As it stands, many of today’s youth are missing out on Career Connected Learning opportunities. If students do not receive focused career development information and experiences, they may as well encounter challenges and setbacks as they navigate life beyond high school. And, given that career development is not guaranteed at the collegiate level and that many youths do not attend any form of postsecondary education or training, high school education remains the one societal opportunity to provide America’s youth with these opportunities. Thus, we are called as leaders in education to share with our fellow administrators, educators, and school counselors the importance of Career Connected Learning.

How can CareerSmart Schools support the integration of Career Connected Learning in my school and/or district?

CareerSmart Schools was derived from the fact that over 50 percent of high school seniors and recent graduates perceive that no one in their high school helped them discover their career interests or helped them think about career options. In addition, we know that most educators are already close, if not at, capacity and need easy-to-use, just-in-time content and resources.

In short, CareerSmart Schools helps lead others by clarifying the WHY, the WHAT, and the HOW of Career Connected Learning.

• CareerSmart Schools Addresses the WHY for Career Connected Learning by providing videos, infographics, and downloadable documents to build understanding about the need for and value of Career Connected Learning.
• CareerSmart Schools addresses the WHAT for Career Connected learning by explaining what Career Connected Learning is and how it can be applied in different settings, from very large to very small schools, in rural, suburban and urban settings, and the fact that Career Connected Learning benefits all.
• CareerSmart Schools addresses the HOW for Career Connected Learning by offering a wealth of simple-to-use lesson plans and activity planning guides to make integrating Career Connected Learning as seamless as possible.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to make Career Connected Learning available for your students, visit https://nc3t.com/careersmart-schools/.

JoLynn Fletcher is the CareerSmart Schools Product Manager of the National Center for College and Career (NC3T) (www.nc3t.com). She plays a key role in the development and ongoing management of the new CareerSmart Schools platform, as well as provides excellent customer service to our CareerSmart Classrooms platform users. JoLynn has five years of experience in education ranging from work in secondary to postsecondary. Most recently, she worked for the Rapid City Area School District where she played an integral role in the development and implementation of the RCAS Academies & Pathways model. In addition to her experience with developing relevant and meaningful career-connected learning opportunities for students, she also has a background in building mutually beneficial relationships with community, business, and postsecondary partners.