By Brenda Jones

I became interested in Career and Technical Education program development at The Pathway Home after conversations with the education supervisor who believed as I did, that career experiences and vocational opportunities can have positive effects on self-esteem and employability of at-risk youth. We continually found ourselves referring to the importance of students leaving The Pathway Home with a powerful, positive vision for their futures. I have developed a model that will provide students with opportunities to explore career options while engaging in basic academic core curriculum to form the building blocks necessary for attaining long term self-sufficiency. My MAP project, Career and Technical Education in an Adolescent Alaska Native Treatment Program, consisted of working with TPH administration and staff to develop a career and technical education (CTE) model that can be employed within an Alaska Native adolescent residential treatment program. It combines the best research, effective curriculum, healthy activities, academic and career counseling, cooperation, collaboration, and resource coordination. I assert that this model will cultivate TPH students’ positive visions of their own futures and promote their readiness to attend either college or vocational training for successful transition into the workforce.

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Brenda Jones is a graduate of the APU Master of Arts Program.