Viewing and Understanding Service-Learning Through the Lens of Academia. This session was presented at the "Creating Engaged Communities: The Role of Service-Learning" conference at the St. Cloud State University Welcome Center on May 23, 2011.

1. Minnesota Career Fields, Clusters & Pathways Chart Explanation
foundation Career fields Career Clusters Career Pathways
knowledge
and skills Career fields, which are identi- Career clusters, which are identified in the bold, Career pathways, which
fied in the segmented ring colored bullets ( n ), represent a grouping of are identified by the
Foundation Knowledge around Foundational Knowl- occupations and broad industries into a national symbol ( > ) under each
and Skills, located in the edge and Skills, are the organiz- classification of 16 clusters that are based upon cluster heading, represent
centermost circle of the ing structure for the 16 career common knowledge and skills. Career clusters an organization of related
Minnesota Career Fields, clusters and 81 pathways. The include hundreds of occupations that may be occupational areas within
Clusters & Pathways fields represent the broadest grouped into pathways around which educational a specific career cluster.
chart, represent the base aggregation of careers. Stu- programs of study can be built. Each of these pathways
from which to build work dents are normally exposed ~ Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources has identified knowl-
and college readiness. to career field exploration in ~ Hospitality and Tourism edge and skills validated
middle school and early high ~ Architecture and Construction by industry from which
school. Career fields have been ~ Human Services programs and programs of
see reverse side identified as: ~ Arts, Audio/Video Technology and Communications study are developed.
~ Agriculture, Food, & Natu- ~ Information Technology
ral Resources ~ Business, Management, and Administration
~ Arts, Communications, & ~ Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security
Information Systems ~ Education and Training
~ Engineering, Manufactur- ~ Manufacturing
ing, & Technology ~ Finance
~ Health Science Technology ~ Marketing, Sales, and Service
~ Human Services ~ Government and Public Administration
The Minnesota State Colleges and
~ Business, Management, & ~ Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
Universities system and the Minnesota
Department of Education are Equal Administration ~ Health Science
Opportunity employers and educators. ~ Transportation, Distribution, Logistics
Minnesota Programs of Study
The Minnesota Career Fields, Clusters & Pathways Programs of study are sets of aligned programs ~ Course portability for seamless progression; and
chart, on the reverse side, graphically depicts the and curricula that begin at the high school level and ~ Connections between high school and postsecondary
organizing framework of the foundation knowledge continue through college and university certificate, education, skill progression, and career oppor-
and skills, career fields, career clusters, and career diploma and degree programs. The following are tunities that align academic credentials with job
pathways that Minnesota will use for developing some of the key elements that underlie the definition: advancement in high-skill, high-wage or high-
programs of study in career and technical education. ~ Competency based curricula tied to industry demand occupations.
Once developed, learners at various levels (high expectations and skill standards;
school, collegiate, or workforce training level) will ~ Sequential course offerings that lead to manage-
then be able to choose from several individual able “stepping stones” of skill building, high school
programs within a program of study in order to attain graduation and postsecondary education completion;
the specific knowledge, skills and abilities needed to ~ Flexible course and program formats convenient
pursue a career of their choice. for learner segments;
October 2007