Family & Community Students & Families Student and Secondary Support
Connecting Activities

Fiscal Year 2009 Connecting Activities Professional Development Support

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education working in collaboration with the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development will sponsor the following statewide Connecting Activities professional development opportunities for fiscal year 2009. These opportunities are designed to support educators, employers, Connecting Activities field staff, Workforce Investment Boards, One Stop Career Centers and Local School-to-Career Partnerships in the implementation of quality work-based learning for all students.

• Regional Professional Development/Technical Assistance Site Visits:

  September 2008 - February 2009

  In an effort to provide a more in-depth forum for professional development/technical assistance and to address the particular needs of the 16 local WIB regions, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in collaboration with workforce development partners will be scheduling regional site visits from September 2008 - February 2009. These site visits will provide a forum for discussing how Connecting Activities fits into the larger statewide educational and workforce development agenda and also provide an opportunity for regions to share how local Connecting Activities policy, program design and implementation support student skill acquisition.

  Primary topics to be discussed will include: collaboration with schools/districts and other youth serving agencies; marketing; employer outreach and recruitment; preparation and placement of students; data management; reporting; teacher externships; work-based learning definitions; regional Work-Based Learning Plan training teams; as well as other areas related to program design and implementation of Connecting Activities.

• Statewide Leadership Forum: (WIB/STC LP Directors, Regional Youth Coordinators)

  Friday, March 6, 2009

  Henderson House, Weston (9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.)

• Statewide Connecting Activities Conference:

  Friday, May 8, 2009

  College of the Holy Cross, Worcester (9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.)

• Regional Data Management Support:

  The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will sponsor regional trainings on the School to Career database and the MA Work-Based Learning Plan through the Skills Library. The sites and content of these trainings will be determined based on regional requests and needs.