EACC Connections

Welcome to EACC Connections, the quarterly email newsletter from the Elkhart Area Career Center! Our goal with this newsletter is to keep you updated about events and opportunities at the EACC with news that is informative and quick to read.

Please be sure to follow our EACC Facebook page for day-to-day activity at the EACC!

Each fall, the Elkhart Area Career Center welcomes local businesses and experts into the EACC to share their workplace wisdom with EACC’s career-focused students through Employability Skills Panels.

In summary, Employability Skills are the skills necessary for an individual to thrive in a workplace setting. The skills necessary for workplace success can vary widely based on the type of industry. For example, a salon owner or stylist may need to focus heavily on time management to ensure they plan their day’s appointments accurately, whereas a firefighter may need to make split-second decisions to navigate a life-impacting crisis. Employability skills fall underneath three primary categories: applied knowledge, effective relationships, and workplace skills.

For each of the EACC’s 28 programs, industry professionals are asked to serve on a panel to discuss employability skills for students within their area of expertise. Each program has a morning session and an afternoon session. The Employability Skills Panels are held near the beginning of each school year to provide important information to students about workplace readiness.

During the panel discussions, panelists are asked a wide range of questions that are important for students as they begin to explore jobs, from what specific skills are needed for their job field to what things could “make or break” a job interview. Panelists are asked to share their company policies on areas like punctuality, dress code, cell phone usage, background checks, and more. During the panel discussions, panelists are also asked to reflect on questions like how they define professionalism in their workplace, how employees in their fields use critical thinking, and how they help employees set and achieve goals. Lastly, panelists are asked what piece of professional advice has stuck with them throughout their careers.

On September 28, over 80 industry professionals volunteered their time to help EACC students learn more about what it means to be a good employee and how to succeed in the workplace through the Employability Skills Panels.

See all the photos here: Employability Skills Panels 2023

“I liked that students are being exposed to the reality of the workforce and what is expected of them when they enter it. I feel like I have interviewed people in the past who did not have that kind of training and it turned out badly for them.” -Healthcare Industry Executive Director

“This was the best panel that we have attended. GREAT JOB!” -Automotive Service Manager

“I liked being able to empower students by sharing information about our industry, and it was nice to get to know some of the other salon owners/managers from the area.” -Salon Owner

“Students were engaged and asked great questions to help them prepare for their future. We had an opportunity to talk about our company specifics as well which was great.” -Automotive Industry Recruiter

Thank you to all of our outstanding panelists!

Did you miss the Employability Skills Panel? We have plenty of opportunities for you to be involved! The EACC is always seeking guest speakers (class times are 8:15-11:00AM and 12:00-2:45PM), internship sites, advisory committee members, field trip hosts, and program sponsors. Additionally, please mark your calendars for our Open House on January 28, Mock Interviews on March 21, and Career Fair on May 7. Contact Brenda Metcalfe at bmetcalfe@elkhart.k12.in.us for additional information or to schedule a visit!

As the EACC was exploring a barbering option, the Eden Barber Academy opened near downtown Elkhart, filling a void both in the community for a place where adults can learn the skilled trade, as well as filling a need of the Elkhart Area Career Center. In July 2023, the Elkhart Area Career Center and the Eden Barber Academy formalized a partnership to serve EACC students in a Barbering program.

The partnership between EACC and Eden is different from other partnerships in the delivery of programming. EACC students who enroll in the program are enrolled as Eden Barber Academy students, providing students with an authentic workplace learning experience, as they work alongside adults to learn the trade. Eden Barbering Academy opened in May 2023, under the direction of Lather and Fade owner Jose Oropeza, and director/instructor Rachelle Lewis.

“Having a program like ours impacts students' lives greatly,” says Oropeza. “Getting their barber’s license when they graduate from high school allows them to immediately get into the industry, be fully employed, earn good wages, and set themselves on a good financial path.”

To ensure students are learning the Indiana state’s high school CTE (Next Level Pathways of Study) curriculum for Barbering, students at Eden spend just as much time in the classroom as on the barber shop floor. Programming at Eden is four hours per day - about an hour longer than traditional EACC courses - to ensure students attain the required 1500 total hours of classroom and hands-on instruction over two years. Students can also gain additional hours by completing on-site coursework on Saturdays.

“We are mandated by the state board with a teaching structure we must follow, but there is some room for customization,” says Oropeza. “We lecture in the morning, and when we’re finished with a chapter, students practice what they’ve learned on the floor with mannequins, under our supervision. The key to learning is repetition. Once students complete a certain amount of hours on mannequins, they practice on real clients. Along the way, the newer students are able to watch our more advanced students practice on clients and ask questions about how and why they’re doing what they’re doing.”

The cost to attend Eden Barbering Academy from start to finish is just over $13,000. Much of the expense for the academy is covered by the Elkhart Area Career Center and through Eden scholarships based on academic achievement and attendance, but students are responsible for purchasing a $1,500 tool kit through the academy. Upon completion of the program, the tool kit is theirs to keep as they begin their barbering experience.

Barbering students will have the opportunity to take the Indiana State Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners (1500 Cosmetology) upon completion of the program.

We have students in need of support for purchasing their tool kits! Interested in sponsoring a student, in partial or in full? Contact Kristen Watt at kwatt@elkhart.k12.in.us

New to the EACC this year is a truly immersive experience for our Education Professions students. Students in this program are no longer housed within the EACC, but are now in a true lab school, located at Woodland Elementary School.

At Woodland, EACC students are working directly with elementary classroom teachers, both observing the teaching profession and participating in hands-on classroom learning activities with students. The classroom teachers serve as mentors and supervisors to the students, helping them understand what it means to be a teacher and the type of work required. While the bulk of their time is spent in the elementary classrooms, EACC students still receive traditional classroom instruction from their EACC instructor.

“In the Education Professions' courses, students learn about teaching through the Education Professions' curriculum and then have the amazing opportunity to authentically experience and experience and apply what they are learning while interning,” according to Andrea Holtz, program instructor.

“Education Professions' students learn in their courses how to create and implement lessons based on the Indiana Academic Standards using effective teaching strategies,” says Holtz. “They create classroom schedules, classroom management plans and so much more. When students enter the Woodland classrooms, teacher-supervisors reinforce what the students are learning in their courses. The internship experience makes an important link between teaching theory and practice for Education Professions students.”

An unexpected outcome of this experience has been the involvement of EACC students into every aspect of Woodland Elementary. Students in the Education Professions program are involved in school-wide events like assemblies and assist with parent pick-up at the end of the day.

"Even on the days when students are not interning, but are in our Education Professions' classroom working on their classwork and projects, they work hard to finish early so they have enough time at the end of class to go down and assist in their internship classrooms," says Holtz. "We also have Education Professions' students who voluntarily attend their internships when their homeschool is on vacation because of how much they enjoy working with their supervising teacher and students."

Education Professions students will have the opportunity to take the ParaPro assessment to be certified as a paraprofessional. Students in this program can earn up to 17 college credits through dual enrollment in Ivy Tech Community College at no cost.

A phrase you may hear or see in interactions with the EACC is "Next Level Programs of Study" or NLPS. What exactly is the NLPS?

In 2022-2023, Indiana fully launched new secondary career and technical education courses for high schools. This initiative, called Next Level Programs of Study (NLPS), aims to improve the consistency, quality, and intentionality of CTE instruction across Indiana. This means that a career center in one part of the state will be teaching the same fundamentals as a career center across the state.

Each program of study contains a 4-course sequence that progresses from general to specific: Principles Course, Concentrator A, Concentrator B, and Capstone. The principles course sets the foundation for a career pathway and includes content that is applicable to multiple, closely related programs of study. Through the concentrator courses, students acquire the core occupational skills needed for a particular occupation. After completion of the principles and concentrator coursework, students can participate in work-based learning as their capstone. Principle and concentrator courses are embedded into Grade 11 curriculum and instruction, while students in Grade 12 can continue to grow through additional classroom instruction and work-based learning.

Example / Construction Trades:

1. Principles of Construction Trades
   
2. Concentrator A: Construction Trades: General Carpentry
3. Concentrator B: Construction Trades: Framing and Finishing
4. Construction Trades Capstone: Students build a house using what they've learned in their principles and concentrator courses.

Curious what the curriculum looks like for your industry? Here's a link to the 900-page NLPS Review Document that outlines each program's curriculum: NLPS Review Document

In addition to NLPS standards, program curriculum is also guided by each program’s Advisory Board - a group of local industry experts who help ensure that programming is applicable to ever-changing local industry needs.

Each year, over 1,000 community members attend the EACC Open House to learn more about the EACC programs and opportunities. If you’re curious about what we do and haven’t had the chance to visit lately, please plan on attending on January 28!

Mock Interviews are a very important part of what we do at the EACC to help students prepare for their careers. A mock interview is a practice interview that allows the interviewee to create effective responses, work on nonverbal communication skills, and become familiar with interview settings. EACC students will come prepared with resumes, dressed for interviews, and ready to engage with local employers. Please mark your calendars for March 21 and keep an eye on your email for additional information closer to the event.

Our end-of-the-year Career Fair is a great way to meet students who are about to graduate from high school and enter the job field, or to potentially find summer employees! Mark your calendar and plan on attending! Please note this date has changed from what was previously published due to a change in the ECS schedule! The EACC Career Fair will be on Tuesday, May 7, 2024.

A heartfelt thank you to Bane-Welker, Beacon Health System, Builders Association of Elkhart County, Gurley Leep, Marson International, and NIBCO. Your support helps ensure continued success and growth of EACC programs and students. We appreciate your support!

Interested in sponsoring the EACC? Contact Brandon Eakins at beakins@elkhart.k12.in.us