The Career Center Mission

The Windham Regional Career Center mission is to provide all learners with skills and competencies leading to post-secondary success. The Career Center supports a system of communication promoting an organizational climate that maximizes learning opportunities. The Career Center utilizes advanced technology to deliver valid curriculum aligned with recognized educational and industry standards and competencies to all learners in Windham County and the surrounding region.

Learning Environments

Safe and Healthy Schools

• Career Center staff are committed to demonstrating the following in support of our learning community in the midst of significant challenge and change:
  
  • Care and supportive action.
  • Humor and laughter.
  • Accessible to students.
  • Positive attitude towards others on
    our campus and with each other.
• The Career Center will initiate, participate, and engage in collaborative planning with all sending schools to enhance student success.

Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

• The Career Center aligns curriculum with the Vermont and Windham Southeast Supervisory Union Frameworks.
• The Career Center supports the concept of “Time & Learning” as described in Career and Technical Education regulations and will engage work-based and project-based learning to provide for occupational competency.
• Students will be provided a variety of learning opportunities to achieve or exceed state and local standards and competencies.
  
  • Cooperative education, adult education programs, project-based learning.
  • Utilize appropriate assessment tools to measure written, verbal progress.
  • Develop portfolios for assessing student work as appropriate.
• Career Center instructors will continue to identify and develop assessments designed to measure “embedded academic” gains.       

• The Career Center will review all relevant state and district student performance measures, compare regional performance measures, analyze gaps between state levels and regional performance, and establish performance goals and strategies.

• The Career Center will coordinate with sending elementary, middle, and high schools through the Regional Career Development Council (RCDC) to ensure students receive comprehensive career development and are able to make informed decisions regarding career and technical education programs.

• Introductory, “Pre-Tech” programs will be approved by the Vermont Board of Education for delivery at the Career Center and sending high schools as appropriate.

• Each existing and newly approved Career Center program will be linked to post-secondary education, apprenticeship, and training programs to effect seamless connections for area youth and adults.

• Career Center programs will align with career clusters and collaborative planning will take place around core curriculum, budgeting, project-based learning and academic competencies.

• Industry standards will be identified and learners will be supported in the achievement of recognized credentials in all Career Center program offerings.

Public Engagement and Communication

• The Career Center will demonstrate effective internal and external communication to all stakeholders in support of post-secondary success as demonstrated by:
  
  • Active and regular involvement with program advisory committee members.
  • Publication of two Career Center student sponsored newsletters.
  • Conduct bi-monthly staff meetings.
  • Identify PR responsibilities among staff.
  • Communicate with sending schools.
  • More frequent communications with parents.
• A high level of communication between the Career Center guidance coordinator and all of the guidance personnel in the sending schools will continue.
• The Career Center will partner with the Workforce Investment Board, the Adult Education Council, Regional Advisory Board, postsecondary institutions and others to respond to regional workforce development needs.
• National, state, and regional workforce development needs will be used in planning new programs and updating existing programs.

• Program advisory committees will annually review programs and recommend budgets in support of program improvement.

Leadership

• Career Center staff’s professional development needs will be assessed, prioritized, and goals will be integrated via a Performance Management process and document.

• Professional development activities related to district goals, the goals and mission of the Career Center and the individual development plans of staff will be supported.

• The Regional Advisory Board is responsible for overseeing Career Center operations and the development of new and existing programs.

• The Career Center will expand current capacity to provide adult technical education and training.

• Communication tools will be provided to support and promote the Career Center.

Technology

• The Career Center will develop and maintain a technical infrastructure that allows students to gain competency necessary for postsecondary success.

• Career Center staff will receive the training necessary to provide instruction that meets or exceeds industry standards in all areas of technology.

• The Career Center will identify and incorporate new technologies in operations and instruction as is appropriate to its mission and philosophy.

• Regional access to technical education will be increased.

• Best practices in Instructional Technologies will be modeled.