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 The Office of College & Career Readiness encourages educators to prioritize the safety and security of themselves and their families, student safety, and to stay informed of communications from the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) and other reputable sources.
For the latest updates on Coronavirus/COVID-19 for Oklahoma Public Schools, visit here.
Studies show that Oklahoma currently faces a large work skills gap. In 2016, approximately 46 percent of the Oklahoma workforce had either attained only a high school diploma or dropped out of high school altogether. By 2025, 77 percent of Oklahoma jobs will require some form of education beyond high school.
Oklahoma educators' commitment to supporting students' college and career readiness through Individual Career Academic Planning (ICAP) continues to expand statewide.
As the first semester is coming to a close, we are preparing for the ICAP check-in that will be performed by your Regional Accreditation Officer in Spring 2021.
In preparation of your visit, we ask that educators complete the ICAP Pre-Check Survey by Dec. 11, 2020, to share your progress, barriers, and feedback!
For more information on ICAP requirements, click here (PDF version).
For questions, contact Marissa Lightsey at marissa.lightsey@sde.ok.gov.
Navigating college and career readiness, career advising and work-based learning in virtual spaces has its challenges, yet we can all learn from each other during these times.
The Office of College and Career Readiness is creating a work-based learning database to enhance engagement between school districts, business and industry, and community organizations. The purpose of the Work-Based Learning Survey is to assess educators' knowledge of career awareness and exploration, hear how schools incorporate work-based learning opportunities, and compile a database to denote work-based learning school designees.
Complete the Work-Based Learning Survey by Jan. 29, 2021.
For more information on work-based learning experiences, click here (PDF version).
For questions, contact Chelsea Hunt at chelsea.hunt@sde.ok.gov.
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The Office of College and Career Readiness is pleased to announce that in the new year, we will host webinars every 3rd Thursday of each month. These webinars are open to school administrators, teachers, counselors, college and career advisors and work-based learning coordinators. We will discuss best practices for career development, work-based learning, industry engagement, academic counseling and much more.
We are seeking requests for virtual speakers! If you are an Oklahoma college or university Career Advisor, CareerTech Career Advisor, organization, trade association or tribal education agency that wants to share resources with school districts complete this sign-up form to be a virtual speaker at one of our monthly webinars. Virtual speakers will have 45 minutes (includes questions and answers) to present and a PowerPoint should be submitted in advance the week of your webinar.
For questions, contact Chelsea Hunt at chelsea.hunt@sde.ok.gov.
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The Office of College & Career Readiness knows that engaging industry and community partnerships are important for our school districts and students to have exposure to career exploration and real-world experiences. If you are an organization, trade association, or tribal education agency that would like to showcase upcoming events for K-12 students and school districts, complete the Community Spotlight form.
Community Spotlight: The Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance
The Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance is a network of trusted experts working with manufacturers to help them grow and evolve. The organization serves as the primary resource, advocate and voice for manufacturing in Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance has launched a workforce Career Pathways Tool, giving employers, workforce partners, and workers a “roadmap” for successful careers in the state’s top manufacturing occupations. Following extensive research, the tool was developed by manufacturing leaders from around the state.
The Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance is hosting two free virtual workshops to provide employers and workers important information about the organization’s workforce Career Pathways Tool. The webinars are scheduled for:
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Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020 from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
(for workforce organizations and partners)
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Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020 from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
(for industry professionals)
The webinars are designed to show how this new online career tool can assist:
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Small- and medium‑sized Oklahoma manufacturers, who can utilize these pathways as a tool to attract potential employees to their company and as a career progression model in concert with their own advancement strategies
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Workforce and education partners, who can use it as a career planning and progression tool
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Individuals wanting to pursue or further their career in manufacturing, so they can envision a career with advancement opportunities
To register for the webinars, contact Sharon Harrison at sharon.harrison@okalliance.com.
The National Postsecondary Strategy Institute (NPSI) is seeking applications for its Power of Hope Awards, which recognize school districts that engage school counselors in leadership roles that effectively organize and implement college and career postsecondary enrollment strategies in grades 6-12.
The Power of Hope Awards are built on the belief that the nation’s economic growth is dependent upon significantly increasing the percentages of low-income and predominantly minority students successfully completing postsecondary pathways.
NPSI is proud to recognize school districts that are supporting school counselors and engaging them as postsecondary leaders.
Download the application here.
Applications are due Dec. 15, 2020 at 11:59 p.m.
Winners will be announced the first week of March at the NPSI National Conference, which will be held virtually. Sign up for conference updates here.
For questions, contact Amanda Mitchell at amandam@npsi.org.
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It is never too early to start searching for scholarships. There are many scholarships that can help students pave a way towards their future success. Below are a few websites to help students and families get started on their scholarship journey.
The Oklahoma Former NFL Players Association
The Oklahoma Former NFL Players Association has been given the responsibility by the Professional Athletes Foundation (PAF) to award two $2,500 scholarships to Oklahoma High School Senior Athletes, one male and one female. This opportunity is open to any high school varsity athlete that attends a public or private high school in the state of Oklahoma. The PAF Scholarship rewards high school athletes for their non-athletic achievements and assists them in achieving their career goals. The PAF Scholarship is designed for any high school athlete who will attend a university, college or two-year institution and will not receive any type of athletic scholarship. All applications must be received by Jan. 31, 2021.
To request the application packet, contact Jean Barrett at jbarrettinc@aol.com.
Oklahoma CareerTech
Students may apply for several types of aid including scholarships, grants, long-term loans, and work-study assistance. For more information, visit: Scholarship Collection.
OKcollegestart.org
OKcollegestart.org offers a Scholarship Profile and Scholarship Corner for students to find financial aid and monthly scholarship opportunities.
Scholarships.com
Scholarships.com offers over 3.7 million college scholarships and grants. You can even search for scholarships by month. To search Dec. 2020 scholarship deadlines, click here.
For more information visit: Scholarships.com.
 Oklahoma Edge is the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s commitment to giving our students a competitive edge by ensuring they are prepared for the real world of work and higher education after they graduate high school. This initiative includes Individual Career Academic Planning (ICAP) – multi-year plans that will provide students the opportunity to explore career interests and post-secondary opportunities.
Visit us online: OKEdge.com
Connect on social media: Facebook
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