Career TEchnical AND Adult Education News

Ohio ACTE is once again working with the Ohio Department of Education Office of CTE to identify outstanding career-technical students to be recognized as part of the US Department of Education  National Presidential Scholars Program. This is the sixth year that career technical students will be represented among the US Presidential Scholars. Out of all the applicants nationwide, 20 CTE students will be recognized.  Each state may submit up to five scholars.  Click here for more information, the nomination form and to read about each of the 2019 students and their accomplishments.

For more information about the Presidential Scholars Program, click here.

Beginning Monday, Aug. 10 through Friday, Sept. 11, superintendents must complete a required review of their 2020 student, assessment, calendar, staff, course and career-technical education follow-up data reported in EMIS, Ohio’s Education Management Information System. Superintendents must signify whether these data are accurate as they complete and submit the 2020 Data Review for the Report Card form.  

TechCred:

Today Lt. Governor Husted announced that 302 Ohio companies have been approved for TechCred funding, which will help them upskill their current and incoming workforce.

The next TechCred application period opened today, August 4^th, and will run through August 31^st, allowing for another opportunity for current and incoming employees to earn tech-focused skills.

As a resource to employers, Lt. Governor Husted also announced that the list of eligible TechCred credentials now includes examples of education and training providers that offer each certificate or certification.

The examples listed under each credential are based on training provider submissions and are not meant to be an exhaustive list of providers offering each credential within the state or online. Employers are welcome to work with a training provider that is not listed.

Today, 302 Ohio employers were approved, which will result in up to 3,241 credentials that will help upskill Ohio workers. With the approvals announced today, a total of 695 Ohio employers have been allocated funding through four rounds, supporting 7,473 technology-focused credentials to be earned by Ohio employers.

Employers can apply or learn more about the program at TechCred.Ohio.gov.

Ohio’s Top Jobs List: 

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced Monday the launch of Ohio’s Top Jobs List. The update aims to prioritize current economic needs with the health and well-being of Ohioans through Ohio’s Top Jobs List. The list combines Ohio’s In-Demand Jobs and newly created Critical Jobs into one list of prioritized job sectors.

Critical jobs ensure that the state’s workforce supports the health and well-being of Ohioans, their families, and their communities. Governor DeWine made developing the workforce in critical job areas a priority because of their impact on the lives of Ohioans at every stage of life.

Critical jobs are identified through the help of experts and stakeholders in eight career clusters. The eight career clusters include:

• Children & Community Health
• Early Childhood Education
• First Responders
• Lead Abatement
• Mental & Behavioral Health
• Nursing
• Physicians
• Wellness Research & Technology

In addition to creating the Top Jobs List, Governor DeWine announced the new career pathways feature on TopJobs.Ohio.gov. Career pathways illustrate the progress Ohioans can make within the career clusters in which Critical Jobs are organized. The new feature provides information on the skills and education needed for Ohioans to advance to the next level of their chosen career pathway.

Ohio’s Top Jobs List plays an important function as it directs 85 percent of federal job training funds offered through OhioMeansJobs Centers.

Both the list and the career pathway feature are available at TopJobs.Ohio.gov.

Governor DeWine announced August 4 that the Ohio Department of Health will issue a health order requiring that K-12 children wear face coverings while at school. The new mandate comes after the Ohio Children's Hospital Association and American Academy of Pediatrics Ohio Chapter issued a joint letter today recommending widespread use of masks in schools with the following exceptions: 

1. Children under the age of 2 years old
2. Any child unable to remove the face covering without assistance
3. A child with a significant behavioral/psychological issue undergoing treatment that is exacerbated specifically by the use of a facial covering (e.g. severe anxiety or a tactile aversion)
4. A child living with severe autism or with extreme developmental delay who may become agitated or anxious wearing a mask
5. A child with a facial deformity that causes airway obstruction

"Without a vaccine, we are limited in the ways that we can protect the people of Ohio," said Governor DeWine. "For schools to have a fighting chance to stay open this fall, widespread face coverings for K-12 students will increase the odds that kids will go to school and stay in school." 

Businesses in virtually every industry are struggling to find workers who have the academic, technical and professional skills to consistently excel and succeed in the workplace. The Ohio Department of Education, in collaboration with the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, has developed a new application process for submitting industry-recognized credentials to the approved list for graduation. Community stakeholders, including schools, parents, students and businesses, may suggest industry credentials for consideration by completing an application. The application process will cycle four times yearly, but the application will always remain open. Applications for this quarter are due Aug. 30. Approved credentials from this quarter will be available to students for the 2021-2022 school year.

For more information and to complete an application, click here. Questions may be directed to industrycredentials@education.ohio.gov.

Congratulations Ohio ACTE Career-Tech 2020 Award Winners!

Watch Ohio ACTE's video tribute, and click here to read more about this year's winners!

And an extra special thank you to Derek Fitzer,  Career-Tech Teacher of the Year (who just happens to be an interactive media instructor)  for helping put together this video!

Ohio ACTE would like to honor this year's award winners!  While we may not be able to recognize them in person, that does not mean we do not want to highlight and thank them for all they do for their students, staff an the career-tech education community!  Here is Ohio ACTE's video tribute, along with winner's advice for other career-tech educators, to celebrate the many accomplishments of our award winners.

Ohio ACTE cannot thank you enough for all that you do!

The State of Ohio announced July 9 a request for application (RFA) for the Individual Microcredential Assistance Program (IMAP) Grant. The goal of the grant is to provide opportunities for low-income Ohioans who are partially or totally unemployed to participate in a training program and earn a tech-focused microcredential.  

Two-year and four-year colleges and universities, technical training centers, and private training providers are encouraged to apply for IMAP grant funding.  

Through IMAP, training providers will be reimbursed up to $3,000 for each technology-focused credential completed, up to $250,000 per provider. Eligible credentials can be found on the TechCred pre-approved credential list.  

Training providers interested in IMAP can learn more information and apply for funding at IMAP.Development.Ohio.gov.  

Thank you to all Ohio career-tech educators for your support!

Whether you are member through your school or as an individual member, your support of Ohio ACTE is greatly appreciated.

With all of the changes to the last school year and the challenges to career-tech and student and staff safety as we look to the Fall, Ohio ACTE leadership is working diligently to represent career-tech educators.

Please continue to support our efforts.  Individual members, Log in in the upper right corner of the website to renew your dues for 2020-2021.  Organizational/school members, thank you for your continued support!

Governor DeWine July 2 announced new guidance for resuming school in the fall.

"We know that each school system, and perhaps each school building, will likely look different in the fall.  We also know that Ohio has a long history of local control and that school administrators and teachers know their schools best," said Governor DeWine. "Working together and consulting with educators and other health officials, we have developed a set of guidelines, backed by science, that each school should follow when developing their reopening plans."

The newly issued guidance report advises schools to vigilantly assess symptoms, wash and sanitize hands to prevent spread, thoroughly clean and sanitize the school environment to limit spread on shared surfaces, practice social distancing, and implement a face coverings policy.

"Just as we have done in the business sector with employees, we are requiring school staff to wear face coverings to reduce the spread of the virus, unless it is unsafe or when doing so could significantly interfere with the learning process.  When face coverings aren’t practical, face shields may be considered," said Governor DeWine. "We strongly recommend that students in 3rd grade and up wear face coverings as well." 

More details on the new school guidance will soon be available on coronavirus.ohio.gov.

To assist schools in their efforts to implement the guidance, the Ohio Department of Education has created a document titled, “The Reset and Restart Education Planning Guide for Ohio Schools and Districts,” which is designed to help teachers, principals, and administrators with solutions to safety challenges.  The document provides resources and information for community decision-makers as they contemplate how to reopen safely.

The guidance announced today was developed in consultation with school superintendents, teachers, parents, the Ohio Federation of Teachers, Ohio Education Association, Ohio Association of Public School Employees, Buckeye Association of School Administrators, Ohio School Boards Association, Ohio Association of School Business Officials, Alliance for High Quality Education, and Ohio Association of Career Tech Education.

Governor DeWine today also committed to working with the Ohio General Assembly on a plan to ensure that federal CARES Act dollars are made available to Ohio’s school districts for unforeseen expenses associated with creating a safe environment.

Ohio Revised Code Sec. 3313.90 requires each city, local, and exempted village school district to provide career-technical education to students enrolled in grades seven and eight. The expectation is that every child will have access to and that all middle schools in every district offer career-technical education. However, a school district may submit a waiver request to the Ohio Department of Education when the legislative requirement will not be met.

The waiver request includes a district superintendent or superintendent designee completing an online form and submitting an adopted school board resolution to the Department via the OH|ID portal by September 30^th. 

The form for the 2020-2021 (FY21) school year was recently updated and opened for districts requesting a waiver. Directions to access the CTE Middle School waiver form can be found here. If your district will be submitting a waiver request, please make sure to submit by September 30^th.

If you have questions, please contact the Office of Career-Technical Education at CTE@education.ohio.gov.