Contact Us
Invest

Career Connected Learning

Sustainable communities are built on strong social and economic systems that steward the environmental systems that support them. Career connected learning (CCL) is an initiative developed through partnerships between educators, workforce development professionals and employers seeking articulated pathways describing  how the knowledge, skills, and abilities a student gains in pre-K-12 schooling articulates with the needs to successfully become employed or move into post-secondary programs (certifications, Associate, Bachelor, Masters, and Doctoral degrees).

Our work has always connected students to actual questions, problems, issues, and opportunities that employed people in their community are facing – we engage students in the real work of the community. CCL at PEI is the intentional support we provide educators to ensure that the work students do in the classroom is meaningful in the community outside the classroom.

  • At younger grade levels, students visit local organizations and businesses to learn about the work in their communities and gain exposure to the variety of work that relates to the natural resources, agriculture, and environmental sectors.
  • In intermediate grades, they continue to be exposed to more professionals in their community and begin to explore the skills needed to succeed in those professions.
  • In middle and high school, students take their career exploration to a new level with work-integrated learning wherein they actively investigate questions, design solutions, or build consensus in the classroom to make contributions to local organizations or businesses actual work. Students at these grade levels may also be involved in work-based learning, where they work at a job site, or even internships and apprenticeships.

At all levels, engaging students in the work of their community gives them a “seat at the table” by strengthening their knowledge and skills and empowering their voice in their communities. Our FieldSTEM Model, when implemented with high-impact field experiences at every grade level, builds the knowledge, skills and abilities of students pre-K-12 toward jobs in the natural resource, agriculture, environmental, and outdoor recreation sectors.

Download our Career Connected Learning Teaching Materials and Resources and our Career Connected Learning Research and Reports.