Click on the Grant Year to view the Project Descriptions

Total Dollar Amount Requested

Total Dollar Amount Funded

Grant Year 2007-2008

$1,899,431.16

$449,970.00

Grant Year 2008-2009

$1,063,640.00

$426,226.00

Grant Year 2009-2010

$764,794.00

$471,294.00

TOTAL

$3,727,865.16

$1,347,490.00

2007-2008 – Initial Grant Year
NDE received 30 applications totaling $1,899,431.16 in requests for funding for Career Education programs.

2008-2009 – Second Grant Year
NDE received 15 applications totaling $1,063,640.00 in requests for funding for Career Education programs.

2009-2010 – Third Grant Year
NDE received 12 applications totaling $764,794.00 in requests for funding for Career Education programs.

Deshler

ESU 5 and SCC Career Academies Project

"Phase two" of development of the Career Academy Project (CAP) in Gage, Jefferson, and Thayer counties. College-level classes for dual credit. The second of two ground-breaking Career Academy development projects in the state, this partnership has been laying the groundwork for career academies since January 2008. Two Academies are counting down to launch their initial classes in fall 2009: Health Sciences and Business, Marketing, and Management. Five objectives must be met to ensure success in the first year of implementation: one, establish a portfolio template of career exploration activities, forms, and resources that may be used by students at all school districts involved in the academy project and which may be replicated on a broader scale state-wide. Two, develop a network of contacts in local business and industry for tours, speakers, field trips, and job shadowing experiences. Three, develop a semester-long, daily schedule of academy classes and career planning and exploration activities. Four, enroll seventy-five students (or more) in both academies. Five, encourage professional development of secondary and post secondary faculty and staff. Two part-time regional coordinators will be funded through the CEPA grant to assist the CAP director in reaching these objectives.                                           Grant Budget, $74,810

Develop and implement four programs of study in Agriculture Production, Horticulture, Agribusiness Management, and Veterinary Technology.  Entrepreneurial classes added to each program of study will attract students with a wide diversity of interests.  Faculty will be encouraged to increase entrepreneurial principles in the classroom while internships provided by partners will provide a tremendous opportunity for our students to apply what they have been learning in the classroom to real-life situations.  The NCTA, GRHS, and CPS partnership will include college placements tests for diagnostic purposes in middle school and early high school.
Grant Budget, $75,000

The Northeast Nebraska Pathways to Success Project will provide career guidance and instruction to area high school students through a coordinated series of Career Academies. Initial academies are planned in Drafting, Manufacturing, and Health Occupations. These academies will be designed to assist students in defining, testing, and achieving their career objectives within two of the six career clusters identified on the Nebraska Career Education website. The majority of course options will be delivered as dual credit with existing articulation pathways. Academies will be designed for various methods of distance learning delivery. Create sequences of courses for dual credit that prepare students for careers in disciplines that directly reflect the needs of the local labor market. Align the curricula of secondary and postsecondary programs of study. Incorporate innovative, research-based practices. Provide career information and guidance through the establishment of Personal Learning Plans. Effectively use technology in delivering high quality career education to as many students as possible. Assure rigorous and relevant curricula that are informed by the needs of the workplace.
Grant Budget, $75,000

Eleven ESU 4 schools will partner to plan and implement one or more Career Academies. Southeast Community College will provide access to college curriculum, instruction, and credit. Cooper Nuclear Station will support with job shadowing/internship opportunities for a wide range of careers, from accounting and finance, information technology, and telecommunication technology to environmental engineering and substation management.
Grant Budget, $75,000

Project will target the Industrial Technology and Medical Careers Pathway programs. In Industrial Technology, proposed activities are revisions to the Manufacturing 1 & 2 class to place more emphasis on areas affecting local manufacturers, professional development for 2 industrial technology teachers concerning the school's Computer Numerical Control (CNC) mill, and addition of welding and machining instructional materials. In the Medical Careers Pathway program, proposed activities are additions of career pathway units (CPUs) in veterinary science, forensic science, and dental diagnostics, and CPU management software. Courses offered include Introduction to Medical Careers, Medical Careers Independent Study, Clinical Nutrition, Sports Medicine, Medical Terminology, Certified Nursing Assistant, Dental Careers, and Athletic Training. CPUs are used in the Medical Pathway program.
Grant Budget, $22,271

Develop, implement, and evaluate Mid-Plains Community College's Career Academy in the communities of Imperial, Wauneta, Palisade, Benkelman and Stratton via partnerships and advisement from local businesses. Throughout the Technology Career Academy process, students will be trained in business management, including entrepreneurial and marketing skills, to assist in meeting the business plan of a technology-based process. The business established by participating students will provide a needed "off-site backup" system for schools and small businesses in the area.  Programs of study will be developed that allow participating students to proceed in a succinct sequence of courses for their selected career path. Students who utilize programs offered in the MPCC Career Academy completion will leave the program with a high school diploma, a completed internship, an Associate's Degree in their chosen field and the skills necessary to access jobs that are above entry-level positions.
Grant Budget, $74,210

Total Grant Awards for 2009-2010 = $471,294.00
Total School Districts Involved = 31

Goal/Purpose

Section 79-766 R.R.S. states that: “The purpose of the Career Education Partnership Act is to support schools in Nebraska in continuing and enhancing career education programs through state grants. The act shall:

(1) Identify and explore options for Nebraska Career Education implementation in different sizes of schools;

(2) Collaborate with ongoing school improvement efforts;

(3) Create models of collaboration between career and academic education;

(4) Encourage relationships and coordination in support of entrepreneurship education;

(5) Develop partnerships between public secondary and postsecondary institutions; and

(6) Develop partnerships with business and industry based on Nebraska workforce development needs."

Use of Grant Funds

Section 79-767(2) R.R.S. provides that: “Grant money shall be used to provide for equitable opportunities for students in a minimum of two of the following areas:

(a) Assist schools in developing academic competencies, technical competencies, and basic work-skill foundations for students;

(b) Assist schools in developing curriculum;

(c) Assist schools in employing certified teachers related to the purposes of the act; and

(d) Assist schools in providing professional development for certified teachers who provide course instruction.”