The career exploration tool guides students through a series of questions to determine what career fields align with their unique, innate abilities and interests, categorizes a series of examples of specific careers and broader fields of interest and explains what academic curriculum and skill sets are necessary to be successful in those fields. While we understand this can, and will likely, change, this early exploration provides a refined lens through which students can use to select classes which will give them insight into various fields of interest, at a younger age, helping to determine if it may be a long-term interest or something they realize is not a fit.
At Madison Consolidated High School our Engineering pathway works very similarly and closely with our Advanced Manufacturing pathway. Manufacturing has evolved into a highly technical field and Engineering is an essential element of product and equipment design, research, and development of product improvement, new market growth, as well as, any number of other components of individualized, niche market production.
Our key partnerships within the Advanced Manufacturing pathway cross over into our Engineering pathway, giving Madison Consolidated Schools a strategic advantage when it comes to providing our students with a vast array of opportunity. We are fortunate to have a coalition of community leaders who represent a diverse group of manufacturing companies who serve as partners in education and mentors to our teachers, staff, and students. Our partners have, and continue, to invest a great deal of time, financial, equipment, and/or human resources to help Madison Consolidated High School expand and develop our pathway curriculum and work-based learning experience for our students.
While our primary focus is educating and preparing students for college and career opportunities, this unique partnership also helps us to better understand the growing needs of our community employers, what they look for in terms of workforce development, and allows us to help meet those needs by developing career-ready students in the fields of Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing.
- Invest in Education that is Aligned with Industry Sectors by Region: Nathan Hadley, College & Career Readiness Coordinator, works with regional partners to understand what we need to know about area industries which are important to and fuel our regional economy, what they anticipate to be their strategic needs down the road, and how we can help create curriculum to prepare students for college and/or career.
- Increase Work and Learn Opportunities for Students: Partnerships are developing with numerous community business and industry leaders to create opportunities which allow us to focus on internships, work-based learning environments, and apprenticeships for students in areas of potential interest.
- Build Sector Partnerships: A sector partnership is defined by industry, businesses, a workforce system, and community organizations working together. MCS is continuing to build partnerships with local, global industries, business leaders, the non-profit sector, and community organizations such as economic development entities to understand the local/regional climate and opportunities for educational impact within our walls and into our community.