Career Pathways

VISION STATEMENT

Mt. Diablo Unified School District is committed to preparing its students for college and career.  MDUSD provides students with access to rigorous, relevant and technical experiences to bridge academic and career knowledge and skills, including effective communication, community collaboration, complex thinking and self-directed learning. Within these experiences, students will acquire a strong sense of the role they play in the workplace and the changing global society, while developing problem solving skills to address challenges in every-day life.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE COLLEGE AND CAREER READY?

     A student is college and career ready when that students has the knowledge and skills to qualify for and succeed in post-secondary training and/or education that will help them achieve their career goals. This can include community college, university, vocational institutions, apprenticeship programs and/or significant on the job training.  Career Pathways provide rigorous and relevant coursework that is aligned to the California CTE Model Standards as well as the academic standards, ensuring students are learning skills necessary within a particular industry sector while also providing strong academic coursework.

WHAT IS A CAREER PATHWAY?

     A career pathway is a cohesive sequence of courses that provide students hand on experiences connected to a specific industry sector, while at the same time reinforcing the academic standards.  To be considered a career pathway, the sequence of courses must be at least 250 hours of coursework, culminating in a “capstone” course. A capstone course is one that provides students with real world experience within the industry sector, as well as support and guidance from industry partners.  

     A career pathway is taught by a credentialed teacher who also has industry experience.  Many of our career pathway courses meet “a-g” requirements, demonstrating the academic rigor of the classes.  Several of the pathways also include courses where students can earn college credit. Students who graduate from high school with college credit are more likely to complete college than those who do not.

     Career pathways also provide students with real world connections to the specific industry sector through meaningful work based learning experiences.  These experiences can include guest speakers, site visits, job shadows and internships. Through these work based learning experiences, the classroom becomes more relevant. Students see that what they are learning in the classroom is what is happening in the real world.  

     MDUSD works closely with community partners to ensure that the industry related skills are up to date with industry standards.  MDUSD and community partners generally meet quarterly to collaborate on curriculum and work based learning opportunities. For more information, visit our Community Partners Page.

Career Technical Education (CTE)

Mt. Diablo Unified School District's Career Pathways program includes pathways from all five of the comprehensive hight schools, representing eight different industry sectors.  The eight sectors in which MDUSD offers Career Pathways are; Art & Digital Media, Automovtive Technology, Building Trades, Education, Engineering & Manufacturing, Health Care, Hospitality & Tourism, and Information Communication Technology.  Within the eight different career pathways, students receive rigorous and relevan curricula aligned to current industry standars.  Students also participate in experiences designed to bridge academic and career skills, including effective communication, community collaboration, complex thingking, and self-directed learning.

In developing meaningful work based learning experiences for MDUSD students, the career pathways department strives to connect students in pathways to hands-on learning experiences that bring real-world connections to support the CTE classroom curriculum.

Through these experiences, MDUSD also works to build a strong support network of busines partnerships.  These opportunities not only help prepare students for a career, but it also provides our industry partners the opportunity to guide, mold and mentor the workforce of the future.