Hello Everyone!

This blog will follow my activities on my upcoming trip to South Africa. In March of 2009 I was selected to be part of a delegation of Career & Technical educators represetning the Association for Career & Technical Educators (ACTE)to travel to South Africa as an ambassador with People to People International. The mission of the delegation is to help put global perspectives on C&T education and job training.

The delegation will be traveling to schools in Johannesberg and Capetown as well as surrounding areas to:

• Discuss and compare skill training methods used by both countries
• Explore how Career & Technical educators in South Africa identify emerging occupational areas
• Collaborate on ideas regarding the initiative of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
• Methods of exchanging training strategies with South African counterparts
• Models of career exploration and selection used by both countries
• Build a global network of contacts and colleagues for continued collaboration

A little background on C&T education

Career and Technical Education prepares both youth and adults for a wide range of careers. These careers may require varying levels of education – from high school and postsecondary certificates to two- and four-year college degrees. Some of the career areas that students may enter through career and technical education include: Agriculture (farmers, animal scientists, turf grass specialists); Trade and Industrial (automotive technicians, carpenters, electricians); Business and Marketing (entrepreneurs, financial officers, arts/graphics designers); Family and Consumer Sciences (management and life skills, executive chefs, hotel managers); Health Occupations (nurses, dentists, physical therapists, biomedical engineers); Public Safety and Security (EMTs, emergency management and response coordinators); and Technology (3D animator, computer engineer, biotechnical engineer).