Utah Connections Academy - Career Pathways (CTE) Lead, 2024-2025 School Year (Term of Project)
Description
Company Summary
Utah Connections Academy (UCA) is a tuition-free, online public school that serves students in grades K–12 throughout Utah. UCA is authorized under state law by the Utah State Charter School Board and governed by an independent Board of Directors. The school is operated by Utah Connections Academy, a nonprofit corporation, through a contract with Connections Academy of Utah, LLC, to provide its educational program and other services. UCA is accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement, the Northwest Accreditation Commission, and the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI), which are accrediting divisions of Cognia.
Utah Connections Academy strives to create an inclusive environment that welcomes and values the diversity of the people we serve. We foster fairness, equity, and inclusion to create a workplace environment where everyone is treated with respect and dignity.
Position Summary
Working full-time from your home office, this certified teacher will virtually manage instructional programs and partnerships with industry professionals. The Career Pathways Lead will help students develop skills, earn certifications, and have exposure to experiences and mentorship with teachers and businesses that will position them to proceed confidently into the world beyond high school. Through the use of the telephone, internet, and various curriculum tools they will consult regularly with learning coaches and students to ensure that each child completes their career pathway. In addition, a large part of the position will be to network with tech and business industry professionals.
Experience and drive in connecting with business professionals and implementing new programs are a must. Successful candidates will have a strong background in developing and managing student activities and a passion for fostering collaboration and social interaction among students. An ideal candidate will also have strong technology skills including working on several online platforms at once, presenting in a virtual environment, and expertise in both Microsoft® Office programs and Google™ tools and Zoom.
Core Tasks and Responsibilities
-Participate in the design, implementation, and monitoring of partnership opportunities that will connect students to higher ed and community industry professionals, including but not limited to researching opportunities to expand internships and youth apprenticeships
-Collaborate with School Counselors to ensure student CTE coursework meets graduation requirements, drive attendance at career related events, and monitor the data input and outcomes for college and career readiness initiatives;
-Analyze data, monitor to evaluate the effectiveness and satisfaction in the career program, and seek ways to implement changes for improvement;
-Participate in student recruiting sessions and other marketing efforts that require teacher representation;
-Contribute to improved retention of students by providing engaging activities aligning student interests with career pathways;
-Assist students with pathway selection based on interest surveys and student needs
-Help students understand and research their post-secondary career options through the pathway program and serve as a liaison to students and caretakers
-Keep student records and data up-to-date, including files, online student and family information, attendance accounting, and logging all student and parent contacts;
-Conduct coaching sessions to review progress, interests, badges, and aptitude assessment results and update or adjust the plan/pathway as needed
-Support successful student registration for, completion of, and tracking pass rates for career pathway certification exams
-Support digital badge process for course completion and acquiring industry certifications
-Complete all grading, create progress reports, and conduct parent conferences in a timely manner;
-Support the instructional program with asynchronous web conferencing sessions and synchronous instruction;
-Review curriculum and devise alternate approaches to presenting lessons to increase student understanding (working directly with students and parents);
-Communicate with parents, students, and other teachers on a regular basis, provide feedback on student work, suggest instructional strategies, monitor completion of assignments, and coach special projects;
-Work collaboratively with other teachers to ensure that all students are successfully progressing through the program, and that parents have a central point of contact;
-Maintain prompt effective communication about events and timelines
-Attend field trips and other community activities implemented for families; and
-Other duties as assigned.
Based on potential student enrollment changes, this Term of Project position will work until the end of the 2024-2025 school year. At that time, the school and department leadership will evaluate the status of this position and could extend it for the following semester or school year as they deem necessary.