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The following results were obtained by averaging the responses:

(a) Student recruitment, selection and placement..

(b) Assistance with instructional program_.

(c) Assistance to teacher__.

(d) Student recognition...

(e) Public relations

2.2

2. 8

2.8

2.6

3. 4

A tabulation of returns reveals a percentage breakdown of program advisory committees organized in the following program areas:

Vocational agriculture--
Vocational homemaking-
Distributive education.

Health occupations.

Vocational education for handicapped.

Vocational office education.

Coordinated Vocational-Academic Education (CVAE).
Vocational Industrial Education___

Percent

66

72

81

96

84

79

48

76

The following questions were asked the districts regarding the advisory council for technical-vocational education in Texas:

1. How visible is the council with local administrators? Responses revealed that the council was highly visible with local vocational administrators and to a lesser extent with other local school administrators. A large number had participated in some activity of the council and/or were receiving the ACTVE NEWS.

2. How can the State advisory council be more helpful to technical-vocational education efforts in the State and/or your local community?

3. How could the State advisory council be more helpful in working with local council/committees?

Responses to questions 2 and 3 tended to address general needs and were not consistently delineated between the two questions: consequently, the responses will be consolidated. The response concerns are being listed in rank order of frequency mentioned.

1. A system to provide employment information for more realistic planning of local vocational programs.

2. Technical assistance to local administrators and councils, 'committees in developing more effective local advisory groups.

3. Lines of communication between State and local advisory committees in providing information about what other local committees are doing as well as developments and trends in vocational education and recognition of members of local committees.

4. Need public information materials on vocational education on statewide and local basis.

5 Provide members of the legislature with information and needs. in the field of technical-vocational education and provide local committees with information about legislative developments.

6. That assistance be given in development of adult education programs and services.

7. That the Texas Education Agency enforce existing policies regarding local advisory councils/committees.

8. That the advisory council reports be made to State inservice. education workshops of teachers, coordinators, and administrators.

9. That the advisory council provide an annual meeting for local advisory council chairmen and members, and meet with local councils throughout the year.

10. Provide evaluative criteria for local vocational programs.

11. Identification of priorities in technical-vocational education 12. Public information on utilization of advisory councils in order that local citizens may be more receptive to serving on the local level.

The Council concluded that, even though many local advisory council committees were organized and functioning, a large portion were either nonexistent or in name only, and that there was a need for a publication on effective organization and utilization of advisory councils/committees.

UTAH

During March of 1972, nine regional advisory committee leadership seminars were held throughout the State. The primary purpose of these meetings was to activate, inform, and motivate local advisory committees for the 40 school districts, the 88 high schools, and the postsecondary area vocational centers. In addition, it was emphasized that career education, preparation for one's life work, should be the central thrust of all education in the State.

The nine meetings covered southern Utah, eastern Utah, central Utah, northern Utah, and the Wasatch front between Provo and Ogden, which includes Sale Lake City. Some 520 persons attended and participated in the 311⁄2 hour meetings which included dinner, formal presentations, brief talks by local district superintendents, business leaders, and local advisory committee chairmen. Near the end of the meetings the participants were divided into small groups of 8-10 for a "how to" discussion. Each group discussed two of the 12 topics. Examples of these topics are as follows:

1. How can the advisory committee assist in planning and implementing a new vocational program?

2. How can the advisory committee assist in job placement of

students?

3. What should be the relationship of advisory committees with the institution president or director, school principals, and school teachers?

4. How can the advisory committee aid the vocational teacher in assuring the best possible instruction for the students?

Seventy percent of those who were invited attended the meetings, These were people who are in a position to make things happen and to bring about a change in education. These participants included district superintendents, local school board presidents, sel ool principals, vocational directors, college presidents, higher education administrators, area center directors, business leaders, minority group leaders, PTA officers, Chamber of Commerce officials, State legislators, and others.

Employers are represented on advisory councils for the various schools. They are on the general vocational-technical education councils and on various craft and occupation councils. Some councils at the postsecondary institutions are very active, and a spot check

99 988 -73-vol. 2- 44

survey of several of the chairmen indicated that this is the case, but some are just plain not doing anything. There is a tendency for the councils to be very active in getting some specific project moving and then drift into inactivity. At several high schools active, aggressive councils are currently pushing specific programs.

The advisory council contacted 50 employers in the Salt Lake area just over 1 year ago. These employers have some 32,000 employees representing about 8 percent of the total employees in the State. Those contacted varied in size from seven employees to several thousand and were from many areas, including health, manufacturing, banking, retailing, government, and public utilities.

A 30-minute interview was conducted with either the personnel manager or the person at the facility who did the hiring. A 26 item questionnaire was completed by the interviewer.

In response to a question as to whether or not the employers were familiar with the vocational-technical programs at the high schools and postsecondary vocational schools in the area, a majority of the employers did not feel they knew what was going on in the high schools and only 64 percent of them felt they were familiar with the programs at the postsecondary institutions.

Some 68 percent of the employers contacted indicated that they worked directly with schools in hiring employees, mostly the technical colleges and the private institutions. Some employers worked with individual high schools.

Several high schools, the two technical colleges, and other postsecondary schools work very closely with individual employers and employer groups in developing specific programs. There are several outstanding examples of this cooperation, but it is not as widespread as it might be. Also, the State board personnel are involved with several individual employers and employer groups in running speeific programs and developing long-range vocational-technical objectives.

The advisory council recommends that each local education agency secures community involvement in the local education system. An acceptable indication of community involvement will be the participation by community representatives in establishing the voca tional education needs of the community in the validation of proposed programs designed to meet the needs that evolve, and in the use of advisory committees or other representative community groups to review critically the objectives and accomplishments of vocational education programs in the district and make written recommendations for program additions and/or improvements.

Thirty-four of the 40 local school districts have vocational education advisory committees. Each of these committees has a chairman with whom the State advisory council has been in contact. Several local committees are very active and are directly involved with the vocational programs within the district, but many committees are there in name only.

VERMONT

The council conducted a study of the use of area center advisory committees as required by State law and rules of the State department of education. It was found that each area center has estab

Fshed an advisory committee. Of the 11 committees surveyed, only one has met more than twice during the fiscal year 1972. All the committees have apparently attempted to coordinate to some extent such activities as school calendars, class schedules, orientation, grades, etcetera, between the area center and its sending schools. Very little activity is reported relative to sending recommend ions to the area center school boards and having them reported back to the committees with action taken.

It appears that an area center with an active local administrative advisory committee is also an area that is providing for a more equal access of students into vocational programs.

VIRGINIA

In consideration of the potentially beneficial input by local advisory committees and councils, the State advisory council recommends that the director of the division of vocational education and his staff consider the advisability of continuing to encourage the establishment, evaluation, and wise use of citizen advisory committees on one or more of the following levels:

(a) Total vocational program on a school division-wide basis; (b) For each special discipline on a division-wide basis: (c) Special craft advisory committees on a division-wide basis;

(d) Either or both (b) and (c) on a single school basis.

WASHINGTON

Employer Viewpoints on Vocational Education

On the basis of a representative sample of employers throughout Washington State, it can be concluded that good work attitudes and habits is the single most important applicant characteristic. It is also true that employers feel that vocational programs should do more to encourage the development of such qualities in students.

All major employer groups-central office managers, line supervisors, and nonsupervisory employees- feel that more related onthe-job experience is an extremely important need in improving vocational preparation programs. Employers seem interested in assisting with this expansion of work experience as part of the training program, but many feel that some additional financing will be required to accommodate any substantial increases.

Insufficient funds and opposition by organized employee groups appear to be major barriers to expanding opportunities for work experience in preparatory vocational programs. Many employers Seem willing to accept an additional responsibility for this on-thejob type training, but feel that they need some financial help to offset consequent losses in the production process.

While employers express considerable concern over the need to teach better work attitudes and habits, there seems to be some disagreement as to the most appropriate place for such training. The question also exists whether good work habits can even be taught in the conventional sense. Despite numerous differences of opinion in this area, good work attitudes and habits will have to be given

greater attention in future programing and that both the school and job locations will have to be used in accomplishing this result.

All three employer groups-central office managers, line supervisors, nonsupervisory employees-feel that vocational education is an important part of the school program for all students. These same groups also support specific vocational programs as a desirable means of preparing young people for the working world.

PUERTO RICO

The advisory council strongly recommends that provisions be made with industry to have more VTE instructors and counselors attend summer sessions working in industry, as a definite way to acquaint themselves with the latest processes and working conditions of the new technology, and with the impact of industry for career awareness in students.

The professional growth of instructors in VTE programs is fostered mainly through university courses and inservice training. Last year, a very limited number of teachers (seven) participated in actual industrial training.

The sixth report of the National Advisory Council in relation to the training of guidance counselors "counseling and guidance: a call for change"-recommends that the departments of education should require work experience outside of education for school counselors. Even the report suggests that individuals with rich background in business, industry and labor, should be infused into the counseling system.

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