Below is a framework for creating two (2) new and distinct GPS Certifications:
- GPS Employability Certificate
- GPS Leadership Certificate
Processes for granting certifications:
- Students MUST apply for a certificate.
- Students MUST provide evidence to support their request.
- GPS MUST validate the evidence is accurate and complete.
- GPS MUST validate the evidence meets state and national standards.
We will examine the justifications for each certifications, the distinctions, requirements, and competencies students must satisfy in order to earn them.
GPS EMPLOYABILITY CERTIFICATE
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What is Employability?
There are many definitions and views of what it is to be ’employable’ and how to develop this attribute. The Learning and Employability Series (Yorke & Knight) offers a wide range of perspectives on the employability of graduates, based on the premise that, in higher education, ’employability’ is about good learning. Having said that, the aforementioned guide has adopted the following working definition of employability:
…a set of achievements – skills, understandings and personal attributes – that make graduates more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen occupations, which benefits themselves, the workforce, the community, and the economy.
For more information on employability, download Embedding Employability into the Curriculum by Mantz Yorke & Peter T Knight here: http://www.qualityresearchinternational.com/esecttools/esectpubs/yorkeknightembedding.pdf
What is College & Career Ready?
From an academic perspective, college and career readiness means that a high school graduate has the knowledge and skills in English and mathematics necessary to qualify for and succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing postsecondary coursework without the need for remediation — or put another way, a high school graduate has the English and math knowledge and skills needed to qualify for and succeed in the postsecondary job training and/or education necessary for their chosen career (i.e. community college, university, technical/vocational program, apprenticeship, or significant on-the-job training). – Achieve.org
What is a GPS Employability Certificate?
A GPS Employability Certificate is an acknowledgement that a student demonstrates that they are both 1) employable and 2) college and career ready.
Any student that is on course to graduate from our program, having completed all the necessary elements of their customized/personalized learning pathway AND has fulfilled all the GPS Employability Certificate Requirements (below), may apply.
What is the Purpose of a GPS Employability Certificate?
The GPS Employability Certificate program reinforces GPS Education Partners’ commitment to developing young men and women with Employability skills who are also College & Career Ready in an effort to enable them to flourish in a competitive, fast-moving economy.
The GPS Employability Certificate recognizes students who have graduated from the GPS program and have now completed a set of achievements (i.e. they possess skills, understandings, and personal attributes) that make them more likely to gain employment as well as be successful in their chosen occupations, which benefits themselves, the workforce, the community, and the economy. These students are also college and career ready and have the knowledge and skills in English and mathematics necessary to qualify for and succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing postsecondary coursework without the need for remediation.
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Application
A student applying for either an Employability, Career Pathway, and/or Leadership Certificate will need to complete an online application. [sample application]
The student will also need to submit the following:
- Cover letter
- Resume
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Personal References
A student applying for either an Employability, Career Pathway, and/or Leadership Certificate will need to provide three (3) personal references who will also submit a survey on behalf of the student. [sample survey]
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Portfolio
A student applying for either an Employability, Career Pathway, and/or Leadership Certificate will need to complete an Employment Portfolio [sample rubric]
- Need to connect with Amanda to see if student’s already create a comprehensive portfolio in the LMS or elsewhere?
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Scorecards
A student applying for either an Employability, Career Pathway, and/or Leadership Certificate will need scorecards that trend upwards and/or maintain an average score for the last grading period (e.g. Average score of 2.5+, 3+, and 3.5+ respectively for the last quarter).
- Need to socialize the idea of scorecard data to determine best approach.
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Assessments
A student applying for either an Employability, Career Pathway, and/or Leadership Certificate will need to complete one of the following assessments.
Here are four (4) different types of tools to help students assess their own employability skills.
- Self-assessments (using nudge theory)
- Download a sample of an Employability Skills Inventory Assessment Worksheet
- Download a sample of an Employability Skills Inventory Assessment Checklist
- Joel’s Employability Transferable Skills Inventory/Checklist
- Trish’s GPS Student Review Format
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Stackable Credentials
A student applying for either an Employability, Career Pathway, and/or Leadership Certificate will need to earn the following pre-requisite credentials:
Diploma – Upon completion, students will receive a high school diploma from their home high school along with a certificate of occupational proficiency in manufacturing from Wisconsin’s Department of Workforce Development. In addition, the students will have the opportunity to become certified production technicians through the Manufacturing Skills Standards Council. The students will also have on-the-job training and work experience highlighted in a professional portfolio.
ACT NCRC Rating – The National Career Readiness Certificate examination assesses an individual’s skill level in three areas deemed critical for employability: Reading for Information, Applied Mathematics, and Locating Information. ACT, the organization that developed the college testing standard, researched over 16,000 occupations before developing these three WorkKeys® assessments for the NCRC.
- Only the diploma and the ACT NCRC need to be required here. The DWD YA Certificate is only applicable in Wisconsin and the MSSC CPT is a GPS Career Pathway Certificate requirement.
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Reflections
A student applying for either an Employability, Career Pathway, and/or Leadership Certificate will need to complete an Employability Reflection project (to be determined).
- Need to connect with Amanda to see if student’s already complete any employability reflection projects in the LMS or elsewhere?
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Other Considerations
Insert other considerations here.
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GPS LEADERSHIP CERTIFICATE
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What is Leadership?
Depending on which author you read, there are many different definitions of the term ‘leadership’. This is due to the author’s predisposition to leadership as well as their intended expression (i.e. style) and outcome (i.e. vision). For example, here are the five (5) most widely used expressions and outcomes of leadership:
- Leadership as Influence
- Leadership as Change
- Leadership as Service
- Leadership as Character
- Leadership as Development
Dr. Tim Elmore, world-renowned leadership expert, president of GrowingLeaders.com, and author of our character and leadership curriculum – The Habitudes® System, defines leadership as “the ability to influence” by “solving problems and serving people.”
What is a GPS Leadership Certificate?
A GPS Leadership Certificate is an acknowledgement that a student has the ability to influence others and desires to continue learning how to solve problems and serve people. This process involves completing an additional amount of customized/personalized “work” beyond the scope of our general graduation requirements.
Any student that is on course to graduate from our program, having completed all the necessary elements of their customized/personalized learning pathway AND has fulfilled the GPS Leadership Certificate Requirements (below), may apply.
What is the Purpose of a GPS Leadership Certificate?
The GPS Leadership Certificate program reinforces GPS Education Partners’ commitment to developing young men and women who actively pursue opportunities to improve their leadership skills beyond graduation.
The GPS Leadership Certificate recognizes students who have been endorsed by other reputable leaders who believe the student has adequately demonstrated the desire to continually develop their leadership skills by influencing others, solving problems and serving people.
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Character Witnesses
A student applying for either an Employability, Career Pathway, and/or Leadership Certificate will need to provide four (4) character witnesses from the following places:
- One (1) reference from home (e.g. parent)
- One (1) reference from school (e.g. staff)
- One (1) reference from work (e.g. mentor/coach)
- One (1) reference from the community (e.g. community service learning contact)
Character witnesses will complete online surveys on behalf of the student. [sample survey]
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Project
A student applying for a Leadership Certificate will need to complete a leadership project (to be determined).
Ideas for a project may include:
- Community service learning hours and complete a project
- Read a leadership book and complete a project
- Need to connect with Amanda to see if student’s already complete any leadership projects in the LMS or elsewhere?
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The Habitudes® System
Completion of core Habitudes® lessons OR completion of a Habitudes® 3-Credit Course.
- Growing Leaders Habitudes® Course Syllabus Memorandum of Understanding (Download).
- Needs to be socialized.
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Stackable Credentials
A student applying for either a Career Pathway and/or Leadership Certificate will need to earn the following pre-requisite credentials:
MSSC CPT – The CPT Certification addresses the core technical competencies of higher skilled production workers in all sectors of manufacturing. MSSC awards certificates to individuals who pass any of its Production Modules: Safety; Quality Practices & Measurement; Manufacturing Processes & Production; Maintenance Awareness; and Green Production and a full Certified Production Technician (CPT) Certification to those who pass all four original modules (NOTE: At this time, Green is not a requirement for full CPT certification). Following accreditation by the American National Standards Institute in December 2011, under ISO Standard 17024, the MSSC initiated a new CPT with an “AE” designation which stands for “ANSI Edition.”
- Additional credentials earned through other post-secondary education, certifications, etc. will also be worthy of consideration towards earning a GPS Employability Certificate and/or a GPS Leadership/Citizenship Certificate.
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Reflections
A student applying for a Leadership Certificate will need to complete an Leadership Reflection project (to be determined).
- Need to connect with Amanda to see if student’s already complete any leadership reflection projects in the LMS or elsewhere?
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Other Considerations
Insert other considerations here.
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Side-by-Side Comparison of Certificate Requirements Checklist
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Super Skills & Competencies (Mapped to Model Standards & CCR)
- Yellow – Employability Progression
- Green – College & Career Ready Progression
- Blue – Leadership Progression
Super Statements, Pathways, and Certificate Requirements
- Yellow – Employability Progression
- Green – College & Career Ready Progression
- Blue – Leadership Progression
- Yellow – Employability Progression
- Green – College & Career Ready Progression
- Blue – Leadership Progression
Self-Assessments, Nudging & Pacing, Accountability
Definitions
Resources
- Map of Overlapping Competencies (In progress…)
- Josephson Institute’s Model Standards
- Guide for Writing Functional Competencies
- CBEN Quality Standards for Competency-Based Educational Programs
Visual of Education: Training Alignment
