Career Technical Education paves path to holistic workforce preparation

“Through our career tech articulation agreements, Malone can lead the way in workforce development,” said Jason Moyer, Ph.D., executive director of strategic partnerships and innovation. “The academic credits students earn through career tech programs create efficient pathways into college so that they can complete their education earlier, or add other meaningful learning experiences to their schedules once enrolled.”

Historically, career technical training mainly focused on learning a skilled trade so that workers could transition directly into apprenticeships and employment. Today, changing demands have prompted schools to rapidly expand course offerings and students no longer have to choose between technical or university education. Offerings now extend beyond the trades and include teacher education, exercise science and sport medicine, zoology, and other choices in STEM and the social sciences.

“Career tech is growing in Ohio because these opportunities give high school students a jump start on career prep,” said Jennifer Webb, Ph.D., assistant professor of education at Malone. “The articulation agreements help students know which college credits they will receive before they graduate from high school, and not only does it help them save money, but it also provides foundational and focused training before college—like choosing their own electives.”

Each program differs slightly, but the structure is largely uniform. Instructors for the career tech programs must have at least a master’s degree and are responsible to plan the curriculum. The university then evaluates how the courses will transfer into the institution. This helps the student eliminate entry level college classes for the career pathway they choose.

“Exercise science students need to take common courses before they can bridge into their specific areas of interest, so career tech pathways allow early exposure to foundational skills and career exploration across all their options,” said Keith Burns ‘09, Ph.D., associate professor of exercise science. “Once they reach Malone, they’re a step ahead and ready to explore specific, pre-professional tracks. In fact, they can do this earlier than a typical college student, which is advantageous for grad school applications and career clarity.”

“Canton City Schools’ exercise science career tech program really showed me what college was going to look like ahead of time,” said Alex Harbaugh ’22, admissions counselor at Malone. “Through that experience, I learned time management and teamwork; my teacher always picked our groups, which was a valuable lesson because in the real world, you can’t pick your coworkers. Our research projects also showed me that I wanted to study sport management instead of exercise science,. I learned more about myself and I’m so grateful for that. As a first generation college student, I was still nervous about coming to Malone, even with career tech under my belt. However, I think the small class sizes in particular prepared me for the workforce because my classmates and I all worked together towards a common goal!”

For students to receive credit for career tech coursework, they must meet the requirements of the Career-Technical Assurance Guide (CTAG) for their discipline. Usually more than 100 pages of documentation from instructor and student, the requirements can include portfolios, exams, assessments, and curriculum. This process in itself is a learning experience that translates into meaningful career development for young professionals.

“In addition to the extensive portfolio work that the students in our Teaching Academy accomplish to meet CTAG requirements, an added benefit for them is an opportunity to gain access to certifications and trainings that aren’t typical of a high school education,” said Julie Wells, career tech instructor for Perry Local Schools and adjunct professor at Malone. “All of these experiences have resume value and stand out on college applications because they indicate how well prepared our students are for college work, and they also gain work-based learning hours in a classroom setting as high school juniors and seniors.”

“Being in the Perry High School Teacher Academy taught me the discipline and work ethic that I would need to be successful in college,” said Zack White ’23, a primary childhood education major. “Malone has then taken this learning a step further and taught me what it truly takes to be a teacher. I have learned how to be a leader in education, and this experience has inspired me to be the best teacher I can be.”

“Zach is a fabulous example of a student who has succeeded in Career Tech and as a teacher candidate at Malone because of the cumulative experience he has gained over six years in the community before even graduating from college,” said Wells. “His love for the educational community has only grown because of these opportunities and he’s become an awesome human being who knows the profession way beyond what’s typical for a young teacher.”
Local educators and Malone University share the same goal: to help the next generation of the workforce be as career ready as possible.

“We want our career tech programs to prepare students for further training in the form of apprenticeships, employment, or a four year baccalaureate degree depending on which path a student chooses,” said Rob White ’97, associate principal at North Canton City Schools. “It’s encouraging when we hear later from our graduates that they felt they had a ‘leg up,’ so to speak, and were well prepared for the next step in their career training.”

And for current Malone students who have career tech experience, their college coursework was made more complete through an education that cares for the whole person.

“All of my experiences in Mentor High School’s Early Childhood Education program for Career Technical Education were in a preschool setting, so when I came to Malone, I already had a sense for what a kindergarten classroom would be like,” said Emily Rayl ‘24, a primary childhood education major. “It also prepared me to be creative and think outside of the box when creating lessons and projects for my students, and I could share those ideas with my Malone classmates. Now that I’m here, Malone is providing me with additional and diverse experiences outside of the classroom in a variety of school settings and age groups. My professors have been so supportive and I’m still learning from their guidance and experience.”

Malone recognizes that the needs of the workforce have changed drastically in a short period of time, and stands ready to equip the next generation of Stark County leaders both holistically and practically.
“Through career technical education, as we do in all of our programs at Malone, we add leadership components and broad ways of thinking to students’ learning so that we can be attentive to the whole person,” Moyer said. “For example, we not only want to teach people the technology of a particular field but also how to lead as new technology is adopted. In these ways, we’re eager to go above and beyond technical training and believe our region will be better for it.”