Job Skills: A Guide for Teens and Parents

Setting the record straight.

Misconceptions VS. Facts

Did You Know?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 18 of the 20 fastest growing occupations within the next decade will require career and technical education.

Taking CTE courses in school is a proven means of maximizing income and employment potential.

High-skill jobs are growing at three times the rate of other jobs.

High school Career and Technical Education programs prepare students for the many high paying, high-tech jobs requiring less than a bachelor’s degree.

Positions requiring training or an associate’s degree are projected to grow the most rapidly(3.9% annually, compared to 2.3% for workexperience jobs).

Students enrolled in high school agricultural courses are looking to join a $3.5-4.0 billion Utah industry.

The average annual Utah information technology salary continues to be 71% higher than the average Utah salary.

The health care industry is robust and growing nationwide. However, it is actually experiencing a critical shortage of workers. These shortages are impacting the quality of care throughout the industry. The health care industry claims 15 of the 25 fastest-growing jobs requiring postsecondary training or an associate’s degree.

Eight facts every parent should know.

Here's What CTE Can Do For Your Teen!

1. CTE Expands Your Teen's Options!

CTE is a structured training program that includes:

• Career exploration and planning

• Direct preparation for employment

• Preparation for a post-secondary education CTE courses and programs introduce students to career options and assist them in the development of career choices.

2. CTE Offers a Path to Success!

CTE prepares teens for more than a good paying job. It’s the beginning of a career path. Most new jobs require specific post-secondary, advanced technical training. CTE meets that need by providing career exploration, career paths, and links to post-secondary CTE programs. CTE takes students into the real world, and training approximates real work situations. Career and Technical Education:

• Keeps teenagers in school.

• Improves daily attendance.

• Improves graduation rate.

• Connects to post-secondary education.

• Enhances academic achievement.

• Is an economic value.

3. CTE Challenges Your Teenager to Think!

CTE includes every program, project activity, and organization that is in the business of preparing Utah students for successful careers. CTE students are challenged to apply
theoretical knowledge—learned in academic and tech classrooms—to practical problems in laboratories or at worksites. This is a basic, lifetime skill.

4. CTE Tests Career Interests Before College!

Before you and your teenager invest in college, encourage him or her to take available tests that are geared specifically toward identifying potential career interests and strengths.

5. CTE Provides Concurrent Enrollment & Tech Prep!

Concurrent enrollment and College Tech Prep are linked directly to post-secondary institutions, so students can meet preliminary requirements for post-secondary degrees while still in high school. These programs increase the number of students going to college and improve their likelihood of success. Your teen will also reduce the time and tuition needed to earn a post-secondary degree, through technical school, two-year college, or four-year college. Taking concurrent enrollment classes helps your teen develop essential study habits and critical thinking skills needed to succeed in college. High school students can also participate in courses offered by the Utah College of Applied Technology (UCAT).

6. CTE Helps Pay for College!

By taking CTE concurrent enrollment classes, your teen can earn college credit without having to pay tuition, as long as he or she is attending high school. CTE enables students to acquire the skills necessary for entry into good paying careers with high potential for rapid financial growth, increased levels of responsibility, and a high degree of personal satisfaction. CTE is a proven means of maximizing income and employment potential. In addition, CTE awards over 110 scholarships each year to CTE graduating seniors.

7. CTE Broadens Lifelong Career and Education Options!

Nine out of ten Utah employers have difficulty finding qualified people to fill job openings. CTE provides long-term job education and skills training, enabling teens to reach their full potential. Studies reveal a strong correlation between education/technical skills levels and continued employment/lifelong earnings.

8. CTE Stduents Acquire Life Skills That Apply to Any Career!

More than half of Utah employers report that the quality of applicants is the primary challenge (i.e., workers lack basic skills). Employability skills taught in CTE programs include: • Communications • Teamwork • Leadership • Goal Setting • Resource Management • Using Technology • Personal Responsibility • Higher-order Thinking

Tips for parents

Preparing Your Teen for a Successful Career Encourage Your Teen to Explore a Variety of Occupations.

Talk about your work and what your job entails on a daily basis. Be positive and realistic. Emphasize to your teen that school is his or her work. Attendance and follow-through are important, along with other skills that employers look for: • Personal integrity. • Being on time. • Following directions. • Academic skills. • Leadership. • Creative thinking.

Ask Your Teen Questions Such As: What Do you Like To Do? 

What skills do you have? Do you like to be around people? Do you prefer working outdoors or indoors? Do you like things neat and organized? Do you like to take things apart? Do you prefer school courses with a lot of “doing” or with a lot of reading? The more a teen knows his or her likes and dislikes, the easier it will be to recognize the careers that suit him or her best.

Assist Your Teen in Experiencing as Many Different Work Situations as Possible Firsthand.

Through school, your employer, neighbors, friends, and relatives, encourage your teen to take advantage of both formal and informal work exposure programs such as: • Job shadowing – going through a day of work watching someone do his or her job. • Internships – a chance to work in a job with an employer to learn more about a career field. • Apprenticeships – a work experience in a chosen field that helps the apprentice begin to learn the skills required to carry out a specific job. • Cooperative work experiences – long-term structured work experiences, which integrate with specific classroom learning. These training opportunities emphasize strong coordination and integration between the work site and the classroom.

Provide As Many Opportunties as You Can For Your Teen tO Learn Technology.

Encourage your teen to sign up for multiple computer classes at school. Taking computer courses will give your teen a better understanding of today’s technological world and a chance to take a hands-on look at the tools, techniques, and skills involved in a range of occupations. The largest, fastest-growing part of America’s economy is the technical workforce. Technical skills are critical to your teen’s success in the workplace. The statistics prove it: • 65% of all jobs are skilled occupations which require training in addition to high school graduation requirements. • 20% of all jobs are in professions which require a bachelor’s or higher degree • 15% of all jobs are unskilled

Attend Career Fairs With Your Teen and Visit With His or Her Guidance Counselor 

It is okay that teens usually don’t know, in junior high or high school, what they want to do for the rest of their lives. What is not okay is putting off thinking about future career goals and opportunities altogether. Preparing for a career is what an education is about. Don’t let your teen be short-changed. Help him or her think about and prepare for the “next step.” Guide your teen toward obtaining skills. Every employer requires both head and hand skills. What do teenagers need to succeed? • Academic skills • Technical skills • Employability skills Career and Technical Education can give your teen these skills.

Give Your Teen Responsibility.

Begin with jobs around the house or for a neighbor or an older relative. Volunteering at a local hospital, shelter, or business can also give your teen increased responsibility. Through service, teens lives are enriched and valuable life skills are learned. Helping others gives your teen the opportunity to serve, grow, and learn while contributing to the community. The rewards are great! For information on how to volunteer in your area, look at the following web sites: http://volunteers.utah.gov/volunteer.htm www.ilivetogive.org

Suggest That Your Teen Consider a Nontraditional Occupation

Nontraditional occupations are those for which individuals from one gender comprise less than 25% of those employed in such occupation or field of work. Nontraditional occupations can mean: • Higher wages. • Financial security. • Good benefits. www.usoe.k12.ut.us/ate/nontradBringing education to life. A Career and Technical Education program lays out clear pathways to learning and career options. This, by itself, can change the whole nature of a young person’s outlook on school and on the future. Knowing where you are going, or where you can go if you choose, can be exciting. Not only does school gain meaning, life itself can become brighter and much more promising.

© 2004, Utah State Office of Education, Career and Technical Education. All rights reserved. Trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.Utah State Office of Education 250 East 500 South P.O. Box 144200 Salt Lake City, UT 84114-4200