In January, the Board of Education conducted a linkage with local colleges and universities. As part of the discussion, regional and local labor markets were discussed as a way to inform programming for HSSD students and receive feedback from our partners. The district had recently partnered with Hanover Research to conduct a labor market research study, which was shared during the linkage. The study indicated that Human Services, Health Sciences, and Information Technology are the fields with the highest projected growth rate among the 16 career clusters, or industries, that Hanover identified in Brown County. Additionally, occupations in these top three industries typically offer at, or above average, living wage. The study also showed that beyond these three fields, about half of all of the various high growth occupations in Brown County require some form of education after high school.
Here in the Howard-Suamico School District (HSSD), we currently offer various career and technical education (CTE) courses to support students preparing for careers or higher education following graduation. As a next step, HSSD would like to explore the regional and local labor markets to determine labor market needs, reassess courses and programs, and potentially revise or expand current offerings. From the research study, HSSD Administrators and Bay Port staff will study and explore the possibility of designing pathways within Human Services, Health Science, and Information Technology industries.
Bay Port High School will be expanding Youth Apprenticeships for eligible students next school year. Apprentices will spend time taking courses specific to their respective industry and spending time in a place of employment, learning and working.
Apprentices will be paid a wage during the time they are at work. Applicants must be a sophomore or a junior who are on track toward a high school diploma and who are interested in a career in the related experience. HSSD strives to provide authentic learning experiences for students; preparing them to be college, career, and life ready.
For more information about the Howard-Suamico School District, please visit our website at www.hssdschools.org.
