Some of the items we would like in a perfect situation would include flexible scheduling, stable student populations, adequate funding, parent involvement, union and administrative support, more community action to promote the industry, and a greater commitment by postsecondary institutions toward furthering the vocational and educational goals and options of our students. Steps that could be undertaken at little or no risk would lead to better articulation agreements for the advanced standing of our graduates and wider use of partnerships (shadowing, mentoring, and job placement) to improve the status of the program.
The use of AAI to improve and expand the education of students is one that we would wish to encourage others to develop. This should not be limited to only our industry, but the goals and concepts should be industry-wide and applicable to any industry. Students should be encouraged to explore many career goals and options. They should not be limited in their examination of life, but encouraged to expand their horizons.
As mentioned earlier, the average person will change careers five or more times in her or his lifetime. It is incumbent upon us to assist students in making intelligent choices about these changes. If we do not, we have failed them.
When our team decided to incorporate AAI in South Division's curriculum, we felt it necessary to define shareholders and identify what roles they will play. In doing so, we defined shareholders as those associated directly with the educational process and those who represent the diverse segments of the hospitality industry. The segment of shareholders was complicated by the fact that we had to incorporate AAI into the three specialties that make up the SWIS program at South Division. The three specialties included parks and recreation, travel and tourism, and culinary arts. In looking at the cross sections of our shareholders, we have identified the shareholders as
Student and Parents
Parents of the Latino students have a very negative opinion of the hospitality industry. An image that is also shared by many African-American parents as well. They view the hospitality industry as a dead-end, low paying one with little prestige. The successful incorporation of AAI would be best served if included in a positive, up-beat recruitment program. This represents a major dilemma--how to recruit students for South Division's SWIS program that consisted of specialties in food service, travel and tourism, and parks and recreation. The recruitment program must clearly illustrate that low wages and working conditions may continue to exist for students who do not invest their future by obtaining postsecondary technical and academic education.
Students and parents must be empowered with the knowledge that excellent job security, good working conditions, and above-average wage benefit packages do exist for individuals with good academic levels and proven technical skills. Industry is simply in a position to demand employees who excel, not just "get by" as average. Our hospitality industry is no exception. The industry is poised to reward students who excel at the academic and the technical levels. It is this critical fact that students and parents alike must be educated. There are opportunities available for individuals to reach the upper levels within the hospitality industry.
The hospitality industry requires students to obtain bachelor's degrees, associate's degrees rich in technical skills, and meaningful work experiences in preparation for careers. It requires a cooperative effort of teachers and industry shareholders to empower students to make lifelong meaningful, first choice career decisions.
Teacher Roles
Teacher roles need to expand beyond facilitating the learning process. Teachers must fulfill students' needs by being excellent role models, by advising students honestly based on student abilities, and by maintaining articulation with postsecondary institutions. It is also important that vocational teachers maintain current technical skills. Students look to teachers for meaningful advice in their career choices.
Teachers must empower other teachers to incorporate AAI in their curriculum. Vocational teachers may find themselves assuming the leadership role in developing meaningful curriculum that affects students' educational outcomes. As is the case at South Division High School, the SWIS vocational instructors had to initiate AAI into their curriculum.
Administration
High school administrators, teacher staff, and so on, must promote a positive community image by providing a safe environment that allows students to excel in their academic endeavors. These elements certainly must be incorporated into an effective recruitment program.
The implementation of an effective recruitment program requires the understanding of where the student population comes from. We recently have been involved with several career programs at the middle school level, which we feel, at the technical level, is fertile grounds for recruitment. We are also encouraged by South Division's administration in providing SWIS teachers to present at career days in the middle schools. Thus, student populations at South Division's SWIS program are more likely to be there because they want to be, not programmed into the hospitality curriculum by the guidance counselor.
Another effective recruitment strategy may include a shadowing at the middle school level. We need to allow students to participate in the implementation of the hospitality curriculum at South Division. This certainly would give middle school children an opportunity to investigate a career option.
Post-High School Alternatives
High schools and postsecondary institutions must articulate to develop meaningful curriculum that encourages students to fully participate, not just occupy desks or a lab station.
Postsecondary institutions must be the link between industry and students who have chosen the hospitality industry for their careers. Four-year schools and technical schools must provide the training that meets current industry standards. They must offer curriculum that prepares students to meet the global challenges of the hospitality industry. We feel that the incorporation of AAI will broaden the horizons of young professionals.
AAI can be taught to meet general, everyday lifestyles or can be industry-specific. Whatever the strategy, high school and postsecondary curriculum must meet student needs. Postsecondary options must be diversified and flexible to meet the varied population.
Advisory Committee Members: Shareholders from the Industry
One area SWIS needs to improve is the makeup, formation, and function of the advisory committee. The makeup, if possible, should consist of highly respected individuals who possess political and industrial clout. Unfortunately, education has become far too political, with instruction and quality in education being the loser. However, in making progressive change, we need to empower allies at all levels. Political clout is beneficial, as are individuals who represent influential companies in decision making. Individuals representing leaders in the industry are beneficial to us because they usually speak on behalf of highly professional organizations that invest in quality, professionally trained employees--the very commodity education represents.
It is this type of influential shareholder that can empower others to get involved with educational reform. Third party shareholders are often the result of advisory committee representation coming from professional industry representatives. Committee members from state restaurant associations, tourism and travel, club manager associations, and dietary manager associations would be excellent choices.
The list would certainly not exclude individual representatives from business and industry. While it is important to be selective in the specific industry representation, one must be equally considerate of the individual spokespersons. There is no substitute for a highly respected professional individual. We think the best advisory committee members are highly committed and motivated. They are good listeners, and when they speak, everyone else listens to what is said.
In South Division High School's situation, the following advisory committee makeup should seriously be considered:
The equal representation at the subcommittee level would give equal representation, thus not promoting one specialty over another. Problems and change can be zeroed in on with subcommittees. The large, undefined advisory committees are often inefficient, get bogged down in decisionmaking, and are often overpowered by outspoken interest groups. The number and the makeup of the advisory committee can be a disadvantage.
Subcommittees and the departmental advisory committee need to meet regularly with a well-defined agenda and some anticipated outcomes. The advisory committee must be held together to be effective. The ideal situation would be a subcommittee meeting held in the fall with the departmental advisory committee scheduled for the spring. Also, chairpersons for the committee should empower the committee to have a dual purpose: (1) to service the needs of updating the curriculum and (2) to incorporate shareholders' agendas.
To be effective, the advisory committees should have a specific charge as to their function as a committee. One of the most important charges for an advisory committee is to validate present curriculum and endorse changes. Thus, one of the first orders of business our team performed was to reestablish the dormant advisory committee.
The purpose of mobilizing the committee was to obtain its input as to the validity of AAI, and to empower faculty and administration. The advisory committee unanimously endorsed the incorporation of AAI into South Division's curriculum. We hope its resounding support of AAI sends a clear-cut statement to administration and academic teachers at South Division.
Political Interest Groups
We also hoped that the nucleus of advisory committee members will empower other shareholders in industry to become active in the educational process and as future employees. The advisory committee members hopefully will influence the negative political and community opinion.
While your advisory committee should predominantly be made up of advocates of a program, we feel it is necessary to invite adversaries to participate as advisory committee members as well. By including adversaries of the committee, we will greatly improve the quality of decisionmaking at the advisory committee level. The positive and negative interaction of the advisory committee should greatly reduce the influence of adversaries. The end result: A meaningful solution to educational reform or the update of curriculum.
The interaction of industry shareholders and faculty encourages faculty to remain active and current with industry. We have investigated the multiple roles various shareholders in industry may fulfill. Naturally, shareholders from industry are prime candidates as advisory committee members. But they wear two hats: (1) shareholders are instrumental in educational reform, and (2) they are the future employers. It can be easily said that their input and role are invaluable to the success of high school and technical curriculum. Their input oftentime assesses the outcome of academic change.
Shareholders from industry also provide meaningful communication between industry's professional organization. The communication between industry shareholders and educational entities is best served by maintaining an active advisory committee. Guest speakers from industry, industry tours, and on-site shadowing are valuable articulations.