A collaboration between educators and business leaders requires several components, notes Melissa Stiffler, career and technical education director for Iola-USD 257.
Schools want to produce skilled graduates; businesses want a productive workforce.
That said, the challenge is considerably more difficult when they’re not on the same page.
Stiffler, speaking at Wednesday’s “Workforce Connections” symposium at Iola High School, recounted a conversation a few years back with a business representative about a certification program.
Midway through the conversation, the business rep stopped Stiffler in her tracks.
Phrases such as “curriculum,” “pathways” and even “CTE” were falling on deaf ears because those aren’t common terms used in most businesses.
