted by Pamela Jo Wilson, Palm Beach School District

Three years later, I was recruited to become a fulltime part of the ESOL teacher effectiveness team at the district level, followed by becoming the district ESOL coordinator. While working as the district ESOL Coordinator, I served on the FL State Advisory Committee and served as the district contact on CASAS policies and procedures. I project managed the Burlington English software and launched the software into 100% of our school sites. In 2015, I launched teacher PLCs in Google Classroom, to increase digital literacy in our curriculum. In 2016 I served as one of the facilitators of the LINCS ESLPro Project for the state of Florida. In 2017, eight months after Google released its new Google Sites, I created the department’s first Google Site, iTeach@ACEofPBC, a teacher hub to provide ease of access to resources critical to classroom instruction. I also became a CASAS Certified FL State and National Trainer. In 2018, I was awarded ACE of Florida Instructional Support Staff of the Year. In 2019 I created a data analysis tool and developed training on the tool, and with my team of three amazing part-time coaches, launched regional training on facilitating learner autonomy to give learners access to authentic feedback and tools for academic goal setting using the CASAS performance reports. I was also on a mission to change the student’s question from “did I pass?” to workforce language, “where do I need to improve?”.

In 2020, I was instrumental in swiftly transitioning curriculum and instruction online at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, to provide even quicker access to the data for the teachers, I created the ESOL Academic Data Dashboard, which

“What do you have your doctorate in?” I was asked that question twice, in one day. Once during an international conference in 2018 and at the airport while leaving said conference. While the question was presumptuous, I don’t think it was meant to be injurious because most of the conference attendees held their doctorate. Nonetheless, it intimidated my B.S. and haunted me until the week of July 11, 2022.

My name is Pamela Jo Wilson and I migrated to the United States, married, had three children and divorced. Then there was the economic downturn of 2008. My wonderful job at the library was cut to part-time and no longer enough to sustain my boys and me, therefore I needed a second job.

Enter adult education. They came to the library with a goal to start a new adult education location.

Instead, they walked out with a commitment from me. Me, with absolutely no idea what I had gotten myself into, yet knowing this had to be the second job I had been praying for. How did I know? I had already scheduled time off the following week and they had training scheduled for the following week.

That was my sign.

It was love at first class in August 2009. I was sure I sucked, but I loved the students as soon as I met them, and I wanted to serve them with every fiber of my being. Over the next few months, I bought books, watched videos, and went to every free 6

Pamela Jo Wilson’s Classroom

allows teachers to see who is in the room and more effectively group learners for differentiated instruction, assignments and activities. Today, learners have access to their own checklists to guide their independent study on the learning management system.

actual barriers and limiting beliefs, and instead, they gave me permission and power to shine.

This is one of their statements that will remain with me: “The next time someone asks you what you have a doctorate in, tell them you have a doctorate in inspiration.”

None of this has been easy to do because I have had to press through many “Are you qualified to do this,” “Who are you to be doing this,” “Here are my qualifications, where are yours” moments. I am excited that my administrative role has evolved over the years to focus more on curriculum and instructional support. I am and will always be an ESOL teacher, but I am also happy to share all I know with the teachers of Palm Beach County and the state of Florida as a teacher trainer.

If you think of the TV Show ‘Hell’s Kitchen’, there are chefs and home cooks. I am a home cook for the adult ESOL program and classroom. My students put it so well, that I bring my whole heart to the ESOL program. Yes! Yes! Yes! I get to use my doctorate in inspiration to serve the resilient, persistent, ambitious, courageous adult ESOL learners of ACE.

So, the week of July 11, 2022, after I shared this wonderful opportunity with my students and all the fears that came with it, they opened up a well of sharing and encouragement. My intent was to show them it’s okay for them to shine in spite of 7

program HIGHLIGHT The Gulf Coast Guarantee Scholarship Program

“This is a deal-changer for the average student,” GCSC President John Holdnak said.” Students will know the day they graduate that this is in the pipeline for them if they want to take advantage of it.”

Submitted by Florida Gulf Coast State College

The GC Guarantee is a stackable scholarship that does not depend on the student’s eligibility for financial aid.

In April 2021, Gulf Coast State College (GCSC) and the Gulf Coast State College Foundation established the Gulf Coast Guarantee: a scholarship program to help local students achieve their goal of attending college.

“The Gulf Coast Guarantee has helped me in many ways,” said current GCSC student Maleah Scott. “It has helped me concentrate on just the education portion of school rather than worrying if I can pay for school.”

This program guarantees $700 each semester to incoming students from the GCSC service district (Bay, Gulf, and Franklin counties) who attend GCSC the fall semester after they graduate and take at least 12 credit hours. With GCSC’s low tuition rates, the scholarship is an estimated 60 percent off the cost of tuition and fees at the institution, making college far more affordable for students.

Learn more about the Gulf Coast Guarantee and how it is changing lives at gulfcoast.edu/guarantee.

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work-based learning The relationship between work-based learning and lower youth crime rates helped local sponsors of Miami-Dade’s Summer Youth Internship Program raise $4.5 million for the program in 2021 alone.

These funds helped 655 different local businesses host 2,321 interns, 74 of whom received college credit for work-based learning.

increase work-based learning, lower crime

By DCAE Staff

Every day in the United States, 1474 individuals become victims of violent crime. This is an article of hope, though. A growing body of literature shows that engaging youth, particularly youth with socioeconomic disadvantages, in work-based learning can have a significant and lasting effect in reducing youth crime rates, including violent crime.

Lowering youth crime rates is not the only benefit of work-based learning. Work-based learning has been shown to increase high school graduation rates, boost GPAs, increase employment rates, increase average starting salaries and increase postsecondary matriculation. You would be hard pressed to find another educational intervention that has such deep and varied positive effects on students.

Large, randomized control trials were conducted in Chicago, New York, Boston and Cleveland on participants of Summer Youth Employment Programs (SYEPs). These programs focus on atrisk youth and connect them to the world of work.

These studies showed drops in violent crime up to 43 percent and drops in property crime up to 57 percent, truly shocking effect sizes.

Want to lower crime? Want to protect the vulnerable as well as local property? Want better outcomes for our students and our economy? Then invest in youth work-based learning; work-based learning done right can change a student’s life.

These effects did not just take place during the work-based learning interventions either. These effects were studied up to 17 months after the work-based learning. The durability seems to hint at something profound – that the reduction in crime is not just because of a lack of free time; instead, the dignity of honest work being transformative.

The Florida Department of Education is working hard to improve and expand work-based learning in Florida. Visit our new Work-Based Learning site to learn more. And, if you know of work-based learning in Florida that is making a difference, we would love to spread the word! Please email Lee. Chipps-Walton@fldoe.org with work-based learning stories, questions, and feedback.

The relationship between work and crime has also been seen here in Florida. Miami-Dade County Public School’s Department of Career and Technical Education reports expanding their Summer Youth Internship Program in 2014. In 2015 and 2016, juvenile arrests dropped by 12 percent and 10 percent, respectively (data source: MiamiDade County Juvenile Services Department and Department of Juvenile Justice Information System (JJIS)).

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Chancellor Kevin O’Farrell tries out the new TransfrVR technology 10

Earlier this month, the Florida Chamber Foundation, CareerSource Florida and the Florida Department of Education launched the Future of Work Florida — a new initiative to galvanize support for Career and Technical Education (CTE). The initiative is showing job creators, parents, grandparents and students that Florida has a dynamic, long-term plan to fuel the future through the best workforce education effort in America, which fills market needs with talent supply.

properly qualified, even though many of these openings are mid- to high-wage and highdemand. A recent snapshot showed 499,371 open jobs in the state, with Florida on pace to add 3.5 million net new residents by 2030.

From 2015–2020, Florida created one in every 11 net new U.S. jobs, but the top concern among Florida’s job creators was the inability to find qualified talent to fill open positions.

Career and Technical Education programs are top-notch programs in high-skill sectors and don’t require a four-year degree. Fields include artificial intelligence, engineering technology, healthcare, IT, robotics and more. Middle and high school students who are not universitybound now have opportunities to train in a rigorous, fast and affordable CTE program for either a skilled trade or professional career pathway. A low-cost credential with highwage potential offers a phenomenal return on investment

Senior Chancellor Henry Mack and Chancellor Kevin O’Farrell of the Florida Department of Education, Mark Wilson, President and CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Foundation, and Michelle Dennard, President and CEO of CareerSource Florida unveiled Future of Work Florida at the 2022 Florida Learners to Earners Workforce Solution Summit in Tampa. Learners to Earners is an annual event, hosted by the Florida Chamber Foundation, of state business leaders, elected officials, and education and workforce advocates to discuss the importance of investing in early and lifelong learning, and closing skills gaps in Florida’s current and future workforce.

Florida’s workforce needs are significant but there is a solution: encourage more Floridians to embrace Career and Technical Education as a fast, affordable path to a growing variety of high-wage, high-demand careers.

Florida has more jobs available than people looking for work and too few candidates are

To learn more about the Future of Work Florida Initiative visit FutureOfWorkFL.com.

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get there website update Since the release of the Get There campaign in September of 2020, we have seen immense success in promoting Career and Technical Education (CTE) offerings throughout the state. As a result of Florida’s policies to support workforce education, the state currently has more than 772,000 K-12 CTE students—the highest in the state’s history—more than 338,000 postsecondary CTE students, and over 15,000 registered apprentices engaged in workforce education.

We recently completed a refresh to the Get There website. In addition to the major redesign, we added a news sectionn, updated the resources and added a page for the Future of Work Florida campaign.

We encourage you to utilize the Get There website and spread the message that CTE is a viable, modern approach to education!

VISIT GET THERE WEBSITE

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nursing student loan forgiveness program

Last month, Governor Ron DeSantis announced his approval of over $125 million for nursing education for the 2022–23 Fiscal Year, bringing the total amount of investment in workforce education funding to more than $5 billion since 2019.

Governor DeSantis also announced funding for nurses in this year’s budget for student loan reimbursement through the Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness Program (NSLFP). Since 2019, the State of Florida has awarded over $2.4 million to nurses to cover their student loans. This is just one of the many ways the Governor’s comprehensive approach is helping solve the nursing workforce shortage.

If you are interested in learning more about the NSLFP, please visit bit.ly/3lCyY1M. 13

GET Assets THERE TOOLKIT Brand Logo, Style Guide, PowerPoint Template and Sample Flyers Customize your outreach materials with your Get There college logo extension or one of the 17 career pathway extensions. We have made them easier for you to use with ready-made artwork files, as well as our style guide with the do’s and don’ts of how to properly utilize the Get There brand. examples

download logo files

download style guide

download Social Media graphics

download social covers

To access the entire catalog of brand assets, download here

GET THERE | ACTION TOOLKIT

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magenta studio Assets will be available in Magenta Studio—a program designed to give you the ability to customize your organization’s logo and program-specific information. It also gives you the ability to customize your organization logo and program-specific information.

Magenta Studio is available to you by invitation only, please email Samantha.

Dunaway@fldoe.org to set up your account.

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GED® ADMINISTRATOR OF THE YEAR DIANE VACCARI PRESENTED WITH 2022 GED ADMINISTRATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD Diane Vaccari was presented with the 2022 GED Administrator of the year award

GED® Testing Service presented Diane Vaccari with the 2022 GED® Administrator of the Year award during the GED Testing Service Annual Conference, held July 13 through July 15 in Atlanta. This award recognizes GED® administrators that have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the advancement of the GED® test program in their jurisdiction.

and a resource for her peers,” said CT Turner, Vice President of GED® Testing Service. “She has been a champion for many enhancements to the GED® program nationally and has worked with our team side by side to untangle and resolve several complex issues within the state across the system—even through a pandemic.”

Diane Vaccari is the GED® Administrator for Florida through the Florida Department of Education.

Vaccari is a passionate advocate for Florida’s learners and has been an integral part of the success of the state’s GED® test program since 2010. Florida faced many challenges when Vaccari came to the high school equivalency office twelve years ago. Scoring and production of all original and duplicate transcripts and diplomas took place in-house, and there was a backlog of 8-10 weeks for test results for learners. Through staff management and process improvements, Vaccari significantly reduced the timeline for paper-based testing.

“Diane advocated for changes during her service as part of the Administrator’s work group and contributed to many improvements in the testing program over the years,” said Tara Goodman, Vice Chancellor for the Florida Department of Education’s Division of Career, Technical, and Adult Education. “I am so happy that the overall GED® testing community recognizes her contributions and is celebrating them with this award.”

Each year GED® Testing Service recognizes GED® graduates and state GED® Administrators for outstanding achievement at its annual conference.

During the launch and implementation of computerThe GED® Administrator of the Year award based testing in 2014, Vaccari used her technical recognizes administrators that have helped support and project management skills and her teaching GED® test-takers through contributions related background to transition to the new testing format to expanded testing opportunities, increased across the state successfully. Vaccari will retire testing volume, innovative outreach and marketing next year after 35 years of service to education in initiatives, and innovative training and monitoring Florida. practices.

“Diane has been a constant and steady voice, an invaluable partner for the GED® test program,

More information about the GED® test program is available here.

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recent news Freedom First Budget Provides Record Investments in Teachers, Students and Workforce Education Tallahassee, Fla., June 2, 2022 – Today, Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. celebrated historic education funding in Governor DeSantis’ Freedom First Budget, including record investments in per-student funding, teacher pay, workforce education, literacy and civics initiatives.

Read more: bit.ly/3NSUeMw

Governor Ron DeSantis Approves Over $125 Million for Nursing Education to Provide Scholarships and Expand Infrastructure at Colleges and Universities for Clinical Training Sanford, Fla., May 16, 2022 — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced his approval of over $125 million for nursing education for the 2022-2023 Fiscal Year, bringing the total amount of investment in workforce education funding to more than $5 billion since 2019. Read More: bit.ly/3AyhkFn

Florida Propels U.S. to Surpass China in Entrepreneurship and Small Business Certifications Tallahassee, Fla., May 4, 2022 — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that more than 7,500 students have earned an entrepreneurship and small business (ESB) certification between July 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022. Read more: bit.ly/3P4uo9s

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SOCIAL MEDIA shoutouts

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upcoming events Postsecondary Statewide Quarterly Webinar - August 22 Adult Education Statewide Quarterly Webinar - August 24 Secondary Statewide Quarterly Webinar - September 19 ACE Annual Conference - October 17-19

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