DCAE September Newsletter 2023

NEWSLETTER

CTE Instruction Comes Full Circle in Seminole County | p4

College Highlight

South Florida State College

Receives Grant Funding from Duke Energy Foundation

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Teacher Highlight

Florida Teacher of the Year Finalist

Jennie Goffe is an Agriculture Teacher and Proponent of CTE p9

Program Highlight

Through the Eyes of Law

Enforcement: Florida’s First APEX Officer Training System

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WELCOME MESSAGE

First and foremost, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to each of you for your dedication to nurturing the minds and futures of our students.

As I step into this new role, I am thrilled to witness all the exceptional achievements that have taken place in CTE programs across the state. Florida has become a beacon of inspiration in providing cutting-edge opportunities for students to explore their passions, discover their strengths and prepare for a prosperous future. Our commitment to fostering excellence in CTE is a testament to the collective effort and innovation of our educators and administrators.

In the months ahead, I look forward to collaborating with each one of you to further enhance our CTE initiatives. Together, we will build on the foundation of success, continually seeking ways to expand and refine our programs to meet the demands of tomorrow’s workforce. Whether it be through enhanced partnerships with industry leaders, integrating new technologies or creating targeted career pathways, our shared vision will drive us toward continued excellence.

Together, we will propel workforce education in Florida to new heights, empowering our students to dream big and achieve even greater success.

Thank you for your warm welcome and for the invaluable work you do. Your passion and commitment to our students inspire me, and I am truly honored to be a part of this incredible journey.

KIMBERLY M. RICHEY

Senior Chancellor, Florida Department of Education

CTE Instruction Comes Full Circle in Seminole County

Submitted by Seminole County Public Schools

Great teachers have the power to change students’ lives. Some even have the power to inspire students to become teachers themselves. This was true for Skyler Swiderski, a CTE teacher at Crooms Academy of Information Technology in Sanford, FL, and his former teacher – now colleague – Patty Cason.

After taking web development and other dual enrollment courses in his first three years of high school, Skyler enrolled in Ms. Cason’s networking classes during senior year. His goal was to gain experience in other non-programming areas of technology before graduating. He began creating study material for himself to understand the content on a more intermediate level and would spend extra time working with Cisco and other platforms. This caught the eye of Ms. Cason, and she encouraged him to help fellow students broaden their own knowledge and skills, acknowledging his natural ability to engage students and prompting him to look into teaching pathways after graduation. At her recommendation, he became a Teaching Assistant and tutor for the Information

Technology department at Seminole State College while earning his degree in information systems technology.

The whole idea of becoming a teacher came mainly through my years at Crooms. A lot of teachers shaped my desire to teach. It was how they taught it specifically, and the passion they had for the subject that inspired me. They motivate their students to not only learn the material, but to expand on it and apply it to the real-world.

When a teaching position opened at his alma mater, Crooms’ Principal, Brandon Hanshaw, Ed. D., called Skyler himself to ask him to apply. Before he knew it, he was in the position he had been dreaming of

Skyler Swiderski.

professional and teacher he wanted to be. for years. Right away, Ms. Cason took him under her wing, just as she did when he was a student. Together, they built lesson plans and course material, aiming to build hands-on, technical experiences with a focus on trouble-shooting and critical thinking for students now entering Mr. Swiderski’s classroom.

you; those

work with you, interact with you, or are impacted by you. If you know the other interconnected areas of your job and/or career route, there will be more ways to network and establish yourself in your field. Especially if you know how to reduce the workload of others, you’re building a network that is more eager to root you on and help you. Networking is crucial nowadays.

After all, it’s what led Skyler to accumulate the experiences and skills to become the IT

Skyler Swiderski and his mentor teacher Patty Cason

If my teachers were able to do that for me as a student, I want to try to be at least half as good a teacher as them. It is my way of giving back.

Skyler Swiderski

One of the more useful pieces of advice I received is to know your network. Don’t just meet the basic skills required of your job but get to know the people around

that

Skyler Swiderski.

South Florida State College Receives Grant Funding from Duke Energy Foundation

Submitted by South Florida State College

South Florida State College (SFSC) received more than $50,000 in grant funding from the Duke Energy Foundation at a Live-Wire Demonstration event on the College’s Highlands Campus.

The grant funding from the Duke Energy Foundation will update the equipment in the SFSC Electrical Lineworker Program by purchasing a pole-mount Viper-ST breaker, climbing gear, tools and safety equipment. The Viper-ST breaker will enable students to become proficient in installing state-ofthe-art circuit protection widely used within the industry today. The safety equipment, climbing gear and tools will allow a growing number of students to enter the program safely and complete climbing and on-pole work training.

[We’re] thrilled to create opportunities for access to education that benefits the workforce in the communities where we work and live. For our communities to thrive, we need skilled lineworkers to maintain our infrastructure and South Florida State College can prepare individuals for a rewarding career by equipping them with the skills and knowledge required to perform utility line work.

Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida President.

The College is fortunate to have a community partner in Duke Energy who cares about our students and their success. We are grateful that our students will personally benefit from this grant in practical ways. We look forward to future endeavors with our generous friends from Duke Energy.

SFSC’s Electrical Lineworker Program prepares students to work as electric line technicians in the construction, maintenance and repair of electric utility overhaul and underground systems. Through 1,500 contact hours of training

at the College’s Hardee Campus, students gain an understanding of electrical systems, operations, and safety while mastering competencies in electrical distribution, basic electrical theory, and underground electrical construction operations. They learn how to maintain electric power systems and use electrical distribution equipment. The program provides practice in climbing, framing, building single and three-phase overhead lines, pole top and bucket rescue techniques, operating bucket trucks, and maintaining and repairing underground systems. Students who successfully complete the program earn a Career Certificate.

For more information about SFSC’s Electrical Lineworker Program, contact Christopher Yeomans, electrical distribution professor, by emailing yeomansC@southflorida.edu or calling 863784-7045.

Dr. Brent Ferns, dean of applied sciences and technologies at SFSC; Nancy Dodd, government and community relations manager for Duke Energy Florida; Christopher Yeomans, electrical distribution professor at SFSC; and Dr. Michele Heston, vice president for academic affairs and student services at SFSC (center front) and students in SFSC’s Electrical Lineworker Program.

Vice President Michele Heston

GRANT HIGHLIGHT

Florida Department of Corrections receives perkins grant

By the Division of Career and Adult Education

The Perkins Grant has enabled the Florida Department of Corrections to create and hire a full time Career and Technical Education (CTE) Certification Coordinator. Mr. Jeff Creel’s main job responsibility is to provide a nationally recognized construction safety course, OSHA-10, to inmate-students across the state of Florida. Mr. Creel provided over 700 OSHA-10 credentials in 2022. Other job duties include actively instructing small cohorts of Industry Credentialing classes; liaising with CTE students and employers in helping students secure credentials; mentoring and supporting CTE students; participating in conferences, meetings, outreach events and professional

development; and conducting orientations with new students.

The Perkins grant has helped the Florida Department of Corrections provide valuable employment credentials to inmates who are releasing and in pursuit of future employment. These industry credentials allow for returning citizens to be competitive in the job market. As well documented throughout recidivism literature, obtaining and maintaining employment contributes to a lower recidivism rate, ultimately saving the state of Florida taxpayers a significant amount of money each year.

Florida Teacher of the Year

Finalist Jennie Goffe, is an

Agriculture Teacher and Proponent of CTE

Jennie Goffe has been an agricultural teacher at Clewiston High School in Hendry County for the past ten years. Goffe champions Career and Technical Education, which provides students industry skills while preparing them for the workforce. Her students earn an average of 150 workforce certificates annually. Through her agricultural program, Goffe and her students manage a 480-acre farm, which includes taking care of over 60 animals, maintaining a greenhouse, harvesting crops, caring for pastures and growing sugarcane. After Hurricane Ian,

Goffe initiated a joint effort for Clewiston High School students and community members of Hendry County to assist those in need in Fort Myers Beach. The effort included cleaning up hard hit areas following the devastation caused by the natural disaster. Goffe holds a Master and a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Education and Communications from the University of Florida.

Florida Teacher of the Year Finalist Jennie Goffe

Lori Cabrera Receives Fulbright Award

Submitted by Polk County Public Schools

The U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board are pleased to announce that Lori Cabrera of East Area Adult School in Polk County, Florida, has received a Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program award. As a Fulbright recipient, Cabrera will share knowledge and foster meaningful connections across communities in the United States and abroad. Fulbrighters engage in cutting-edge research and expand their professional networks, often continuing research collaborations started abroad and laying the groundwork for forging future partnerships between institutions. Upon returning to their classrooms in the United States, they share their stories and often become active supporters of international exchange, inviting foreign scholars and educators to their school or campus and encouraging their colleagues and students to go abroad. As Fulbright alumni, their careers are enriched by joining a network of thousands of esteemed scholars, many of whom are leaders in their fields. Fulbright alumni include 60 Nobel Prize laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize recipients, and 40 who have served as a head of state or government.

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program and is supported by the people of the United States and partner countries around the world. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program.

Lori completed her oversees experience in Uruguay in June 2023. Her group visited Montevideo (the capital), and then traveled to Rivera, which is on the border between Uruguay and Brazil. They completed visits to about 20 schools and educational institutions, including the national education policy offices, the technology initiative office, two teacher preparation programs, technical schools, adult education programs and multiple K-12 schools in both urban and rural settings. They were able to learn about the way schools are operated in Uruguay and share about how things are done in the

United States. There was plenty of time to share with teachers and administrators and form bonds and brainstorm ideas for future collaboration.

For over 75 years, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 400,000 participants - chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential - with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared concerns.

Fulbright Uruguay 2023 group in front of LIceo, a technical school in Montevideo’s Piedras Blancas neighborhood.

The Fulbright TGC Uruguay group to Rivera in front of Rivera Liceo No. 7.

All the students enrolled in a rural school outside of Rivera, Uruguay.

Through the Eyes of Law Enforcement:

Florida’s First

APEX Officer Training System

Submitted by Gulf Coast State College

Earlier this year, Gulf Coast State College (GCSC) was the first Criminal Justice Academy in Florida to purchase and utilize the APEX program to supplement basic recruit training in both corrections and law enforcement programs. The APEX Officer Program is a virtual reality system that allows law enforcement students and agency partners to engage in simulated “real-life” scenarios through

the safety of a virtual reality platform, covering deescalation techniques, crisis intervention, communication skills, highrisk situations and more.

With the purchase of the APEX Officer Program, GCSC will be able to provide innovative and best practices into further preparing students to serve their communities as public safety servants.

The idea behind the purchase is first and foremost to build the confidence of the student in addressing mental health and substance use crises through the use of harm-reduction practices and deescalation. It also allows for realistic and overall reduced-cost training in areas of communication skills, judgmental skill building, human trafficking, use of force, professional traffic stops and much more.

The APEX system is equipped with the same tools an officer would be equipped with on the job. It allows the student to be placed into one of the 1,000,000 realistic virtual scenarios. The student wears the headset and backpack (modem and transmitter), and then interacts with the instructor, who is the voice of the character the student is seeing in the virtual reality program.

At GCSC, the APEX system has increased student engagement and confidence in various areas, versus static learning and stale scenario-based training. Due to the immersive environment, students have stated that the sense of reality is far greater than they would receive from interacting with familiar role-players in the academy environment. Instructors have stated that the program allows for interactions that would not otherwise be feasible or safe to solidify student learning outcomes.

to provide their officers with enhanced training opportunities. The foundational goal is to provide the community with welltrained officers who will have the skills to confidently interact with the public in a professional manner to communicate, deescalate and provide the needed services for various situations.

To learn more, contact Daryl White at (850) 872-3878 dwhite6@gulfcoast.edu

Additionally, the APEX system is also available to public safety agency partners

FL Education Foundations Accelerate Career Pathways for Students

Submitted by The Consortium of Florida Education Foundations

The Consortium of Florida Education Foundations is the statewide membership organization for Florida’s robust network of local education foundations aligned with nearly every county-wide school district. Collectively, these nonprofits serve 98% of Florida’s 3 million K-12 students, raising more than $85 million annually for locally driven initiatives to advance student achievement.

Of the 1,200 board members leading these organizations, 80% are local business and community leaders with the remaining board positions occupied by school district leaders, educators and other public-sector leaders. Poised at the “intersection” of the workforce and education worlds, education foundations have a unique opportunity to serve as a productive forum for dialogue and activities to help prepare students for life after high school.

Though the program models and level of support varies, local education foundations accelerate college and career pathways for students. They help students and

families be college and career ready by coordinating early career exposure and exploration, facilitating work-based learning and internships for students, hosting federal financial aid (FAFSA) workshops, providing start-up funding and business connections for career academies, coordinating mentoring programs, and investing more than $11 million annually in student scholarships. In total, college and career readiness initiatives comprise about one-third of the program work of these nonprofits.

In Fall 2022, sixteen local education foundations continued the tradition of being responsive and relevant to local needs, offering a solution to growing concerns around statewide workforce shortages and projected gaps in the healthcare arena. With funds facilitated by the Consortium, participating members are encouraging middle and high school students to explore and excel in healthcare careers. In one program model, the Education Foundation of Alachua County is exposing middle school students who

may not meet the rigorous criteria for high school health career academies for the array of healthcare careers that require a year or less of postsecondary training. Through the Medical Skills Program available to general population students at under-enrolled Eastside High School, students earn their “scrubs” and get in-depth exposure to myriad healthcare

careers, culminating in internships and accompanying job offers during their last semester.

To learn more about the Consortium and Florida’s local education foundations visit: https://educationfoundationsfl.org/

Best Buddies Florida

Submitted by Best Buddies

Best Buddies in Florida offers PreEmployment Transition Services (PreETS) in Southwest Florida, Palm Beach, and Broward Counties, which combines classroom-based training, experiential learning opportunities and corporate mentorship to help students identify and develop career ambitions, explore post-secondary options and prepare for independent living. Designed for students aged 14-21, workshops and activities focus on self-advocacy and leadership skill development for the workplace, exploration of work interests and relevant employment opportunities, and engagement in critical job readiness skills.

During the school year, the program runs a series of 6 workshops, focused on selfdetermination and self-advocacy at Tree Tops Park. During the summer, the group focuses on a 20-hour Work Readiness Training, also offered at the same location. All students, ages 14-21 with an IEP, 504 plan or documented intellectual or developmental disability are eligible to participate. For more information and to register for the program, please contact Daniella de la Riva, Program Supervisor at Danielladelariva@Bestbuddies.org.

ADULT EDUCATION AND FAMILY LITERACY WEEK TOOLKIT

September 18-23, 2023

Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, originating in 2009, raises awareness and elevates adult education and family literacy, showcasing the range of instructional programs that help adults get the basic skills they need to be productive workers, family members and citizens.

In this Toolkit:

Ready-Made Social Media Graphics and Copy

Social media graphics and copy allow you to celebrate Adult Education and Family Literacy Week on social media without needing to create your own content from scratch. We’ve provided posts for X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook for you to use.

Ready-Made Newsletter Copy

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Newsletter copy which allows you to share the message of Adult Education and Family Literacy in your newsletter. Add to your regular newsletter or consider doing a special edition to celebrate Adult Education and Family literacy week filled with success stories from your GED® and ESOL students.

Ready-Made Email Copy

Email copy which allows you to share the message of Adult Education and Family Literacy with your student body. Share this message to promote adult education programs and the success students can achieve upon completing a program.

Sample Event Ideas

Sample event ideas for you to celebrate Adult Education and Family Literacy Week with your local community, local businesses, your students and their families. Higher household literacy levels positively impact a child’s ability to reach their full potential.

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Career and Technical Education benefits many students

Ever built an entire car out of spare parts? Edgar Caquimbo and his classmates from Wakulla High School are doing that right now: turning a donated military truck into a hot rod. Most of the frame is done, and now they’re putting a transmission back together.

Caquimbo says hands-on learning is his favorite part of the school day and Wakulla’s automotive program is preparing him well for what he hopes will become a permanent career. He has already earned certifications in safety, brakes and steering and suspension and is now working toward credentials in manual transmission and transaxles.

“Doing it in high school is a benefit because I don’t have to pay for it until I go to technical school,” he said. “And I just really like working on cars. It makes me happy.”

“Spending four years at a university is not the only route to success, and CTE is the better choice for many students,” said Kevin O’Farrell, Chancellor of Career and Adult Education. “Florida knows where the jobs of the future will be, which is why an increasing number of middle and high schools are offering classes in architecture, construction, health science, manufacturing, energy, transportation, distribution and logistics and more.”

Automotive isn’t the only CTE program offered at Wakulla High. Caquimbo’s twin brother has taken courses in HVAC, and his younger brother is studying welding at the school. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg: the school offers classes in cosmetology, construction, culinary arts, health care, digital information technology and more.

UPCOMING EVENTS

IS NATIONAL TRUCK DRIVER APPRECIATION WEEK

SEPTEMBER 10-16, 2023

National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is an annual, nationwide celebration and cornerstone program launched by the American Trucking Associations in 1988 to recognize and honor the vital contributions of truck drivers to our daily lives and the economy.

SEPTEMBER 18-23, 2023 IS ADULT EDUCATION AND FAMILY

LITERACY DAY

Every year, Adult Education and Family Literacy week (AEFL week) recognizes the importance of investing in adult education services.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2023 IS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

PROFESSIONALS DAY

Celebrate National IT Professionals Day on the Third Tuesday in September by showing your appreciation for those who have dedicated their lives to Information Technology!