Career Technical Education

Hiring of Occupational Faculty

Whereas, A substantial number of community college faculty are at or near retirement age;

Whereas, There is an ongoing need for qualified faculty to train community college students to fill occupational job vacancies throughout the state; and

Whereas, Some districts have reported a disproportionately low number of full-time occupational faculty hired as compared to the number of transfer/general education faculty hired in recent years;

Survey of Occupational Education Students

Whereas, There is a lack of student input concerning their perceptions of occupational programs;

Whereas, Student input can be a valuable tool for course and/or program level development and improvement;

Whereas, Understanding student perspectives regarding occupational programs can help increase student success, retention and completion; and

Whereas, The workforce of tomorrow needs to learn more about occupational educational programs;

Paper on Occupational Education

Whereas, The Academic Senate adopted papers addressing occupational education funding and legislation are outdated;

Whereas, There is a national and state focus on occupational education issues and needs; and

Whereas, Academic Senate adopted papers are useful tools to educate faculty, administrators, community and state and federal leaders;

Associate Degree Requirements and Vocational Faculty

Whereas, A significant number of associate degrees awarded in the California Community College System are in vocational disciplines;

Whereas, Vocational faculty recognize that completion of a general education program of study leads to the development of critical thinking skills and SCANS (Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills) competencies; and

Whereas, Research has demonstrated that students in all segments of California higher education lack sufficient basic skills for college-level work;

Occupational Education Survey

Whereas, Various state initiatives focus on future directions for occupational and vocational programs; and

Whereas, The Academic Senate has not recently surveyed occupational faculty to ascertain their major issues of concern and recommendations for occupational directions in California's community colleges;

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges survey occupational faculty and summarize their issues, concerns and recommendations for the future of vocational programs. MSC Disposition: Local Senates

Occupational Student Access

Whereas, There have been a number of challenges to student access due to institutional practices;

Whereas, College efforts often affect the success of occupational students in ways that challenge their access;

Whereas, Some recent examples of practices appear to exacerbate access issues for students; and

Whereas, Matriculation, placement efforts and course registration practices can create barriers to student access;

Online Resources for Occupational Faculty

Whereas, Faculty need current information when performing program review and planning and representing their colleagues;

Whereas, One goal of the Occupational Education Committee is to empower occupational faculty to be leaders; and

Whereas, Many occupational faculty are unable to attend conferences held by the Academic Senate, such as the Vocational Leadership Institute and annual plenary sessions, where the latest information is disseminated;

California Integrated Workforce Development Plan

Whereas California faces challenges to its collective well being, quality of life and economic future, and

Whereas the California Integrated Workforce Development Plan is being developed by four partnering agencies (California Department of Education, California Health and Welfare Agency, California Trade and Commerce Agency and the California Community College Chancellor's Office) to formulate a comprehensive strategy for the state, and

Whereas California's new economy and intense international economic competition are changing the way businesses operate,

RWPEDA

Whereas AB 1542 (1997 Ducheny), the Regional Workforce Preparation and Economic Development Act (RWPEDA), required a memorandum of understanding between the Secretary of Health and Welfare, Secretary of Trade and Commerce, Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Chancellor of California Community Colleges,

Resolved that the Academic Senate urge the Chancellor to work with the partnering agencies united in the Regional Workforce Preparation and Economic Development Act to continue to develop policy which will result in regional economic goals statewide.

Information Competency and Career Success

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has resolutions that urge California community colleges to adopt an information competency requirement;

Whereas, Accreditation requires that colleges address information competency as an effective practice for students;

Whereas, The members of the Statewide Health Occupations Advisory Committee have evidence that a large number of careers require the skill sets found in information competency requirements to be necessary for our students to be successful in those careers; and

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