High School to College to Industry: Educating Throughout Professional Life Span

1. High School, to College, to Industry: Educating Throughout the Professional Life Span Dr. Michelle Evans Assistant Dean for Health Professions and Public Service Waubonsee Community College

2. Objectives • Participant will identify the public mandate regarding high schools, community colleges and professional education; • Participant will describe the goal of Waubonsee Community College’s Emergency Medical Technician program from dual credit through professional development; • Participant will recognize three key institutional behaviors used in order to build and strengthen partnerships across educational institutions.

3. THE PUBLIC MANDATE Participant will identify the public mandate regarding high schools, community colleges and professional education.

4. Public Mandate for the Secondary Setting • MICRO • MEZZO • MACRO

5. Public Mandate for the Post-Secondary Setting • MICRO • MEZZO • MACRO

6. Public Mandate for Professional Development • MICRO • MEZZO • MACRO

7. CTE Advance Advance CTE: State Leaders Connecting Learning to Work is the longest-standing national non-profit that represents State Directors and state leaders responsible for secondary, postsecondary and adult Career Technical Education (CTE) across all 50 states and U.S. territories.  Advance CTE's vision is to support an innovative CTE system that prepares individuals to succeed in education and their careers and poises the United States to flourish in a global, dynamic economy through leadership, advocacy and partnerships.  Our mission is to support visionary state leadership, cultivate best practices and speak with a collective voice on national policy to promote academic and technical excellence that ensures a career-ready workforce. 

8. 2016 CTE Advance Excellence in Action Award • The National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium awards programs based on: • Implementing Career Cluster – based programs of study; • Maintaining effective employer and business partnerships; • Demonstrating alignment to rigorous and relevant college and career-ready expectations; • Demonstrating a clear progression of knowledge and skills and student transitions across secondary and postsecondary systems; • Integrating successful career guidance and advisement; • Highlighting alignment to workforce and employer needs in the community; and • Providing concrete data on the program of study’s impact on student achievement and success at both the secondary and postsecondary levels.

9. THE PROGRAM Participant will describe the goal of Waubonsee Community College’s Emergency Medical Technician program from dual credit through professional development.

10. Waubonsee Community College • Waubonsee serves 22 municipalities, 12 public high school districts and eight private high schools. • The 600-square-mile district includes southern Kane County and portions of Kendall, DeKalb, LaSalle and Will counties • These five counties accounted for 71.2 percent of the state’s population growth from 2000 to 2009. • Waubonsee Community College has been designated a Hispanic Serving Institution by the Department of Education as over 26.9% of the district is Hispanic.

11. Becoming a Paramedic • To become a paramedic: • Take Emergency Medical Technician – Basic (7 credit hour course). • Take the national or state certification test, and pass. • Apply to enter a paramedic program. You must have certification, and preferably are employed by an emergency management agency.* You must pass an entrance exam. • After acceptance, take the paramedic program coursework, which is a cohort, full time program. • Pass the state or national exam. • Either before or after paramedic program, complete five general education courses in order to complete the emergency medical technician Associate of Applied Science Degree. • Maintain certification with ongoing Continuing Education.

12. Secondary Setting • The program of study offers the foundational paramedic course, Emergency Medical Technician – Basic • at the college campus, • Indian Valley Vocational Center in Sandwich, Illinois, • Fox Valley Career Center in Kaneville, Illinois.

13. Secondary Students: EMT-Basic

14. Post Secondary Students: EMT-Basic

15. Post Secondary Students: EMT-Paramedic

16. THE PARTNERSHIP Participant will recognize three key institutional behaviors used in order to build and strengthen partnerships across educational institutions.

17. VALEES • Valley Education for Employment System is a regional delivery system established by ISBE, which serves a five-county area. • VALEES contributes to the networking and collaboration between multiple areas • Holds meetings between secondary/post secondary in areas of health care and other industry • Acts as a liaison between dual credit and college credit • Promotes curriculum alignment and promotes engagement of instructors to universally meet industry standards.

18. Advisory Committees • Paramedic and Fire Science/EMT-B have active Advisory Committees that meet annually or as needed. • Advisory Committee members include instructors from all levels of education, plus stakeholders in all areas of employment.

19. Ongoing Relationships and Collaborations • Specific behaviors to maintain relationships: • Take an interest in the needs of the industry, not the institution • High School Partnerships Manager and VALEES • Attend special events offered by stakeholders • Invite stakeholders to college events outside of the specific discipline • Invite stakeholders to present to classrooms, and promote events where students can network with stakeholders

20. Ongoing Relationships and Collaborations • Provide minutes of advisory meetings to all members, and provide updates when action is taken • Hold one on one meetings to discuss specific aspects of programming • Develop personal relationships with stakeholders; send them regular updates as to program success and accomplishments.

21. A few comments from our friends… • “The Emergency Medical Technician – Basic program is a specific example of a strong secondary to post-secondary regional pathway.” Roger Sanders, Director VALEES • “I have been involved with this program for the past eight years, and have most appreciated the program’s willingness to take young EMT students and produce amazing paramedics….It has been a pleasure to have my former EMT students come back while in class at Waubonsee Community College’s Paramedic Program to tell me what they are learning and all the excitement they have for the program.” Janelle McCornack, Lead EMT Instructor, Fox Valley Career Center • “Overall, I feel that this program strives to connect with employers and the workforce in order to provide an education that meets the needs of the community.” Scott Vance, EMS Coordinator Presence Mercy Medical Center • “By the college partnering with the medic program they have raised the standards and allowed the medic class to grow. Through Waubonsee, there are scholarships available to students. The learning center and vast resources have been made available to students.“ Jack Taxis, EMS Coordinator Rush Copley Medical Center

22. Questions? Dr. Michelle Evans Assistant Dean for Health Professions and Public Service 630-585-7900 ext. 3903 MEvans@Waubonsee.edu