National Policy on Vocational Development & Skills Training

  1. Name

The name of this policy shall be National Policy on Vocational Development and Skill Trainings, hereinafter refers as the “PVDST”

  1. Purpose

This Policy is hereby established for the Education Sector in the nation to provide and ensure accesses to vocational education programs and other skill development and trainings for high school level students and youths.

III. Statutory Authority

Pursuant to provisions of Title 40 of the FSM Code on secondary education and the nation’s Strategic Development Plan under Strategic Goal Number 3, Chief Executive Council Resolution #2008-2, FACSSO Resolutions and Resolution JEMCO 2010-6(b), the National and States’ Departments of Education has been directed to improve the vocational education program and skill development training in respond to the manpower needs in the FSM and the Guam Military Build-up.

  1. Force and Effects

This Policy is to be treated as a directive with the force and effects of FSM Laws from the Department of Education, pursuant to the aforesaid statutory requirements and agreement and any breach thereof may be subject to the discretion of the National Government.

  1. Definitions

These definitions shall apply to acronyms, terms and concepts used in this Policy only:

  1. “CTE” shall stand for Career and Technical Education.
  2. “NDOE” shall refer to the National Department of Education.
  3. “SDOE” shall refer to the States’ Department of Education.
  4. “Standards” shall refer to the Career & Technical Education Standard 2009 and any standards contained in the National Curriculum Standards & Benchmarks pertained to vocational education or career & technical education.
  5. “Secondary school” shall mean any public or non-public school that provides standardized instruction and relevant services to high school youth ages 13 to 16 or older, but less than 21.
  6. “Director” shall mean the applicable head of the Department of Education of the states of Chuuk, Pohnpei, Yap and Kosrae in the Federated States of Micronesia.
  7. “Secretary” shall mean the head of the Department of Education, FSM National Government.
  8. “CTE Instructors” shall mean any duly certified person whose formal duties and responsibilities are to impart knowledge and skills to students in the secondary schools.
  9. Vocational Development & Skill Training Requirements

This Policy hereby establishes the requirements as herein provided, setting forth the establishment of vocational development and skill trainings as a separate learning track for the public schools in the nation based on the adopted 2008 FSM Career & Technical Education Curriculum Standards and the States’ DOE’s CTE Curriculum frameworks:

  1. Career Awareness – The States’ Department of Education shall develop and implement basic instructional courses and activities that support and promote career awareness for grade-cluster levels ECE-4th grades based on the States’ DOE’s CTE curriculum frameworks or the FSM Career & Technical Education Curriculum Standards;
  2. Career Exploration – The States’ Department of Education shall develop and implement basic instructional courses that support and promote career exploration for grade-cluster levels 5th –8th grades based on the States’ DOE’s CTE curriculum frameworks or the FSM Career & Technical Education Curriculum Standards.
  3. Career Pathways – The States’ Department of Education shall developed and implement CTE curriculum for grade-cluster levels 9th – 12th grades in the following manners:
  4. Foundation and transitional skills – the high schools shall focus on providing basic and required skills in Language Arts, Math, applied Science, Technology and other relevant pre-requisites to career development and vocational skills to freshmen and sophomores enlisted in CTE field of studies;
  5. Career Studies – Juniors and seniors shall concentrate on selected career and/or vocational fields toward achieving the established credits equivalent to journeymen certificate levels.
  6. Freshmen enlisting in CTE field of studies shall possess at least 2.0 GPA in their primary schools’ transcripts.
  7. High schools shall have the options of referring at-risk students to alternative vocational skill training and monitor such students’ learning abilities and study behaviors.
  8. High schools shall prepare the CTE senior students to pass COM CTE aptitude tests to continue CTE at the college levels or enter the local and/or Guam build-up workforce.
  9. Career pathways shall include, but not limited to, the following:
  10. Automotive technology
  11. Building construction
  12. Business accounting
  13. Electronics
  14. Family & consumer science
  15. Farming Systems & products
  16. Small-scale fishing
  17. Science technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)
  18. Tourism
  19. CTE Instructors at the high school levels shall be required to be certified pursuant to provisions of the FSM Teacher Certificate Policy.
  20. All CTE senior students satisfactorily meeting their respective career and vocational field of studies at the high schools shall be issued CTE special certificates from the NDOE in addition to the schools’ certificates of completion

VII. Career Studies

The NDOE and SDOE shall promote and support the CTE activities at the high school levels and allow them to select or enhance, based on the levels of their resources, any identified career studies as herein provided:

  1. Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources
    2. Architecture and Construction
    3. Art, Audiovisual Technology & Communication
    4. Business Management and Administration
    5. Education & Training
    6. Finance
    7. Government & Public Administration
    8. Health Science
    9. Hospitality & Tourism
    10. Human Services
    11. Information Technology
    12. Law, Public Safety, Security, Correction Services
    13. Manufacturing
    14. Marketing, Sales & Service
    15. Science Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM)
    16. Transportation, Distribution and Logistic

VIII. School Improvement Plans & Funding Streams

The SDOEs shall make available to the high schools funding sources out of their Vocational Education Improvement Program (VEIP) and Workforce Development & Skills Training (WDST) under the Supplemental Education Grant (SEG) and other domestic sources to support the development of career and vocational education activities as shall be integrated into the high schools’ School Improvement Plans (SIP).

  1. Reporting Activity

This Policy hereby directs the SDOEs to secure quarterly progress reports from their respective high schools and submit them to the NDOE and further directs NDOE to include CTE student enrollments and graduates in its Annual JEMCO 20 Education Indicators report to OIA.

  1. Adoption

This National Policy on Vocational Development and Skill Trainings shall become effective on the date the Secretary of Education shall affix his signature unto this Policy. All provisions herein shall carry the force and effects of FSM Laws as mandated and pursuant to the aforesaid resolutions in Part III of this Policy.

Adopted this 26th day of January, 2010.


/z/ Casiano Shoniber
Secretary
National Department of Education