Guide to Career and Technology Studies (CTS)

Glossary

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Advanced: describes CTS courses numbered with an identifier in the 3000 range that refine expertise and help prepare students to create a transitional strategy to accommodate personal change and build personal values for entry into the workplace or a related post-secondary program. Advanced level courses may be used by students to meet the 30-level credit requirements for an Alberta High School Diploma.

Advanced standing: post-secondary credit awarded to students for successful completion of a senior high school course that has been determined to be comparable to a post-secondary course.

Apprenticeship: post-secondary education in which a student (apprentice) learns the practical and technical aspects of a trade through a combination of on-the-job training and work experience (80% of learning) and technical training (20% of learning).

Articulation: the matching or correlating of a senior high school course outcomes to post-secondary course outcomes.

BIT: Business, Administration, Finance, & Information Technology CTS cluster acronym.

Career: encompasses many life roles, including activities related to a person’s job or occupation and personal life in both local and global contexts as a family member, friend, community volunteer, and citizen of the world.

Career and Technology Studies (CTS): a program of studies based on occupational areas aligned with the National Occupational Classification. Senior high school students explore attitudes, skills, knowledge, and values they can apply in daily living, investigate career options, make effective career choices, and prepare for entry into the workplace or further learning by gaining specialized knowledge and skills and/or external credentials.

Cluster: a group of CTS courses that represent occupations with broad industry commonalities. The CTS clusters align with the National Occupational Classification and function as an organizational tool for the CTS program.

Competent: the qualifications, training, and experience to do a specific job to an established standard of performance.

Course: an introductory, intermediate, or advanced level competency-based instructional unit that requires 25 hours to complete.

Credential: refers to written evidence provided by an external, recognized organization (community or industry organization or post-secondary institution) of a student’s completion and qualifications with respect to particular competencies and outcomes.

Credentialed pathway: a series of specific courses selected to provide opportunities for students to achieve a credential or credit awarded by a recognized community or industry organization or post-secondary institution; e.g., Welder, A+ Certification Computer Repair Technician.

CTS: Career and Technology Studies acronym.

Distributed learning: is a model that offers a variety of delivery formats and mediums—print, digital (online), and traditional delivery methods for teaching and learning. Distributed learning materials are available for download at LearnAlberta.ca.

Dual credit: is where senior high school students participate in apprenticeship training or post-secondary, college, or university courses earning both senior high school and post-secondary credits for the same course.

Due diligence: deliberate and constant attention that everything reasonably possible is being done to ensure the health and safety of the students, teachers, and environment. Due diligence is demonstrated by developing safety plans to meet legislative requirements.

General outcomes: are statements describing the attitudes, skills, knowledge, and values that students are required to address in the completion of a CTS course.

HRH: Health, Recreation, & Human Services CTS cluster acronym.

Intermediate: describes CTS courses numbered with an identifier in the 2000 range that build on the outcomes developed at the introductory level, providing a broader perspective while introducing students to possible life roles related to the skills and content of the cluster.

Introductory: describes CTS courses numbered with an identifier in the 1000 range that help students build basic skills that form the basis for further learning. Students make personal connections to the cluster content and processes to inform possible pathway choices.

K&E: Knowledge and Employability acronym.

Knowledge and Employability: courses designed for individual academic subject areas and occupations for grades 8 to 12. These courses are intended for students who learn best through experiences that integrate essential and employability skills in occupational contexts and provide students with opportunities to enter into employment or continue their education.

MDC: Media, Design, & Communication Arts CTS cluster acronym.

NAT: Natural Resources CTS cluster acronym.

NOC: National Occupational Classification acronym.

Non-certificated instructors: instructors with the necessary credentials and expertise to deliver instruction, as defined by course parameters and content, but who do not hold a valid teaching certificate.

Occupational area: a grouping of courses that focuses on the attitudes, skills, knowledge, and values related to specific areas of work.

Off-campus: experiential method of learning that integrates a student’s classroom studies with recognized on-the-job work experiences.

OHS: Occupational Health and Safety acronym.

On-campus: learning in a school-based facility.

Outcomes: the attitudes, skills, knowledge, and values to be developed in each CTS course.

Parameters: describe key features of the CTS learning environment that need to be in place to support effective learning; e.g., student access to possible external credentials, safety considerations, facilities, equipment, instructional qualifications.

Pathway: a selection of courses providing students with opportunities to explore and acquire the attitudes, skills, knowledge, and values for a career that is personally relevant.

Prerequisites: CTS courses providing essential attitudes, skills, knowledge, and values for further learning or for safety reasons.

RAP: Registered Apprenticeship Program acronym.

Reasonably practical: recognizes that workers cannot be protected from hazards that have yet to be identified.

Regional skills centre: a community-based learning centre established and maintained by a partnership council of multiple school authorities, post-secondary institutions, and/or business and industry to meet the unique needs of a regional community.

Registered Apprenticeship Program: program designed for senior high school students who wish to begin a trade apprenticeship while completing their Alberta High School Diploma. A RAP apprentice accumulates hours of on-the-job training as credit toward both a journeyman certificate and an Alberta High School Diploma. RAP 15, 25, and 35 courses are taught through off-campus learning under the joint supervision of a certificated teacher and a journeyperson in the workplace.

Skills centre: a complementary learning centre established and maintained by a single school authority with possible partnerships with post-secondary institutions and/or business and industry.

Specialized skill pathway: a collection of courses selected and combined by students and teachers to address student interests, employment, further education, and school or community needs.

Specific outcomes: supporting statements detailing particular attitudes, skills, knowledge, and values required to fulfill an individual general outcome in a CTS course.

Trade: exists within an occupational area and represents a credentialed pathway determined by Alberta Enterprise and Advanced Education, Apprenticeship and Industry Training, where students acquire a set of skills and abilities leading to journeyperson credentials.

TMT: Trades, Manufacturing, & Transportation CTS cluster acronym.

WCA: Workers’ Compensation Act acronym.

WCB: Workers’ Compensation Board acronym.