The guest for this episode of College & Career Readiness Radio is Dr. Matthew Woods.

Dr. Woods starts by telling the audience about his children’s book series, which is dedicated to helping K-5 students understand and explore careers that they might not otherwise learn about.

Not only did he want students to see a representation of different careers, he wanted them to see representations of themselves in the characters.

Don’t miss his line of thinking around how he designed each book to be able to help students uncover the language regarding careers and career exploration.

The books started as a gift for his son, and then others were asking for them because of the need to help young people explore careers in early grades.

We discuss the power of work-based learning and getting kids into internships and other work experiences where they get to see diversity beyond their school and community.

Listen to what he says about selecting careers for the books and using his son’s interest to drive future stories. The idea is to ensure that young readers are never limited in what they believe they can be and do in life.

Dr. Woods talks about imaginary boundaries that we place on ourselves based on what we see and experience in school and life.

Matt explains why career exploration has to start early in life rather than the typical experience in middle and high schools. It’s important to begin the conversation when students are still curious and before they make up their minds about life’s possibilities.

He tells a heart-wrenching story about a parent who didn’t want their child to have career exposure because it might mean that they leave the community and not return.

He ends with a call-to-action to be more candid with students about career paths and what it takes to reach their goals.

The more you pour into students at a younger age, the more they gain the confidence to grow into beautiful adults. ~ Dr. Matthew Woods.

If you want to learn more about supporting K-5 students with career exploration, book a time to see a demo of the MaiaLearning games that teach students both career awareness and financial literacy.

The guest for this episode of College & Career Readiness Radio is Dr. Tyler Love from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

The show starts with Tyler explaining the pathways for non-traditional teachers, including CTE teachers, to become certified to teach. He describes the types of courses that CTE teachers take in the State of Maryland.

Tyler talks about the value of a state wide program that supports CTE teachers so that they can learn from one another regarding the different initiatives across the state rather than just in the districts local to them.

Dr. Love discussed the teacher shortage and what it means to find and hire teachers from industries like computer science.

He talks about the supports that are in place at the university level so that second career teachers don’t burn out, especially as they go back to school at night to earn their credential.

Tyler discusses a study about teacher preparation when it comes to CTE teachers. First, the quality of the preparation program matters. Second, teachers who go through traditional programs feel more prepared than those who go through these alternative routes.

He talks about the efficacy of career coaches and counselors who have to help students with making college and career choices. He explains some of the problems with hiring teachers to be career coaches who don’t have a CTE background.

Tyler discusses the difference between R1 schools and schools like UMES and other historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). He mentions a documentary published by PBS.

His call to action to end the show is to ensure that 4-year institutions are at the table for the K-12 pathway, WBL, and general college and career readiness conversation.

If you want to discuss CTE with the host of the show, book a time here.

If you want to see a solution that supports career exploration for the career coaches that Tyler mentions, book a demo here.

Our guest for this episode of College & Career Readiness Radio is Kristy Volesky.

Kristy starts by defining work-based learning and explaining why other definitions might be too broad, limiting the outcomes of a specific WBL experience.

Don’t miss what she says about the “before, during, and after” of WBL that educators and business partners should be clear about to prepare students for the experience.

She says that we ought to implement WBL in elementary schools, and she gives some detailed examples of how to do that.

Project-based learning in schools is a great scaffold for WBL. It’s not just about sending kids to work; they need preparation ahead of time. Kristy describes some of the durable skills that students can learn before they go to work.

She says that anyone who wants to start a WBL program should find the easiest entry point. We don’t need to scale it until some of the partnerships are operating without a lot of support.

Listen to what she says about using a current CTSO to apply a project to a local business.

One of the outcomes that Kristy explains is the social capital that students gain from WBL, including their network that they’re building on-the-job and the growth they experience for further upward mobility in the future.

She talks about missed opportunities associated with “fake” WBL experiences versus real internships and solid placements. We call this “the network effect of WBL.”

Kristy provides examples of how WBL can unfold at every level–elementary, middle, and high school.

She redefines what a middle school career fair can be, providing them exposure before they make their four-year academic plans.

Her final thoughts about the support that schools need to do this work are important. We have to overcome the barriers to WBL to progress the work for students.

If you want to discuss work-based learning with the host of the show, book a time here.

If you want to see a solution for working with business partners and tracking WBL for students, book a demo here.