Annual Jump Start Summer Institute Takes New Shape to Better Serve Regional Needs
BATON ROUGE, La. -- More than 650 Louisiana educators will attend this year's
Jump Start Super Summer Institute, a series of statewide professional development sessions designed to enhance career and technical education. The annual event, which for the first time is being offered through multiple sessions in various cities to better serve the state's regional needs, provides secondary and post-secondary educators with the opportunity to attend training sessions and earn Industry-Based Certifications aligned with the Jump Start pathways they teach.
Jump Start, Louisiana's premier career and technical education program, prepares high school students to secure careers in our state's leading industries. Students enroll in a specialized progression of courses called pathways to attain industry-promulgated and valued credentials in order to graduate with a career diploma or to enhance their university-preparatory diploma. There are currently 49 pathways, and Jump Start regional teams are developing more.
"Since 2014, Louisiana teachers participating in the training have earned more than 1,600 certifications," said State Superintendent John White. "What's more: they have taken the knowledge and experience they gained back to their classrooms to better equip their students with the skills needed to continue their education and training after high school and find success in a high-wage, high-demand career."
This year, certification training courses will be offered in the following areas:
- Agriculture: Louisiana Agritechnology
- Construction Crafts: National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) Carpentry Level I and II; NCCER Core Curriculum; NCCER Electrical Level I and II; NCCER Instructor Certification Training; NCCER Welding Level I and II
- Business Management and Administration: Statewide Micro-Enterprise
- Health Science: Basic Life Support CPR Instructor, Certified Patient Care Technician, Certified Clinical Medical Assistant, Certified Nurse Assistant, Emergency Medical Responder - Initial and Refresher, Basic Life Support Healthcare Provider
- Information Technology: Adobe Certified Associate: Dreamweaver, Flash Professional, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Premiere Pro; Autodesk AutoCAD Certified User; CIW Web Foundations Associate Internet Business Associate; CIW Web Foundations Associate Network Technology Associate, Computing Technology Industry Association; Fundamentals of JavaScript, Functional Programming and Web Development, Level I
- Other: Introductory Career Essentials
This year, instead of hosting one multi-day institute in one location, the certification courses will be offered throughout various regional sessions. The sessions, which began this week, include:
- June 4-8, 2018: Bossier Parish School for Technology & Innovative Learning in Bossier City
- June 11-15, 2018: College Street Trades and Industries Center in Lake Charles; Lafourche Career Magnet Center in Lockport
- July 16-20, 2018: East Ascension High School in Gonzales; Live Oak High School in Denham Springs; Doyle High School and Livingston Parish Literacy and Technology Center in Livingston; Carencro High School in Lafayette
- July 23-27, 2018: Bossier Parish School for Technology and Innovative Learning in Bossier City; Operation Spark in New Orleans
In addition, the National Emergency Medical Services Academy in Lafayette is offering introductory and refresher courses now through July 20, 2018.
For more information on all sessions and their unique offerings,
click here.The training courses will be taught by industry-certified instructors from high schools, colleges, private companies, or the certifying agencies who oversee the certification. At the conclusion of each session, participants will be required to take a test, and those who successfully pass will be certified in the career field they studied.
The Institute is funded by the state and by school systems through Career Development Fund allocations and Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Grant funding. It is co-hosted by Acadian Ambulance, Operation Spark, Lafayette Parish School Board, Lafourche Parish School Board, Livingston Parish Public Schools, Bossier Parish Public Schools, Calcasieu Parish Public Schools and Ascension Parish Public Schools.
The Jump Start Super Summer Institute kicks off an exciting year for the program. In 2018-2019:
- Additional K-16 pathways in digital design and emergent media, and environmental protection and sustainability will be added to the statewide roster, pending approval by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education;
- A new career readiness course developed by participants in the Louisiana Educator Voice Fellowship and designed to replace Journeys to Careers will be piloted in select school systems;
- The Jump Start Summers program, in which students earn academic credits and industry-based credentials while honing their workplace "soft skills" and receiving a summer wage, will be expanded to more students in more school systems; and
- A career and technical education-focused leadership academy will be launched.
For updates about the 2018 Super Summer Institute,
follow Jump Start on Twitter. Event participants are encouraged to use the hashtag #SSI2018.