College, Career, Community, Future Ready

The Oshkosh Area School District is committed to partnering with the community to help students form a career identity.  This supports Goal 1 of the OASD Strategic Plan:  Improve Student Learning for All to Ensure College, Career, and Community Ready.  A broad array of opportunities are provided to:

• Explore career connections to passions and interests.
• Understand that career pathways have many different entry points and that pathways can be combined in different ways to meet a young adult’s hopes and dreams.  
• Investigate similarities, differences, and transferable credits between 4 year, 2 year, certificate and degree programs. 

All middle and high school students engage in four career lessons annually through Xello, which is a state-wide college and career readiness software program. Lessons are designed to build self-knowledge, explore career options, create a career plan, and learn about post-secondary options. 

Middle School (6-8) 

Career planning is an integral component of the OASD’s comprehensive school counseling model. Career exploration opportunities are planned for students throughout middle school.

• Middle School Tours
  • The OASD strives to provide unique opportunities for students to learn about and experience a variety of careers. The district collaborates with local businesses and educational organizations to provide students with tours, field trips and hands-on learning throughout their middle school years.
• Grade 8 - Career Cluster Showcase
  • Students explore career opportunities through area businesses and post-secondary institutions.  
• Grade 8 - Junior Achievement Finance Park
  • Students enrolled in Teen Money (a required financial literacy course) experience the Junior Achievement Finance Park as a culminating experience. 

High School (9-12) 

The OASD provides opportunities for high school students that support the National Career Clusters® Framework, sixteen career clusters that represent more than 79 career pathways

• Youth Apprenticeships (YA): Youth Apprenticeships are an opportunity for junior and seniors to gain supervised work experience in the following areas:
  • Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources
  • Finance
  • Health Services
  • Hospitality, Lodging, and Tourism
  • Information and Technology
  • Manufacturing
  • Arts, AV/Communication, and Communications
  • STEM
  • Transportation and Logistics
  • Architecture and Construction
  • Marketing
• Start College Now (Formerly Youth Options): Start College Now allows high school students the opportunity to take college courses at Wisconsin Technical Colleges. Students looking to take courses in the fall semester must turn in the application by March 1, 2020. For spring semester courses the same application is used, however the due date is October 1, 2020.
• Resume and Interview Prep: Resume and Interview Preparation in partnership with the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce and Society of Human Resource Managers (SHRM).  Students in Personal Financial Literacy and Consumer Finance prepare resumes and participate in interviews with area businesses. 
• School-to-Work Program: The Oshkosh Area School District's School2Work (S2W) program - in partnership with area manufacturing companies - provides an opportunity for high school seniors to earn their high school diploma while immersed in a paid capstone manufacturing experience. 
• Senior Talent Track: Hosted by the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce, the Senior Talent Track is an annual hiring event  aimed to support high school seniors who plan to enter the workforce immediately after graduation. 

Wisconsin Act 94, signed in 2017,  requires school districts to adopt academic standards for financial literacy and incorporate instruction into the curriculum in grades kindergarten to 12. The Oshkosh Area School District incorporates the Wisconsin State Financial Literacy Standards (link)  through the following areas: 

• K-5 Partnership with Junior Achievement
• 6-8 Required Coursework
  • Grade 8 Teen Money; Finance Park in partnership with Junior Achievement
• 9-12  Required Coursework--0.5 credits in financial literacy required for graduation (select one)
  • Personal Financial Literacy (Business Department)
  • UWO Personal Finance
  • Consumer Finance (Family and Consumer Science Department)
  • Agribusiness Management (Agriculture Department)

These opportunities are intended to foster the  knowledge and skills to establish sound financial habits.

Today’s life and work environments require far more than thinking skills and content knowledge. Soft skills are important in the modern workplace to ensure a collaborative and productive work environment.

K-8

The Oshkosh Area School District adopted the following K-8 Life and Career Skills based on the Partnership for 21st Century Learning. Additionally, specific courses at the high school level use Life and Career Skills to guide instruction and provide feedback to students. 

• FLEXIBILITY AND ADAPTABILITY:  Apply problem solving skills in a changing environment
• INITIATIVE AND SELF-DIRECTION:  Works toward goals with pride
• SOCIAL AND CROSS-CULTURAL SKILLS:  Interacts effectively with others
• PRODUCTIVITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY:  Accountable for group and individual tasks in a timely manner
• LEADERSHIP AND RESPONSIBILITY:  Encourage others to contribute positively to school and community