ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Feb. 22, 2013) -- Despite the high unemployment rates many read about, an estimated three million jobs remained unfilled in the U.S. in 2012. The difference is due to a skills gap, with employers finding they are unable to identify job candidates with the desired skill sets. Among the skills employers find most critical, and most deficient among today's job applicants, is leadership.
With support from the U.S. Army Marketing and Research Group, or AMRG, the Association for Career and Technical Education, or ACTE, published an Issue Brief examining the role of career and technical education, or CTE, in leadership development. Army programs like the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps, or JROTC, contribute positively to narrowing the skills gap and preparing students for careers. JROTC's effective "leadership curriculum" includes everything from teaching motivational principles, to providing management experience, to encouraging character development and self-assessment.
Most importantly, JROTC demonstrates the need for leadership through experience. JROTC instructors "advise the senior cadets about their decisions, but they do so from behind the scenes," giving senior cadets the opportunity to manage their peers not only in day-to-day drills, but also for purposes of performance reviews and disciplinary issues. CTE programs that provide this kind of real-life experience give employers, and job-seekers, confidence in the strength of leadership skills.
"JROTC is uniquely designed to optimize leadership development through quality learning experiences and mentorship," said Bryon Hand, Chief, Education and Curriculum Development, U.S. Army Cadet Command, JROTC. "Students have the opportunity learn what leadership requires and can achieve in the context of collaborative projects, real life problems, and team-based activities. They learn and experience leadership as they experience 'life' over the course of a year or more - inside and outside the classroom walls. The result is students that leave the program who know they will use what they learned in high school in the real world."
The Issue Brief further examines Army leadership training at the postsecondary Marion Military Institute, or MMI, one of five military junior colleges in the U.S. MMI offers ROTC for students looking to pursue a military career, but also a Leadership Education Program, LEP, for students looking to pursue non-military careers or transfer to universities. MMI realizes the importance of building leadership among all young people, regardless of their career aspirations. Leadership roles, such as platoon leader, rotate among students, creating high-responsibility situations in which students are encouraged to take risks and offered feedback to continue to strengthen their leadership capabilities.
These are just two examples of how leadership is woven into all levels of the Army. Leadership development is a priority and one of the most important components in preparing our nation's youth for the future. Since its inception, the Army has trained some of the world's best, most effective and most impactful leaders by establishing high expectations, and using coaching and mentoring to develop leaders.
Leadership is built over time; the Army is constantly developing a cadre of leaders for the future; Army ROTC has been recognized as one of the best leadership courses in America. U.S. Army cadets receive valuable high-tech and leadership training that enables them to succeed across every aspect of their lives. They use strategies, training and technology that are applicable and relevant to professional development among civilian leaders. Some who go through this training will be tomorrow's senior Army leaders but others will use this training in their lives as civilian leaders.
The Army believes that, together with its partners in education, we have a shared responsibility for improving the lives of our Nation's youth. Sharing best practices in leadership will help develop today's young people to achieve life-long success as leaders, decision makers and citizen-contributors in either a military or civilian career. A significant commitment to education is needed from all parties if the United States is to maintain its position as a leader, remain globally competitive and safeguard our national security.
Leadership curricula must be a key part of CTE, equipping students with the skills employers are looking for, and aren't finding among existing candidates. According to the research, "CTE is integral to ensuring that more workforce entrants are prepared with the leadership skills necessary for the workplace of today and of the future." With their focus on real-life leadership experience, the U.S. Army's programs are effectively positioning students for military and civilian careers alike, teaching them to self-manage as well as to manage their peers.
Read the full brief here, https://www.acteonline.org/uploadedFiles/Publications_and_Online_Media/files/Leadership_Development_Issue_Brief.pdf
Related Links:
ACTE Partners with Army to Examine Role of CTE in Leader Development
Army.mil: Inside the Army news
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