Supervised Career Experience Project
To ensure that students are both college- and career-ready, they will be expected to complete a portfolio of their career experiences for each class. This includes the creation of a personal resume and cover letter as well as the completion of portfolios of a college they might attend and a career they might seek. Finally, they will be expected to complete 15 hours of direct career experience outside of the classroom. Just like you cannot get a driver’s license without experience behind the wheel, students will need actual career experience in order to be prepared to work for an employer someday.
Overview
Every student in most agriculture classes is required to complete the Supervised Career Experience. This entails 15 hours of career experience outside of class as well as career exploration and training in class. All details regarding this classroom component can be found in the links below. Students are expected to submit a portfolio of their experiences (see the checklist for required components) at the end of the semester which counts for 10% of their semester grade.
Newest Version: SCE Packet (Word)
Newest Version: SCE Packet (PDF)
"Do You Really Know Your SAE?" Graphic
National Council SAE Guiding Principles
Original Version: Supervised Career Experience Packet (Word)
Original Version: Supervised Career Experience Packet (PDF)
Original Version: Portfolio Checklist
Career Exploration
As part of the Supervised Career Experience, students are expected to profile a career that they are interested in pursuing after high school. Students are asked to explore agriculture careers to see if any are of interest to them. 338 careers are profiled in one-page summaries at the link below. Students do have the option of finding alternate information from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and other sources. Students can also use the FFA Career Explorer to narrow down their search for a career by salary, type, education, and industry.
Career Profiles
FFA Career Explorer
BigFuture Career Explorer
US Bureau of Labor Statistics
On-campus Opportunities
To assist students with career preparation, supervised career experiences are available on the Waterford campus through the Ag Department and the Waterford FFA. These individuals are overseen by the faculty of the department as well as the FFA Officers (who serve as a board of directors for hiring decisions). These positions include the following:
- School Forester– this individual oversees the student management of the school environmental center (school forest) and works to eliminate invasive species and pollutants, maximize biodiversity, and increase the awareness and appreciation of this facility by students and the public. Completion of Natural Resources - ES is recommended for potential applicants. Students in this position are eligible for performance-based stipends through a generous grant from Runzheimer Int'l.
- Animal Care Specialist – this individual arranges the acquisition and delivery of animals, organizes a team of students to care for them, and arranges for donations of funds and materials to feed, house, and care for these animals in order to ensure students have maximal opportunities for hands-on and applied experiences in agricultural sciences programming. Completion of Veterinary Pet Care and/or Large Animal Veterinary Science is recommended for potential applicants. Students in this position are eligible for performance-based stipends through a generous grant from Runzheimer Int'l.
- Ag Office Manager – this individual maintains and oversees the operations of the student office in the Agricultural Sciences Program by running the student mail system, organizing and filing all pertinent documents, and developing management strategies to ensure that all students’ organizational needs are met. Students in this position are eligible for performance-based stipends through a generous grant from Runzheimer Int'l.
- Ag Marketer & Media Specialist – this individual develops and implements a marketing plan for the Agricultural Sciences program in order to increase awareness of program opportunities and offerings, and develops support for the program by students, staff, and the general public through development and maintenance of a website, promotional videos, list-serves, and other multimedia formats. Students in this position are eligible for performance-based stipends through a generous grant from Runzheimer Int'l.
- Fruit Sale Manager – this individual oversees the largest fundraiser of the FFA and one of the largest fundraisers at WUHS. This individual creates the forms, sets prices, hires staff, distributes materials, records each order, writes receipts for all money received, organizes the delivery and distribution, and files paperwork for the 10% commission checks for each eligible seller. Applicants must be paid members of the Waterford FFA to be eligible. Students in this position are eligible for performance-based stipends paid from the money they raise.
- Greenhouse Manager – this individual is responsible for all activities that occur in the high school's greenhouse, including the acquisition and growth of poinsettias in the fall, marketing and selling the poinsettias during the fruit sale, implementation and execution of a spring plant sale, and/or research that occurs in the greenhouse at various points during the year (including that done by Summer Research Interns). Applicants must be paid members of the Waterford FFA to be eligible. Students in this position are eligible for performance-based stipends paid from the money they raise.
- Field Manager – this individual oversees all activities that occur in conjunction with the 16 acre field rented by the Waterford FFA. This individual ensures that a crop is planted, maintained, and harvested for a profit using donated resources, community partnerships, and/or their own personal labor. Applicants must be paid members of the Waterford FFA to be eligible. Students in this position are eligible for performance-based stipends paid from the money they raise.
- Summer Research Interns – individuals who apply and are accepted into this program conduct real scientific research using the agricultural laboratory, greenhouse, and the environment surrounding the Waterford community. Those conducting research that has a positive and permanent impact on the Waterford community can apply to be a part of the Summer Research Scholars program, funded by Runzheimer Int'l, in which students receive course credit and a generous stipend & scholarship to conduct their work. Agriscience is a prerequisite to take part in this program. Students are also welcome to conduct independent research at other points during the year; interested students should speak with their agricultural instructor for additional details.
- Ag Coop (School to Work) – individuals who apply and are accepted into this program are released early from classes for employment at an area agricultural, ecological, or scientific business or agency. This requires at least a one-semester commitment. Students need to make arrangements with their potential employer and the department chairman (Mr. Kohn) prior to enrolling in this program during course registration. Students may use paid employment for this experience if approved by the ag department.
In case of problems:
If a student is having difficulty finding a career opportunity, they should speak with their agriculture instructor who can determine their career interests and work with the program's network of community and Alumni members to determine the most appropriate placement opportunities. For any questions or concerns, please email Mr. Kohn at [email protected] .
Personal Preparation for Careers Course
Students may also wish to take part in the Personal Preparation for Careers course, offered in the spring semester of each school year. While this experience does not count towards the Supervised Career Experience, it does help a student to maximize their preparation for college and for careers through specific involvement in activities in FFA designed for this purpose. Call, email, or meet with an ag instructor to receive more information, or visit this page.
Additional Resources for Instructors
The following resources are available to other teachers to help explain the purpose of this program, to grade student projects, and to assess a student's readiness for careers.
Parent Letter
Performance Review Form
Grading Rubric for the 15 Hours Requirement
Educator Effectiveness
This program is also being used as part of the Educator Effectiveness requirement for the teachers in the Agricultural Sciences Department at Waterford Union High School. The materials below are used to assess student progress and development as a result of the SCE project. The change in self-reported scores from the beginning to the end of the semester will be used to for the educator effectiveness assessment.
Student Survey
Student Survey Score Calculator (for teachers; replace existing info with your own)
Questions? Email Mr. Kohn at [email protected] or call at 262-534-3189 x 7309.
All materials are free to be used in other programs provided the author is cited.
To ensure that students are both college- and career-ready, they will be expected to complete a portfolio of their career experiences for each class. This includes the creation of a personal resume and cover letter as well as the completion of portfolios of a college they might attend and a career they might seek. Finally, they will be expected to complete 15 hours of direct career experience outside of the classroom. Just like you cannot get a driver’s license without experience behind the wheel, students will need actual career experience in order to be prepared to work for an employer someday.
Overview
Every student in most agriculture classes is required to complete the Supervised Career Experience. This entails 15 hours of career experience outside of class as well as career exploration and training in class. All details regarding this classroom component can be found in the links below. Students are expected to submit a portfolio of their experiences (see the checklist for required components) at the end of the semester which counts for 10% of their semester grade.
Newest Version: SCE Packet (Word)
Newest Version: SCE Packet (PDF)
"Do You Really Know Your SAE?" Graphic
National Council SAE Guiding Principles
Original Version: Supervised Career Experience Packet (Word)
Original Version: Supervised Career Experience Packet (PDF)
Original Version: Portfolio Checklist
Career Exploration
As part of the Supervised Career Experience, students are expected to profile a career that they are interested in pursuing after high school. Students are asked to explore agriculture careers to see if any are of interest to them. 338 careers are profiled in one-page summaries at the link below. Students do have the option of finding alternate information from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and other sources. Students can also use the FFA Career Explorer to narrow down their search for a career by salary, type, education, and industry.
Career Profiles
FFA Career Explorer
BigFuture Career Explorer
US Bureau of Labor Statistics
On-campus Opportunities
To assist students with career preparation, supervised career experiences are available on the Waterford campus through the Ag Department and the Waterford FFA. These individuals are overseen by the faculty of the department as well as the FFA Officers (who serve as a board of directors for hiring decisions). These positions include the following:
- School Forester– this individual oversees the student management of the school environmental center (school forest) and works to eliminate invasive species and pollutants, maximize biodiversity, and increase the awareness and appreciation of this facility by students and the public. Completion of Natural Resources - ES is recommended for potential applicants. Students in this position are eligible for performance-based stipends through a generous grant from Runzheimer Int'l.
- Animal Care Specialist – this individual arranges the acquisition and delivery of animals, organizes a team of students to care for them, and arranges for donations of funds and materials to feed, house, and care for these animals in order to ensure students have maximal opportunities for hands-on and applied experiences in agricultural sciences programming. Completion of Veterinary Pet Care and/or Large Animal Veterinary Science is recommended for potential applicants. Students in this position are eligible for performance-based stipends through a generous grant from Runzheimer Int'l.
- Ag Office Manager – this individual maintains and oversees the operations of the student office in the Agricultural Sciences Program by running the student mail system, organizing and filing all pertinent documents, and developing management strategies to ensure that all students’ organizational needs are met. Students in this position are eligible for performance-based stipends through a generous grant from Runzheimer Int'l.
- Ag Marketer & Media Specialist – this individual develops and implements a marketing plan for the Agricultural Sciences program in order to increase awareness of program opportunities and offerings, and develops support for the program by students, staff, and the general public through development and maintenance of a website, promotional videos, list-serves, and other multimedia formats. Students in this position are eligible for performance-based stipends through a generous grant from Runzheimer Int'l.
- Fruit Sale Manager – this individual oversees the largest fundraiser of the FFA and one of the largest fundraisers at WUHS. This individual creates the forms, sets prices, hires staff, distributes materials, records each order, writes receipts for all money received, organizes the delivery and distribution, and files paperwork for the 10% commission checks for each eligible seller. Applicants must be paid members of the Waterford FFA to be eligible. Students in this position are eligible for performance-based stipends paid from the money they raise.
- Greenhouse Manager – this individual is responsible for all activities that occur in the high school's greenhouse, including the acquisition and growth of poinsettias in the fall, marketing and selling the poinsettias during the fruit sale, implementation and execution of a spring plant sale, and/or research that occurs in the greenhouse at various points during the year (including that done by Summer Research Interns). Applicants must be paid members of the Waterford FFA to be eligible. Students in this position are eligible for performance-based stipends paid from the money they raise.
- Field Manager – this individual oversees all activities that occur in conjunction with the 16 acre field rented by the Waterford FFA. This individual ensures that a crop is planted, maintained, and harvested for a profit using donated resources, community partnerships, and/or their own personal labor. Applicants must be paid members of the Waterford FFA to be eligible. Students in this position are eligible for performance-based stipends paid from the money they raise.
- Summer Research Interns – individuals who apply and are accepted into this program conduct real scientific research using the agricultural laboratory, greenhouse, and the environment surrounding the Waterford community. Those conducting research that has a positive and permanent impact on the Waterford community can apply to be a part of the Summer Research Scholars program, funded by Runzheimer Int'l, in which students receive course credit and a generous stipend & scholarship to conduct their work. Agriscience is a prerequisite to take part in this program. Students are also welcome to conduct independent research at other points during the year; interested students should speak with their agricultural instructor for additional details.
- Ag Coop (School to Work) – individuals who apply and are accepted into this program are released early from classes for employment at an area agricultural, ecological, or scientific business or agency. This requires at least a one-semester commitment. Students need to make arrangements with their potential employer and the department chairman (Mr. Kohn) prior to enrolling in this program during course registration. Students may use paid employment for this experience if approved by the ag department.
In case of problems:
If a student is having difficulty finding a career opportunity, they should speak with their agriculture instructor who can determine their career interests and work with the program's network of community and Alumni members to determine the most appropriate placement opportunities. For any questions or concerns, please email Mr. Kohn at [email protected] .
Personal Preparation for Careers Course
Students may also wish to take part in the Personal Preparation for Careers course, offered in the spring semester of each school year. While this experience does not count towards the Supervised Career Experience, it does help a student to maximize their preparation for college and for careers through specific involvement in activities in FFA designed for this purpose. Call, email, or meet with an ag instructor to receive more information, or visit this page.
Additional Resources for Instructors
The following resources are available to other teachers to help explain the purpose of this program, to grade student projects, and to assess a student's readiness for careers.
Parent Letter
Performance Review Form
Grading Rubric for the 15 Hours Requirement
Educator Effectiveness
This program is also being used as part of the Educator Effectiveness requirement for the teachers in the Agricultural Sciences Department at Waterford Union High School. The materials below are used to assess student progress and development as a result of the SCE project. The change in self-reported scores from the beginning to the end of the semester will be used to for the educator effectiveness assessment.
Student Survey
Student Survey Score Calculator (for teachers; replace existing info with your own)
Questions? Email Mr. Kohn at [email protected] or call at 262-534-3189 x 7309.
All materials are free to be used in other programs provided the author is cited.