I think I’d summarize the meeting with these thoughts:
The major uphill battle I sought to start today was the disconnect between my graduates and employment in the field without a college degree.
Certainly, not all my students would be ready to enter the workforce, but I strongly believe that I often have a handful that could out perform many college graduates if they were given the chance.
We talked a lot about the program and different tracks that could be offered to students seeking to develop themselves beyond the base curriculum.
Some other takeaways (please let me know if I missed anything or got something incorrect):
- I am going to pursue the equipment I discussed unless anyone strongly objects.
- I will look into incorporating pair/mob coding, as well as projects that can leverage agile development within a small team.
- I will be looking into Exam AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals, Leveraging Azure Devops (possibly in place of Trello)
- I will communicate to the students just how important self learning is.
- I’ll be following up with Dan about speaking to the class about DBs and his wife to talk to the class about scrum/agile.
| Attendance and Call to Order An occupational advisory committee shall be established for each vocational-technical education program or cluster of related programs offered by a school district or AVTS. The committee shall be appointed by the board of directors, and a majority of the members of the committee shall be employees and employers in the occupation for which training is provided. The committee shall meet at least twice each year to advise the board, administration and staff on curriculum, equipment, instructional materials, safety requirement, program evaluation and other related matters and to verify that the programs meet industry standards and, if appropriate, licensing board criteria and that they prepare students with occupation related competencies. (Ch. 4.33 (c)—Advisory Committees) | ||
| Chairperson: Luke Wilmoth | ||
| Name | Organization | Present (initial) |
| Eric Robert Bach | Erie Insurance Group | |
| Nathan Ciavarella | Mercer County Career Center | |
| Gabriella Clemente | Howard Industries | |
| Kevin DiGilio | KMD Technology Solutions | |
| Nathan DiGilio | KMD Technology Solutions | |
| Michele Hunter | Crawford County Technical Center | x |
| Greg Kilgas | Industrial Machine Repair & Programming | |
| Weston Kilgas | Erie County Technical School | |
| Jack Meyer | Larson Texts | x |
| Jason Patalon | Erie Insurance Group | x |
| Venkata Ralapalli | Erie Insurance Group | |
| Kerry Reinsel | Parker Hannifin Corporation | |
| Manish Sharma | Erie Insurance Group | |
| Tanmay Sharma | Erie County Technical School | |
| Paul Sherer | WolfyMaster Media | |
| Donna R Smolko | MacDonald, Illig, Jones & Britton LLP | |
| Daniel Steeneck | Akuret Solutions | |
| Mei-Huei Tang | Gannon University | x |
| Daniel Tupitza | M&T Bank | x |
| Luke Wilmoth | Erie High School | x |
| Mary Jo Zimmer | Erie Insurance Group | |
| Minutes: Review and Motion to Approve previous meeting minutes |
| Instructor Pre-meeting Notes: https://ecosystem.ects-cmp.com/2023/03/17/cmp-occupational-advisory-committee-spring-2023-minutes/ Additional class improvement projects: https://trello.com/b/cmzMHr0e/23-24-class-improvements |
| Discussion/Recommendations: |
| Motions: Michele, Luke |
| Instructor Post-meeting action items/comments: |
| Administrative Input: |
| Equipment & Tools Needed and Laboratory Size Motion to endorse the facilities and equipment as meeting industry standards, insofar as practical. NOTE: The equipment and tools needed MUST be clearly reflected/documented in these minutes and OAC motion supporting requests MUST be submitted as evidence as part of Supplemental Equipment grant applications. |
| Instructor Pre-meeting Notes: Still seeking a laptop cart (now with 4 macbooks, 2 chromebooks, and 4 windows machines) – These are for additional exploration, developing with swift in xcode, and back up machines. Snagit Software for 25 machines ($62 per) VEX V5 competition kits – Extension – if grant money available 25 laptops with docking stations (instead of desktops) for new lab? – This would allow for better classroom management options, small group instruction/collaboration. [DRAFT] CMP Budget Requests 24-25 CMP.docx Lab size is not applicable while in our temporary space. |
| Discussion/Recommendations: The group agreed with the idea of seeking many extension activities for the students to help them identify their passions within the industry. Helping the students to take ownership of their development will strengthen their problem solving and teamwork abilities. The group liked the idea of student laptops with docking stations, as well as the idea of acquiring macbooks and chromebooks. The laptops would also help with delivering work sessions that leverage ideas such as pair and mob coding. We also discussed circuit playground express. |
| Motions: Jack, Luke |
| Instructor Post-meeting action items/comments: I will continue pursuing the items covered in the sample budget request: [DRAFT] CMP Budget Requests 24-25 CMP.docx |
| Administrative Input: |
| Program Evaluation Motion to accept the program evaluation as presented. To maintain program approval granted under subsection (a) (1) or (2), it shall be necessary for the school entity to meet the following standards, which will be subject to review by the Department. (i) Skill attainment targets as set forth in the school entity’s local plan, if applicable, or State plan, which may include industry assessment, industry credentials, certification or State assessment. (ii) Student performance targets on achieving academic standards as set forth in the school entity’s local plan, if applicable, or State plan, which includes the PSSA or another Department-approved assessment which measures student performance on academic standards. (iii) Secondary school completion and student graduation targets as set forth in the school entity’s local plan, if applicable, or State Plan, which includes student attainment of a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent or a proficiency credential in conjunction with a secondary school diploma. (iv) Student placement targets as set forth in the school entity’s local plan, if applicable, or State Plan, which includes placement in, retention in and completion of postsecondary education or advanced training (including registered apprenticeships), placement in military service, or placement and retention in employment. (v) Nontraditional participation and completion targets as set forth in the school entity’s local plan, if applicable, or State Plan, which includes nontraditional student. |
| Instructor Pre-meeting Notes: On the NOCTI, last year’s seniors as a group scored higher than the national average and higher than the state average. NOCTI 2023 Post Test Scores.jpg 9/12 scored advanced on the written 7/12 scored advanced on the cognitive (hands on) |
| Discussion/Recommendations: The group was impressed with the scores of the class when shown the comparison to the state and the nation. The major uphill battle I sought to start today began here about the disconnect between my graduates and employment in the field without a college degree. Certainly, not all my students would be ready to enter the workforce, but I strongly believe that I often have a handful that could out perform many college graduates if they were given the chance. We talked a lot about the program and different tracks that could be offered to students seeking to develop themselves beyond the base curriculum. |
| Motions: Luke, Jason |
| Instructor Post-meeting action items/comments: I will continue pushing to identify opportunities to help my students stand out and stand tall when seeking opportunities. |
| Administrative Input: |
| Labor Market Needs Motion to certify this program prepares students for employment and is supported by local employers A standards-based plan is an instructional system that is planned and managed by the teacher, based upon occupational analysis and clearly stated performance objectives that are deemed critical to successful employment as recommended by occupational advisory committees. Occupational tasks recommended by an Occupational Advisory Committee must provide the basis for instruction. (Ch. 339.22 (a)(1)—Program Content) A vocational education program must identify performance objectives in accordance with criteria developed by the school entity in cooperation with the Occupational Advisory Committee. (Ch. 339.22 (a)(1)(i)—Program Content) |
| Instructor Pre-meeting Notes: Began work on a possible updated task list (recommendations): [DRAFT] Possible new CMP Task List.xlsx Officially, this would require a DACUM Note: I have turned my attention to working on developing new opportunities for the students and individualized levels. Regardless of any task list, the problem remains that there is a disconnect from this program to actual employment (most companies seek college sophomores at the least): AP Testing to help the students a few college credits (based on good performance of the test) Cyber Patriot (Air Force Association) – Partnership with Gannon, Brian Thiesson as a mentor to 5 students (2 Juniors, 3 Seniors) – A few other Juniors may shadow to gain familiarity for a team next year. Skills USA Competitions 3 students expected to compete: Corinne N (Web design, with a Graphics partner) Srikar R (Cyber Security) Isaac T (Programming) Vex Robotics Competitions (maybe) Each student has an online portfolio (developed in year 1 to show growth, provide reflections that will help with interview conversations) https://ects-cmp.com/students/HoGoodwill/portfolio/ Each student has their own github account linked from their portfolio with regular commits. https://ects-cmp.com/students/AbRussell/portfolio/ |
| Discussion/Recommendations: The group requested to be sent the task list draft. It was not recommended immediately that we update the current task list, but they wanted to see the list to get ideas. Much of the discussion was around this topic. Specifically, we talked a lot about the disconnect between this program and getting a job in the industry. It is not due to students lacking the abilities, but rather the way the industry is set up. I said I believe I have students who can compete with college graduates of computer programming, but due to age and a missing diploma, they are not given the same opportunities. I spoke a lot about trying to build that connection between the CMP program and local businesses. We discussed the importance of the portfolio, github, and experiences the students will be able to speak confidently about. What was essentially deemed most important is that a student knows how to learn on their own. Dan made it a point to say that what was most important is not a college degree, but rather a person’s ability to learn and problem solve for themselves. We also discussed leveraging azure devops where possible and integrating agile development methodologies. Dan also brought up “Exam AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals”, which is an industry cert that actually seems to carry weight. Finding certs like this has been a problem for us in the past. |
| Motions: Dan, Jack |
| Instructor Post-meeting action items/comments: I will be looking into Exam AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Leveraging Azure Devops (possibly in place of Trello) I will communicate to the students just how important self learning is. |
| Administrative Input: |
| Safety Requirements Motion to endorse the safety practices and conditions (accident prevention, occupational health habits, environmental concerns) as meeting industry standards and the needs of the students and staff. (1) Safety instruction shall be practiced in the laboratory and classroom. (2) Equipment guards and personal safety devices shall be in place and used. (3) Class enrollment shall be safe relative to classroom or laboratory size and number of workstations. (4) Workstations shall be barrier-free, assuring accessibility and safety under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. (5) Provisions shall be made for safe practices to meet individual educational needs of handicapped persons under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and under programs receiving Federal assistance through the Department of Health and Human Services effectuation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (6) Storage of materials and supplies must meet 34 Pa. Code Part I (relating to Department of Labor and Industry). (7) Safety practices must meet State and Federal regulations |
| Instructor Pre-meeting Notes: We review ergonomics and work on remaining safe in the digital world. Paul S. delivered an excellent presentation on cyber security to both levels last year. |
| Discussion/Recommendations: Michele mentioned 20/20/20: every 20 minutes of screen time, you should look away at something at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds |
| Motions: Luke, Mei |
| Instructor Post-meeting action items/comments: |
| Administrative Input: |
| Review of High Priority Occupations list for NW PA Motion to certify this program as a high priority or low priority occupation. Chapter 339.1a(b)– High-priority occupation—An occupation as defined by the Center for Workforce Information and Analysis within the Department of Labor and Industry, or another occupation determined to meet regional workforce needs as documented through collaboration between the school entity or TI and one or more employers and approved by the Department. Chapter 339.4(b)(2)–Evidence that the program prepares students for employment in high priority occupations and is supported by local employers. Evidence includes documentation that the program is aligned with one or more high priority occupations and documentation that membership of the occupational advisory committee includes representation of local or regional employers from related industries. Chapter 339.22(a)–Occupational program requirements. The primary objectives of an occupational program are to prepare students for employment in high priority occupations supported by local employers, and for successful employment and lifelong learning through acquisition of high-level academic, technical and career development skills, efficient work habits and attitudes about the personal, social and economic significance of work. |
| Instructor Pre-meeting Notes: NW PA 2023 HPO List.pdf Top of page 1 — “15-” |
| Discussion/Recommendations: |
| Motions: Michele/Jack |
| Instructor Post-meeting action items/comments: |
| Administrative Input: |
| Review of Pennsylvania In-Demand Occupations List Motion to certify this program as a In-Demand Occupation. |
| Instructor Pre-meeting Notes: 2023 PA IDOL.pdf ”Tomorrow” Computer User Support Specialists on page 3? “Future” Top of p. 5 and page 6 |
| Discussion/Recommendations: This rebooted me on campaigning to close the advantage gap between CMP graduates, and college students with respect to opportunity. |
| Motions: Dan/Jason |
| Instructor Post-meeting action items/comments: |
| Administrative Input: |
| Letter of Support from OAC Members for the 339 Audit |
| Instructor Pre-meeting Notes: “This must be on company letterhead, signed, and dated please” Still need at least one! |
| Discussion/Recommendations: |
| Instructor Post-meeting action items/comments: |
| Administrative Input: |
| Discuss ideas for Field Trips, Guest Speakers, Co-op work opportunities, Internships and Shadowing Opportunities |
| Instructor Pre-meeting Notes: Paul, Eric do you want to come in again (please!) Paul – the “how I got started” presentation to the first year students? Went to Gannon (https://ecosystem.ects-cmp.com/2023/09/29/gannon-field-trip-9-29-2023/ ) Going to go to Erie Insurance – connected Jason Arndt (ERIE) with Director Matt LaVerde (ECTS) to try and build/strengthen a partnership. Connected with Matthew Machuga (Erie Day of Code) to try and set up a highschool version of the event. Last email was 9/28, waiting to hear back. -Pitched an ECTS + Erie High event to reach a larger student base (and possibly find a nice auditorium) Any CoOp/Internship/Job Shadow opportunities? Any other field trip ideas? |
| Discussion/Recommendations: Field trip: Iron Mountain Dan said he’d like to come talk when we get into databases. He said his wife could also speak about scrum/agile. Jack recommended following up with him again about opportunities for the students. |
| Instructor Post-meeting action items/comments: Follow up with Dan later in the year. Follow up with Jack about opportunities soon. |
| Administrative Input: |
| Discuss possible new OAC members, student accomplishments, good of the committee items. |
| Instructor Pre-meeting Notes: Student, John C. took 3rd in states for programming at Skills USA Student, Corinne C is making some money developing a website for a church 5 students joined the Cyber Patriot Team 3-4 students will be competing in Skills USA this year |
| Discussion/Recommendations: The group was impressed by the students’ accomplishments. |
| Instructor Post-meeting action items/comments: |
| Administrative Input: |
| Meeting Adjournment Motion to adjourn. |
| Motions: Jack, Jason |
