Opinion | Career focused learning promotes post high school success

Originally published on The Cap Times - July 24th, 2024

High school is a challenging time. For many students, one of those challenges is feeling prepared and excited for what comes next.

Remarkably, nearly 75% of high schoolers feel moderately, slightly or not at all prepared for college or their career after graduating.

As educators, we need to do more. We need to give students the resources and opportunities in high school to explore the skills, knowledge and concepts that excite and inspire them. When students demonstrate an interest or an aptitude, we need to help them discover how those translate to the next step in their educational or professional journey, as well as how those same skills and passions may shift and change over time along with the available careers. We need to address those priorities in structured and intentional ways.

Destinations Career Academy of Wisconsin (DCA), a tuition-free virtual school serving students across the state, is committed to providing students with learning opportunities that meet them where they are and set them up for success after graduation. Personalized online learning helps each student not just find their passion but pursue it. This approach to career-oriented learning is one that more schools around the country can emulate to help excite students about learning and provide them with the skills and experiences they need to thrive in subjects and specialties that inspire them.

All DCA students take core classes, as well as career-focused courses, that contextualize their learning. Their learning is connected to exploring options and finding their passion - all while earning a high school diploma. Students need the freedom and support to discover what they love to do, which translates into being more prepared to pursue a career right out of high school or make a more thoughtful and informed decision about a college major.

To help give students structure and direction, DCA offers six unique and distinctive educational pathways: agriculture and natural resources, business management and administration, construction and engineering, health sciences, information technology and law and criminal justice. Each pathway features a combination of online and hands-on learning. Career-focused electives in each student's chosen pathway allow students to learn about the variety of opportunities in the pathway or go more deeply into a specific area of interest. For example, students interested in the information technology pathway can focus on programming and software development, web and digital communications or networking services - or learn a bit about all three.

High school can also be a place where students gain workplace skills by participating in high-quality work-based learning opportunities. DCA students enjoy on-site tours, job shadowing and industry experts speaking in their classes. They also participate in internships and youth apprenticeships for pay, credit and industry certifications. These experiences ensure students are drawing connections between coursework and real-world skills. In addition, DCA is piloting a collaborative hub in Green Bay, DCA Connect, where students collaborate and connect with industry experts and community mentors.

Many DCA courses are designed to allow students to take and pass industry-recognized certification exams. Students can choose from various certifications targeting specific skills that translate to different industries. Last year alone, DCA students earned nearly 350 certifications, from CompTia's Information Technology Fundamentals to Adobe InDesign certifications.

Students looking for peer support and engagement while broadening their horizons can enjoy socialization opportunities - such as prom, bowling, skiing, picnics and graduation - or expand their skills by enrolling in career and technical student organizations (CTSOs). CTSOs help students develop citizenship, technical, leadership and teamwork skills essential in preparing for careers and further education. Students in CTSOs work on service projects, take field trips, and participate in local, state, and national level competitions.

DCA students have access to SkillsUSA, an organization supporting students across a variety of pathways, National Technical Honor Society (NTHS), Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), HOSA-Future Health Professionals, and FFA, an organization for students pursuing agricultural education.

Each high school is different, but every school can help students connect and engage to find their passions and begin preparing students not just for a job or college, but for a lifetime of curiosity, personal fulfillment and professional success.

Jen Wegner was the director of personalized pathways and career/technical education (CTE) for the Madison Metropolitan School District. She has also served with the Wisconsin Department of Instruction (DPI) and has extensive experience teaching middle and high school business and information technology classes.

To learn more about Destinations Career Academy of Wisconsin please visit, https://dcawi.k12.com/.

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