Submitted by Stesha Flowers,

Clinton County ATC Principal

Meeting the minimum standards is not enough for the faculty and staff at Clinton County ATC, determination to excel in the area of college and career readiness remains a priority as 83 percent of seniors attending the Area Technology Center reaches College & Career Readiness for school year 2015-2016.

Over the past three years, Clinton County ATC has remained above the state average for college and career readiness with the schools overall rate increasing from 73 percent in 2014 to 83 percent in 2016.

College and Career Readiness entails many components including Industry Certifications, ACT, WorkKeys, to basic soft skills needed to enter the workforce. Clinton County ATC has partnered with business and industry leaders in the community to offer the Work Ethic Seal certification this school year due to local community workforce needs.

After speaking with employers it became obvious that today’s employees lack relevant soft skills needed to be successful on the job.

To address this concern, the ATC has implemented the Work Ethic Seal certification for high school seniors interested in demonstrating desirable skills and attributes necessary for meaningful employment and success in life.

The program is voluntary and the pursuit of the Seal is entirely the student’s responsibility. The criteria to receive the Work Ethic Seal are:

• No more than eight absences during the school year (excluding college visits, school approved trips, etc. )

• No more than two unexcused absences

• No more than two unexcused tardies

• Have no major disciplinary referrals (Alternative School Placement, Suspension or Expulsion)

• A minimum GPA of 2.5 with no failures in any course credit during the year

• Submission of completed application and submit resume

• Attendance in a “soft skills” training seminar

• Participation in “mock job interview” or actual interview (must turn in completed evaluation from interviewer to serve as documentation)

• Involvement in at least two of the following during the school year:

Organized team sport at Clinton County or Cumberland County High School

Extracurricular program (band, chorus, school, clubs, etc…)

Part-time employment or community volunteer (10 hrs/week for four consecutive months during school year or 20 hrs/week during summer months)

Verifiable community service project

Special letter of recommendation from teacher

Goals and Action Plan for

the Work Ethic Seal Program

• Increase graduation rate

• Decrease dropout rate

• Reduce achievement gap by motivating students to have better attendance and better grades

• Prepare students for school to work transition

• Students graduate with strong “work ethic” and confidence to succeed by setting goals and sticking with them

• Students who successfully complete the program receive a certificate

• Students who successfully complete the program are recognized publicly

• The “average” students who attend school regularly and have no discipline problems earn recognition

• Increase awareness of Work Ethic Certificate to local business and industry

• Qualifying students have advantage over other students when seeking employment

• Business and industry surveys are conducted to elicit support and suggestions

• Participation by students is voluntary

Another skill needed to be prepared for college and/or a career include being able to effectively complete a basic resume, job applications, and letter of applications. During the month of November, the teachers have collaborated with WIOA Career Manager, Kim Gibson, to see that all students successfully complete a job application, resume, and letter of application. During the month of December, community leaders will be assisting with mock interviews for all seniors. Students’ understanding what it means to be employable is a huge part of being college and career ready. Students must demonstrate employability skills in order to gain employment and be successful in their chosen career.

Dual credit is another great opportunity that students can take advantage of at the ATC. Each teacher at the ATC is adjunct faculty with Somerset Community College, which allows them to offer dual credit for certain courses at the ATC. Each program at the ATC offers dual credit courses and this school year over 100 students signed up for dual credit.

Students attending the ATC complete a sequence of courses that lead to stackable certificates, diplomas, and degrees within the comprehensive career pathways system. Faculty and staff look forward to even a better year for the 2016-2017 and are excited to work with local business and industry in preparing students for the local workforce needs.

Industry Certifications

Offered at the ATC

• Work Ethics Certification

• Automotive Service Excellence Student Certification-Automotive Maintenance and Light Repair

• Microsoft Office Specialist (Access, Excel, PowerPoint, Word)

•State Registered Nursing Assistant/ Medicaid Nurse Aid

•Construction Electrical-Track Pre-Apprenticeship

•Manufacturing Welding-Track Pre-Apprenticeship

•Construction Carpentry-Track Pre-Apprenticeship

•NCCER –Electrical

•NCCER –Core Curriculum and Construction Carpentry

•2-F (AWS) Qualification Certification

• KY Department of Transportation Certification (SMAW or GMAW)

• Certified Phlebotomy Technician

• Certified Pharmacy Technician