For the 2021-22 school year, Victoria ISD Career and Technical Education (CTE) students across the district are participating in work-based learning with various Victoria-area businesses.
VISD CTE students who are enrolled in a program of study have the opportunity to complete practicum courses. Practicum courses are courses at the end of a program of study sequence consisting of project-based learning experiences, internships, apprenticeships and shadowing experiences. These opportunities have the ability to be either paid or unpaid.
In addition to the curriculum, CTE’s annual goal is to provide one work-based learning experience per semester for its students. For the fall 2021 semester, more than 80% of CTE teachers completed at least one work-based learning opportunity with their students, many doing more. Work based learning opportunities may also include guest speakers, field trips, and industry demonstrations.
This year, students have had the opportunity to complete practicum or career preparation placement with the following Victoria-area businesses: Texas Zoo, Main Street Pet Resort, Victoria Sheriff’s Office, Victoria JJC, Compadres Design Incorporated, Atzenhoffer Service Department and Clegg Industries. Some students are still working with these companies.
The CTE Program offers work-based learning opportunities for students to gain hands-on “21st century” workplace skills and to test their academic knowledge in the real world. The CTE work-based learning program has been designed to promote students’ success in both postsecondary education and careers.
Within these experiences, students learn first hand what it is like in the workplace, what manager’s expectations are, what their duties and responsibilities are, and more. As part of the practicum, students are held not only to the CTE Program’s expectations, but also the company they are working for. Students become an extension of whatever company they are completing their practicum through for that time period.
“Work based learning is a powerful tool for students to learn more about their chosen career path through interaction with professionals in the industry,” said Dena Justice, CTE specialist and Principal of the Career and Technology Institute (CTI). “These experiences reinforce and deepen student learning in the CTE classroom and prepare students to be successful after graduation.”
To be eligible for a practicum or job placement work-based learning experience, students must meet the following requirements.
Practicum courses and other two credit or three credit CTE courses found in 19 TAC Chapter 130 may be used as laboratory-based, paid, or unpaid work experiences for students
Each practicum course using a work-based learning instructional arrangement must consist of student participation in training aligned with the student’s program of study plus participation in related CTE classroom instruction. A practicum course spans the entire year. A student is expected to be enrolled the entire school year. However, in accordance with local district policy, a student may enter or exit the course when extenuating circumstances require such a change.
In a practicum instructional arrangement, related classroom instruction must average one class period per week during the school year.
A student must be a minimum age of 16 and hold valid work documentation such as a Social Security card to enroll in any of the practicum learning experiences that have a paid component.
Students unemployed for more than 15 consecutive school days in a practicum learning experience must be placed in an unpaid experience.
February is CTE Month, to learn more about VISD’s CTE programs and work-based learning opportunities visit https://www.visd.net/page/career-and-technical-education and follow CTE on Facebook @VISDCTE.