Special post by Denise DuBois, Realityworks Family and Consumer Sciences Senior Product Manager; Executive Council, National Consortium for Health Science Education; Co-Chair, Alliance for Family and Consumer Sciences
“‘Never seen it this bad: America faces catastrophic teacher shortage” reads an August 2022 headline from The Washington Post. Teacher shortages have been a concern in recent years, as the number of students graduating with teaching credentials has not been sufficient to keep up with classroom needs.
To address the shortage, Career and Technical Education (CTE) Programs have turned to Family & Consumer Sciences (FCS) educators to help build a much-needed educator pipeline for future classroom teachers and administrators. As AAFCS Co-Chair, I’m honored to be part of this important effort.
Growing job opportunities
Statistics show the U.S. education and training sector employs more than 9.2 million individuals, educates 71 million students and contributes $251 billion to the U.S. GDP. The job outlook in education and training remains excellent. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the field of education is expected to grow at a faster than average rate over the next 10 years.
More school districts than ever are starting education and training pathway programs with the FCS department taking the lead. The goal of the Education & Training Career Cluster® is to prepare people to support the learning needs of youth and adult students. Jobs in the sector are found in early childhood services and education, the K-12 system, postsecondary education, and adult workforce training. These high-skilled jobs require individuals dedicated to educating the public and improving life outcomes.
According to LEADFCS (Leading, Engaging, Advocating, Developing Family & Consumer Sciences Education), the career pathways and clusters suggested in the Framework for FCS in CTE were identified through a national survey of FCS State Administrators about which clusters and pathways were supported through their CTE state leadership initiatives. Administrators use local, regional, and state workforce demand data to guide decisions about which FCS programs can be leveraged to meet both student interest and workforce demand. In many districts, teaching and training are identified as a need that must be filled!
Training new teachers
“FCS educators who provide opportunities for students to gain practical experience in the education and training pathway make such an impact,” stated Susan Turgeson, Ed.D., CFCS, University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point Family & Consumer Sciences Associate Professor. “Students who have been able to observe classroom teachers, assist in classrooms, and teach lessons are more confident in their decision to pursue a degree in education.”
“University students in education typically credit a former teacher for inspiring them to follow a career in the education and training pathway and value the mentoring they have received,” Turgeson continued. “Being a positive role model is probably the most important thing a teacher can do to motivate more students to choose an education profession!”
CTSO support
The impact that student participation in a Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) is tremendous. Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), the leading FCS CTSO organization supports education and training with several student competitions.
Turgeson, who is also the university’s program director of Family & Consumer Sciences Education, shared that “students who have had experience in FCCLA have many advantages… They have a strong sense of their career goals and have experience with public speaking, teamwork, and program facilitation and are ready to hit the ground running.”
FCCLA created an Education & Training Task Force to identify what they can do to better serve advisers and teachers within the Education & Training pathways. Task force members include FCCLA state advisers, FCS state administrators, FCS supporters and Education & Training teachers from across the country. As a member of the task force myself, I’ve seen the passion this group has for providing students with the most effective preparation in education and training — and it’s contagious!
According to Sandy Spavone, FCCLA executive director, the FCS CTSO offers a diverse set of competitive events that provide this growth opportunity for aspiring educators. With over 24 events tailored to the education profession and three more in development, FCCLA provides students options to explore and prepare to be future educators. FCCLA’s competitive events also offer a hands-on learning experience in lesson planning, classroom management, and working with students. By participating in these competitions, FCCLA members can develop into highly skilled and trained educators, building a solid foundation for their future careers in education.
Additional resources
Looking for resources to support your own education and training programs? We’re here to help! Consider:
- For those programs starting from scratch, our Education and Training Pathway Package is a game-changer! It provides 11 hands-on resources and 80 hours of content.
- For programs looking to expand or enhance hands-on learning, explore our interactive training tools for Education and Training
- If you haven’t already, consider participating in AAFCS’ Virtual Professional Development (VDP) series, which will feature one of my favorite webinars, “Engaging FCS Career Exploration: Free Resources to Use Tomorrow.”
- See the learning aids we recommend using to prepare your students for FCCLA competitive events in Education and Training
If you’d like more resources for Education and Training, contact our team. We get our best ideas for classroom resources from FCS teachers!
