Teaching and Learning Employability Skills in Career and Technical Education: Industry, Educator, and Student Perspectives

189 Pages·2020·2.566 MB·English

by  Will Tyson

Palgrave Studies in Urban Education
Series Editors
Alan R. Sadovnik
Rutgers University–Newark, Newark, NJ, USA
Susan F. Semel
Secondary Education, City College of New York, New York, NY, USA
More information about this series at http:// www. palgrave. com/g p/
series/1 4572
Will Tyson
Teaching and Learning Employability
Skills in Career and Technical
Education
Industry, Educator, and Student Perspectives
1st ed. 2020
Will Tyson
Department of Sociology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
Palgrave Studies in Urban Education
ISBN 978-3-030-58743-7 e-ISBN 978-3-030-58744-4
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58744-4
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To my parents, William and Mildred, teachers who taught me to value
education and inspired me to share the value of educators
Contents
1 Introduction: Employability Skills in the Twenty-First Century
Workforce
“Employability Skills That People Have Forgotten”
Purpose
The Desire for Employability Skills
Identifying Employability Skills
Teaching Employability Skills in Applied CTE Courses
Book Overview
References
2 Background and Methodology
Florida Context: Industry and Education
Methodology
References
3 Core Elements of Work Ethic
The Need for Soft Skills
Personal Responsibility: Doing the Basics
Engineering Mindset and Work Ethic
Willingness to Learn
Reference
4 Flexibility and Interpersonal Skills
Flexibility
Social Skills
Leadership and Managing Client Interactions
Teamwork and Managing Con�lict
Reference
5 Personal Responsibility and Work Ethic
Personal Responsibility
Work Ethic
Personal Skills for the Future
Reference
6 Interpersonal Skills
Teamwork and Helping Behaviors
Leadership and Con�lict Management
Social Skills
Interpersonal Skills for the Future
Reference
7 Projects and Activities That Promote Employability Skills
SolidWorks Certi�ication Exam (Payne HS and West HS)
Payne HS Daily Station Work: 20 Stations in 30 Days
Starling HS Weekly Design Days
West HS Annual Rocket Launch and Egg Drop
Reference
8 Eyes Toward the Future
Primary Contributions
Student Narrative: Dana (WHS)
Student Narrative: Jessica (HHS)
Strengths and Limitations
Further Research
References
Index
List of Figures
Fig. 2.1 Industry code families and associated codes

Fig. 2.2 Student code families and associated codes
© The Author(s) 2020
W. Tyson, Teaching and Learning Employability Skills in Career and Technical
Education , Palgrave Studies in Urban Education
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58744-4_1
1. Introduction: Employability Skills in
the Twenty-First Century Workforce
Will Tyson1
(1) Department of Sociology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL,
USA

Will Tyson

Email: [email protected]
Abstract
The broad literature on workforce “skills gaps” describes how
employers want to hire young workers who have the right
employability skills or “soft skills.” Most employers are willing to “train
up” high school students or recent graduates who possess the
necessary personal and interpersonal skills. Existing employability
skills frameworks identify (1) personal responsibility, (2) work ethic,
(3) teamwork and helping behaviors, (4) leadership and con�lict
management, and (5) social skills as industry-desired personal
qualities and interpersonal skills. High school career and technical
education (CTE) courses can help �ill those gaps. Such skills are often
transmitted within families so it is key to understand how these skills
can be learned in K-12 education in order to prepare cohorts of young
people to enter the workforce.
“Employability Skills That People Have Forgotten”
Lisa is a vice president of a small woman-owned defense contractor.
She entered manufacturing right out of high school working on an