SC, national leaders visit District Five for Innovation Conference on education and the workforce
May 13, 2015
CHAPIN, SC – Is education in America preparing students for 21st century careers? That was the central question being discussed at a conference bringing state and national leaders to Lexington-Richland School District Five on March 13.
The district’s Center for Advanced Technical Studies hosted an Innovation Conference on education and the workforce to discuss how educators and other stakeholders can best prepare students for college and careers. Speakers at the event included state Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman, District Five Superintendent Dr. Stephen Hefner, Project Lead The Way (PLTW) President and CEO Vince Bertram, former Assistant Secretary of Labor Emily DeRocco and other national leaders.
“The purpose of third grade can’t be to prepare kids for fourth grade. The purpose of middle school can’t be preparing for high school. And the purpose of school in America can’t be school,” said Bill Daggett, founder and chairman of the International Center for Leadership in Education. “We know that 3.8 million jobs in the U.S. are unfilled. Folks, that means we have a skills gap, and if we can’t get these kids career ready, we are economically headed off a cliff…The focus has to be college and career readiness.”
DeRocco added, “If the current skills gap has a silver lining, it is that now there is a broad base of support to improve the skills of workers across all economic sectors and specifically to prepare America’s future workers to be an educated and skilled workforce.”
More than 200 people attended District Five’s Innovation Conference, including representatives from the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, New Carolina, the University of South Carolina, Clemson University, The Citadel, Boeing, and educators and superintendents from several school districts. This is the second year that The Center has hosted the event to foster statewide and national dialogue about college and career readiness.
“At The Center, we want our students to learn by doing and to create the future by challenging the impossible,” said Dr. Bob Couch, director of The Center. “The conference was our way of sparking the conversation about how best to prepare students across South Carolina and across the country for jobs. It’s critical we address this if we are going to make our students competitive in the global marketplace, and we believe we’re on the right track in District Five.”
Opened in August 2012, The Center provides a standalone facility for District Five students to build technical skills, gain certifications and earn college credits. Attended by students from the district’s four high schools, the school offers high-tech courses in a variety of areas from biomedical science and auto mechanics to alternative energy and graphic design. The Center has two PLTW certifications, one in biomedical science and one in engineering, giving students there an opportunity to earn college credits.
“We cannot just test students, we have to inspire them,” said Bertram, who speaks at events around the country about the importance of PLTW and STEM education. “We must engage students’ minds while inspiring their interest in STEM subjects through hands-on learning and real-world problem solving. When students understand how their education is relevant to their lives, careers and the world around them; they get excited and want to learn and apply more.”
For students like Jason Shaffer and Jalen Wilson, The Center has helped to prepare them for their individualized career goals.
“I feel like I entered here with no clear plan for what I wanted to do,” said Shaffer, a senior at Chapin High in The Center’s biomedical science program. “Because of The Center I’ve been able to study in this field, patent a device and plan my next moves for what I would like to do in life. Coming here is the best decision I’ve ever made.”
Wilson, an Irmo High Junior working on certifications through The Center’s automotive technology course, said he’s learned several skills and is looking forward to work-based experience in the field through the program. “I started being interested in cars by going to car shows with my dad. This program has helped me a lot. With the skills I have, I can go out and get a job tomorrow. My future looks good.”
School officials in District Five said courses and programs have been tailored to ensure students have the skills needed to compete in the 21st century.
“Public education does not serve a public, it creates a public. The question is what kind of public does it want?” said Hefner, reciting a quote from author Neil Postman. “For me and I hope for all those here today, we want a public that has the skills included in ‘Profile of the South Carolina Graduate.’ That includes students who are critical thinkers, problems solvers, collaborators and good communicators…all of those life characteristics that are so important in bringing anyone success in adult life.”
South Carolina Education Superintendent Molly Spearman speaks to more than 200 people attending an Innovation Conference on education and the workforce at the Center for Advanced Technical Studies (The Center) on May 13. This is the second year that the Lexington-Richland District Five school has hosted the event to foster statewide and national dialogue about the need for college and career readiness.
