2021- 2022
Florida Department of Education
Curriculum Framework 

Program Title:	Vocational Employability Skills for Youth 
Program Type:	Non Career Preparatory
Career Cluster:	Additional CTE Programs/Courses 

Secondary – Non Career Preparatory	
Program Number	9001920	
CIP Number	11990007SN	
Grade Level	6-12	
Standard Length	.5/multiple credits	
Teacher Certification	Refer to the Program Structure section.	
CTSO	NA	
CTE Program Resources 	http://www.fldoe.org/academics/career-adult-edu/career-tech-edu/program-resources.stml	

Purpose 

This program offers a course that provides coherent and rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare for further education and careers; provides technical skill proficiency, and includes competency-based applied learning that contributes to the academic knowledge, higher-order reasoning and problem-solving skills, work attitudes, general employability skills, technical skills, and occupation-specific skills.  

The purpose of this program is to provide career and technical education competencies for youth being served by Department of Juvenile Justice programs.  Basic practical and job preparatory instruction is provided in the competencies necessary for a better understanding of the world of work and for entry-level employment.  The specific program content includes measurable components from any of the career and technical program areas with heavy emphasis on work ethics and employability skills.

The content includes but is not limited to employability and technical skills.  

Additional Information relevant to this Career and Technical Education (CTE) program is provided at the end of this document.

Program Structure

This program is intended to provide short-term occupational education for individuals being served by Department of Juvenile Justice programs.  The objective is to provide a foundation of survival skills for a transition into entry-level employment and/or additional on-the-job training.

The following table illustrates the secondary program structure:

Course Number	Course Title	Teacher Certification	Length	Level	Graduation Requirement	
9001920	Vocational Employability Skills for Youth 	ANY CTE FIELD OR COVERAGE

ANY FIELD WHEN CERT REFLECTS BACHELOR OR HIGHER	.5 (Credit is not awarded at middle school level)	NA		

Common Career Technical Core – Career Ready Practices

Career Ready Practices describe the career-ready skills that educators should seek to develop in their students.  These practices are not exclusive to a Career Pathway, program of study, discipline or level of education.  Career Ready Practices should be taught and reinforced in all career exploration and preparation programs with increasingly higher levels of complexity and expectation as a student advances through a program of study. 

1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. 

2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. 

3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. 

4. Communicate clearly, effectively and with reason. 

5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. 

6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. 

7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. 

8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. 

9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. 

10. Plan education and career path aligned to personal goals. 

11. Use technology to enhance productivity. 

12. Work productively in teams while using cultural/global competence. 

Standards

After successfully completing this program, the student will be able to perform the following:

01.0	Demonstrate realistic employment goals.
02.0	Describe human relations skills necessary for success in the workforce.
03.0	Identify types of communication skills necessary for successful employment.
04.0	Demonstrate leadership and teamwork skills needed to accomplish team goals and objectives.
05.0	Use oral and written communication skills in creating, expressing and interpreting information and ideas.
06.0	Describe the duties and responsibilities of a successful employee.
07.0	Demonstrate the competencies of employability and career development.
08.0	Use information technology tools.
09.0	Demonstrate the importance of health, safety, and environmental management systems in organizational performance and regulatory compliance.
10.0	Describe the roles within teams, work units, departments, organizations, inter-organizational systems and the larger environment.
11.0	Discuss the role of the entrepreneur.
12.0	Discuss entrepreneurship as a career choice.
13.0	Identify the basic economic principles of entrepreneurship.
14.0	Describe the importance of professional ethics and legal responsibilities.
15.0	Solve problems using critical thinking skills, creativity and innovation.
16.0	Demonstrate personal money-management concepts, procedures and strategies.
17.0	Use appropriate equipment and supplies safely and correctly.
18.0	Demonstrate competencies identified for a specific program component.

OPTIONAL

19.0	Demonstrate acquired skills through on-the-job training.

 

2021- 2022
Florida Department of Education
Student Performance Standards

Course Title: 	Vocational Employability Skills for Youth 
Course Number: 	9001920
Course Credit:	.5

Course Description:

This course is designed to develop competencies in employability skills and to provide short-term occupational education for youth being served by Department of Juvenile Justice programs, usually for a duration of four (4) to twelve (12) months.  The objective is to provide a foundation of survival skills for a transition into entry-level employment and/or additional on-the-job training.

CTE Standards and Benchmarks	
01.0	Demonstrate realistic  employment goals. The student will be able to:	
01.01	Express personal strengths and weaknesses, including social adjustments and cognitive abilities.	
01.02	Match interests and abilities with potential careers.	
02.0	Describe human relations skills necessary for success in the workforce. The student will be able to:	
02.01	Define punctuality, initiative, courtesy, loyalty, honesty, respect, responsibility, fairness, and trustworthiness.  	
02.02	Identify and discuss the role of an employee as a team member in the workplace.  	
02.03	Describe the use of teams in the workplace to increase productivity and product quality.  	
02.04	Discuss the importance of human relations to success in the workplace.  	
02.05	Define empathy, compassion, caring, enthusiasm, positive attitude, and self-motivation.  	
02.06	Explain the importance of working effectively with diverse populations.  	
02.07	Explain importance of self-management when minimum direction and supervision are given.  	
02.08	Describe ethical situations in the world of work	
02.09	Describe importance and benefits of time management.  	
02.10	Identify and demonstrate steps necessary for solving problems and making decisions.  	
02.11	Analyze future consequences of current decisions.  	
02.12	Discuss the value of emotional self-control in the workplace	
02.13	Explain “conflict resolution” and “dispute resolution” techniques and apply to a simulated work related problem.  	
02.14	Identify and practice stress management and relaxation techniques.	
02.15	Discuss importance of practicing positive customer service skills.	
03.0	Identify types of communication skills necessary for successful employment. The student will be able to:	
03.01	Describe the importance of the proper use of grammar, vocabulary, and diction.  	
03.02	Identify the appropriate way to address people.  	
03.03	Identify appropriate conversation for work related settings.  	
03.04	Describe listening, speaking, and nonverbal skills necessary to determine customer needs.  	
03.05	List professional vocabulary appropriate for the work environment	
03.06	Demonstrate ability to communicate in a multicultural setting	
03.07	Identify and define commonly used customer service terms such as complaints, internal and external customers.  	
03.08	Demonstrate the ability to listen to, follow, and provide directions	
03.09	Demonstrate the placing/receiving of telephone calls in a businesslike manner. 	
03.10	Demonstrate ability to locate, understand, and interpret information found in trade manuals, schedules, charts, diagrams, tables of contents, indexes, labels, and Internet resources.  	
04.0	Demonstrate leadership and teamwork skills needed to accomplish team goals and objectives. The student will be able to:	
04.01	Employ leadership skills to accomplish organizational goals and objectives.  	
04.02	Establish and maintain effective working relationships with others in order to accomplish objectives and tasks.  	
04.03	Conduct and participate in meetings to accomplish work tasks.  	
04.04	Employ mentoring skills to inspire and teach others.  	
05.0	Use oral and written communication skills in creating, expressing and interpreting information and ideas. The student will be able to:	
05.01	Select and employ appropriate communication concepts and strategies to enhance oral and written communication in the workplace.  	
05.02	Locate, organize and reference written information from various sources.  	
05.03	Design, develop and deliver formal and informal presentations using appropriate media to engage and inform diverse audiences.  	
05.04	Interpret verbal and nonverbal cues/behaviors that enhance communication.  	
05.05	Apply active listening skills to obtain and clarify information.  	
05.06	Develop and interpret tables and charts to support written and oral communications.  	
05.07	Exhibit public relations skills that aid in achieving customer satisfaction.  	
06.0	Describe the duties and responsibilities of a successful employee. The student will be able to:	
06.01	Explain how to handle customer inquiries/complaints.  	
06.02	Explain how to handle difficult internal and external customers	
06.03	Explain how to interpret policies to internal and external customers.  	
06.04	Classify customer services according to nature and characteristics of the activity.  	
06.05	Review methods to resolve customer problems through clarifying and explaining policies and procedures.  	
06.06	Explain the importance of stress management and relaxation techniques as they relate to job performance.  	
06.07	Demonstrate an understanding of gender, age, disability, and cultural courtesy.  	
06.08	Describe workplace codes of professional/business conduct. 	
06.09	Explain the concepts of integrity, credibility, reliability, and perseverance.  	
06.10	List the responsibilities an employer has for his/her employees (ethical, social, legal).	
07.0	Demonstrate the competencies of employability and career development –Explain the importance of employability skills and entrepreneurship skills. The student will be able to:	
07.01	Identify and demonstrate positive work behaviors needed to be employable. 	
07.02	Develop personal career plan that includes goals, objectives, and strategies.  	
07.03	Examine licensing, certification, and industry credentialing requirements.  	
07.04	Maintain a career portfolio to document knowledge, skills, and experience.  	
07.05	Evaluate and compare employment opportunities that match career goals. 	
07.06	Identify and exhibit traits for retaining employment. 	
07.07	Identify opportunities and research requirements for career advancement.	
07.08	Research the benefits of ongoing professional development. 	
07.09	Examine and describe entrepreneurship opportunities as a career planning option.  	
08.0	Use information technology tools. The student will be able to:	
08.01	Use personal information management (PIM) applications to increase workplace efficiency.  	
08.02	Employ technological tools to expedite workflow including word processing, databases, reports, spreadsheets, multimedia presentations, electronic calendar, contacts, email, and internet applications.  	
08.03	Employ computer operations applications to access, create, manage, integrate, and store information.  	
08.04	Employ collaborative/groupware applications to facilitate group work.  	
09.0	Demonstrate the importance of health, safety, and environmental management systems in organizations and their importance to organizational performance and regulatory compliance. The student will be able to:	
09.01	Describe personal and jobsite safety rules and regulations that maintain safe and healthy work environments.  	
09.02	Explain emergency procedures to follow in response to workplace accidents.	
09.03	Create a disaster and/or emergency response plan.  	
10.0	Describe the roles within teams, work units, departments, organizations, inter-organizational systems, and the larger environment. The student will be able to: 	
10.01	Describe the nature and types of business organizations.  	
10.02	Explain the effect of key organizational systems on performance and quality. 	
10.03	List and describe quality control systems and/or practices common to the workplace.  	
10.04	Explain the impact of the global economy on business organizations.	
11.0	Discuss the role of the entrepreneur. The student will be able to:	
11.01	Define entrepreneurship.	
11.02	Research innovations and the names and biographies of famous entrepreneurs, past and present.	
11.03	Discuss the evolution of entrepreneurship. 	
11.04	Describe the differences between a product-based business and a service-based business. 	
11.05	Identify the contributions of entrepreneurs to the economic growth of the United States. 	
11.06	Discuss future prospects for entrepreneurship and its anticipated impact on the economy. 	
11.07	Discuss the role of the entrepreneur in his/her local community (e.g., mentoring, philanthropy). 	
12.0	Discuss entrepreneurship as a career choice. The student will be able to:	
12.01	Describe reasons for becoming an entrepreneur. 	
12.02	Identify characteristics common to successful entrepreneurs; research famous entrepreneurs. 	
12.03	Identify the education, aptitudes, and skills recommended for entrepreneurs. 	
12.04	Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of self-employment. 	
12.05	Discuss entrepreneurship as a personal goal. 	
12.06	Assess personal potential for entrepreneurship. 	
12.07	Identify career paths in supervisory, management, and small business environments. 	
13.0	Identify the basic economic principles of entrepreneurship. The student will be able to:	
13.01	Identify the role of small businesses in the global economy. 	
13.02	Define and discuss profit motive and its impact on business. 	
13.03	Identify the different types of competition and explain the impact of competition on businesses (e.g., direct, indirect, price, non-price, competitive position). 	
13.04	Describe the differences between industrial and consumer goods. 	
13.05	Define land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurship as factors of production. 	
13.06	Discuss form, place, time, possession, and information utility. 	
13.07	Explain the meaning and causes of scarcity. 	
13.08	Identify the components of the Law of Supply and Demand in a free enterprise system. 	
13.09	Identify the stages of the product life cycle and the characteristics of each stage. 	
13.10	Identify the roles and types of producers, distributors, and services in the current business economy. 	
13.11	Discuss major fields of business activity (e.g., extractive, subcontracting, manufacturing, wholesaling, retailing, services, cottage industries, urban street sales). 	
13.12	Discuss the four parts of a business (production, finance, marketing, customer service). 	
13.13	Identify factors that contribute to the success of a small business. 	
13.14	Describe the process of starting a small business. 	
13.15	Explain the procedures for registering a sole proprietorship and obtaining a sales tax identification number. 	
13.16	Discuss reasons for small business failure; develop an exit strategy and plan. 	
13.17	Recognize opportunities for small businesses in the global marketplace. 	
14.0	Describe the importance of professional ethics and legal responsibilities. The student will be able to:	
14.01	Evaluate and justify decisions based on ethical reasoning.  	
14.02	Evaluate alternative responses to workplace situations based on personal, professional, ethical, legal responsibilities, and employer policies.  	
14.03	Identify and explain personal and long-term consequences of unethical or illegal behaviors in the workplace.  	
14.04	Interpret and explain written organizational policies and procedures.  	
15.0	Solve problems using critical thinking skills, creativity and innovation. The student will be able to:	
15.01	Employ critical thinking skills independently and in teams to solve problems and make decisions.	
15.02	Employ critical thinking and interpersonal skills to resolve conflicts. 	
15.03	Identify and document workplace performance goals and monitor progress toward those goals.  	
15.04	Conduct technical research to gather information necessary for decision-making. 	
16.0	Demonstrate personal money-management concepts, procedures, and strategies. The student will be able to:	
16.01	Identify and describe the services and legal responsibilities of financial institutions.  	
16.02	Describe the effect of money management on personal and career goals.  	
16.03	Develop a personal budget and financial goals.  	
16.04	Complete financial instruments for making deposits and withdrawals.  	
16.05	Maintain financial records.  	
16.06	Read and reconcile financial statements	
16.07	Research, compare and contrast investment opportunities.	
17.0	Use appropriate equipment and supplies safely and correctly. The student will be able to:	
17.01	These student performance standards are job specific and correspond to the job preparatory program in which the student is enrolled.	
18.0	Demonstrate competencies identified for a specific program component. The student will be able to:	
18.01	These student performance standards are job specific and correspond to the job preparatory program in which the student is enrolled.	
OPTIONAL	
19.0	Demonstrate acquired skills through On-The-Job training. The student will be able to:	
19.01	Display a positive attitude toward a job.	
19.02	Demonstrate job performance skills.	
19.03	Display expected level of productivity.	
19.04	Use evaluations to improve own performance.	
19.05	Identify, organize, plan and allocate resources.	
19.06	Work cooperatively with others.	
19.07	Acquire and use information including using computers.	
19.08	Work effectively within the context of complex interrelationships.	
19.09	Work with a variety of technologies.	
19.10	Perform basic computer operations.	

Additional Information

Laboratory Activities

Laboratory investigations that include scientific inquiry, research, measurement, problem solving, emerging technologies, tools and equipment, as well as, experimental, quality, and safety procedures are an integral part of this career and technical program/course. Laboratory investigations benefit all students by developing an understanding of the complexity and ambiguity of empirical work, as well as the skills required to manage, operate, calibrate and troubleshoot equipment/tools used to make observations. Students understand measurement error; and have the skills to aggregate, interpret, and present the resulting data. Equipment and supplies should be provided to enhance hands-on experiences for students.

Academic Alignment

Secondary Career and Technical Education courses are pending alignment to the B.E.S.T.  (Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking) Standards for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics that were adopted by the State Board of Education in February 2020.  Academic alignment is an ongoing, collaborative effort of professional educators that provide clear expectations for progression year-to-year through course alignment. This initiative supports CTE programs by improving student performance through the integration of academic content within CTE courses.  

Florida Standards for English Language Development (ELD)
English language learners communicate for social and instructional purposes within the school setting. ELD.K12.SI.1.1 

English Language Development (ELD) Standards Special Notes:
Teachers are required to provide listening, speaking, reading and writing instruction that allows English language learners (ELL) to communicate for social and instructional purposes within the school setting.   For the given level of English language proficiency and with visual, graphic, or interactive support, students will interact with grade level words, expressions, sentences and discourse to process or produce language necessary for academic success. The ELD standard should specify a relevant content area concept or topic of study chosen by curriculum developers and teachers which maximizes an ELL’s need for communication and social skills. To access an ELL supporting document which delineates performance definitions and descriptors, please click on the following link: http://www.cpalms.org/uploads/docs/standards/eld/SI.pdf.
For additional information on the development and implementation of the ELD standards, please contact the Bureau of Student Achievement through Language Acquisition at sala@fldoe.org.

Cooperative Training – OJT

On-the-job training is appropriate but not required for this program.  Whenever offered, the rules, guidelines, and requirements specified in the OJT framework apply. 

Special Notes

Primary emphasis will be given to the diagnosis of the individual's interest and aptitude, followed by involvement in appropriate occupational competencies, consistent with the individual's education level.  This program is designed to allow the institution's career and technical education department in cooperation with the Division of Career and adult Education to develop student performance standards for specific instructional components based upon identified occupational titles in any of the career clusters of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources; Architecture and Construction; Arts, A/V Technology and Communication; Business, Management and Administration; Education and Training; Finance; Government and Public Administration; Health Science; Hospitality and Tourism; Human Services; Information Technology; Law, Public Safety and Security; Manufacturing; Marketing, Sales and Services; Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); and Transportation, Distribution and Logistics.  This curriculum framework and the adopted student performance standards will be the basis for program operation and program review.  The specialized student performance standards will be based upon:

1)	Serving the special needs of institution's clients with an average commitment time of four (4) to six (6) months.
2)	Organized instruction provided by a qualified instructor.
3)	Input from a program advisory committee composed of representatives of business and industry.
4)	Documentation for evaluation and accountability purposes.

MyCareerShines is an interactive resource to assist students in identifying their ideal career and to enhance preparation for employment. Teachers are encouraged to integrate this resource into the program curriculum to meet the employability goals for each student.  Access MyCareerShines by visiting: www.mycareershines.org.

English Language Development ELD Standards Special Notes Section

Teachers are required to provide listening, speaking, reading and writing instruction that allows English language learners (ELL) to communicate information, ideas and concepts for academic success in the content area of Language Arts. For the given level of English language proficiency and with visual, graphic, or interactive support, students will interact with grade level words, expressions, sentences and discourse to process or produce language necessary for academic success. The ELD standard should specify a relevant content area concept or topic of study chosen by curriculum developers and teachers which maximizes an ELL’s need for communication and social skills. To access an ELL supporting document which delineates performance definitions and descriptors, please click on the following link: http://www.cpalms.org/uploads/docs/standards/eld/la.pdf

For additional information on the development and implementation of the ELD standards, please contact the Bureau of Student Achievement through Language Acquisition at sala@fldoe.org.

Accommodations

Federal and state legislation requires the provision of accommodations for students with disabilities as identified on the secondary student’s Individual Educational Plan (IEP) or 504 plan or postsecondary student’s accommodations’ plan to meet individual needs and ensure equal access. Accommodations change the way the student is instructed. Students with disabilities may need accommodations in such areas as instructional methods and materials, assignments and assessments, time demands and schedules, learning environment, assistive technology and special communication systems. Documentation of the accommodations requested and provided should be maintained in a confidential file.

In addition to accommodations, some secondary students with disabilities (students with an IEP served in Exceptional Student Education (ESE)) will need modifications to meet their needs. Modifications change the outcomes or what the student is expected to learn, e.g., modifying the curriculum of a secondary career and technical education course. Note: postsecondary curriculum and regulated secondary programs cannot be modified.

Some secondary students with disabilities (ESE) may need additional time (i.e., longer than the regular school year), to master the student performance standards associated with a regular Occupational Completion Point (OCP) or a Modified Occupational Completion Point (MOCP). If needed, a student may enroll in the same career and technical course more than once. Documentation should be included in the IEP that clearly indicates that it is anticipated that the student may need an additional year to complete an OCP/MOCP. The student should work on different competencies and new applications of competencies each year toward completion of the OCP/MOCP. After achieving the competencies identified for the year, the student earns credit for the course. It is important to ensure that credits earned by students are reported accurately. The district’s information system must be designed to accept multiple credits for the same course number for eligible students with disabilities.

Additional Resources

For additional information regarding articulation agreements, Bright Futures Scholarships, Fine Arts/Practical Arts Credit and Equivalent Mathematics and Equally Rigorous Science Courses please refer to:
http://www.fldoe.org/academics/career-adult-edu/career-tech-edu/program-resources.stml