FCS

FCS

Career and Technical Education

Facts About Michigan Department of Education Vocational Certification

The Administrative Rules Governing the Certification of Michigan Teachers requires completion of two years of recent and relevant work experience for vocational certification or an approved supervised work experience program.  Individuals currently enrolled in a planned program may be recommended for certification based upon past standards until Jul. 1, 1993.  These standards will be effective for all new students enrolling in a vocational teacher certification program and will be mandatory for all students beginning Jul. 1, 1993.

The Interim Occupational Vocational Authorization to teach vocationally reimbursable subjects in the secondary schools in Michigan has three requirements:

  1. A four year college degree.

  2. A major or minor in a vocational / technical subject taught at the secondary level.

  3. Approved work experience that is notarized.

  4. Course to establish WMU transcript. (WMU requirement)

Work Experience Standards

  • STANDARDS
    1. Two years (4,000 hours) of recent and relevant work experience shall be required of a candidate for an Interim Occupational, Full, or Annual Vocational Authorization.
    2. Up to one year (1,000 hours) of the required work experience may be completed through a supervised work experience program at an approved institution or by successful completion of a State approved occupational competency assessment.  The supervised work experience program shall carry course credit indicated on a transcript, be adequately supervised by a qualified vocational teacher educator, shall be prescriptive in nature and shall be conducted on no more than a 1:5 ratio of hours worked to hours credited toward certification.  Individuals completing either a supervised program or an occupational assessment to meet the work experience requirement must have a minimum of 2,000 hours of actual hour for hour work experience.  Individuals who choose to use the occupational competency assessment for work experience may not attribute successful completion of the test to university academic credit.
    3. All work experience, including the supervised work experience shall be wage-earning employment, except documented work experience in family operated businesses.
    4. The work experience shall be acquired in the specific occupational area for which the candidate wishes to be certified.
    5. Full-time and part-time work shall both be allowable in calculating the total number of hours employed.
      1. Self-employment time is permitted, provided it is adequately documented by the applicant.  Documentation must demonstrate that the applicant was actively conducting a business. (Evidence: Calling cards, business license/permit, tax number, advertisements, statement of business from a bank, statement from accountant regarding tax filing, bills from suppliers, business forms such as letterhead, etc.)
  • RECENCY
    1. All work experience presented by the candidate shall have been completed within the six years immediately preceding application for the vocational authorization.
    2. Work experience older than six years shall not be accepted, except under the following conditions:
      1. The individual is currently teaching under an Annual Vocational Authorization issued to a school district by the Office of Professional Preparation and Certification Services (Michigan Department of Education).- Annual Vocational Authorization work experience may be accepted by a teacher education institution for vocational certification.  Institutions will be required to document an individual's work experience in their files.  Institutions should be aware that Annual Vocational Authorization work experience may be specifically related to a particular school district program and may not be sufficient for certification which would allow an individual to teach in other districts.
      2. A candidate completes either a 2,000 hour supervised work experience program through a teacher education institution or successfully completes a State approved occupational competency assessment.  The State approved occupational competency assessment may be used by the candidate to substitute for work experience or university academic credit. The candidate must choose either option.
  • RELEVANCY
    1. All work experience shall be within the parameters of the descriptions provided by the Administrative Guide for Vocational-Technical Education in Michigan.
    2. Time spent in business or industrial training in a contractual capacity with a business enterprise shall be acceptable in computing the required 4,000 hours.  The contractual agreement must indicate that the candidate designed and conducted a training program specifically for employees of the contractor and that the program content was directly related to the duties and tasks performed by the employees on their job(s) for pay.  No more than 1,000 hours of business or industrial training experience in a specific occupational area may be accepted towards the work experience requirement.
    3. The content of the work experience shall conform in general with the duty/task categories for the occupational area established through the Vocational-Technical Education Service. Task lists for all certifiable occupational areas shall be furnished to each recommending institution by the Vocational-Technical Education Services.
  • WORK EXPERIENCE DOCUMENTATION All employment experience must be documented with letters or forms verifying work experience from past employers.
    1. Self-employment experience may be verified utilizing business records and notarized statements from clients or suppliers.

Work experience unable to be documented in the above manner should be reviewed prior to approval with the Office of Professional Preparation and Certification Services.

  • SUPERVISED WORK EXPERIENCE
    1. Supervised work experience programs must be approved by the Michigan Department of Education.  A supervised work experience program is a planned full-time paid work experience in an individual's occupational/teaching specialty.  The field experience is designed to correlate with the teaching of vocational subjects by familiarizing teachers and prospective teachers with relevant entry level job tasks available to high school students. A variety of structured learning experiences are provided in the individual's technical specialty and include performing actual job tasks, visiting business and industrial establishments and performing job analyses to determine tasks deemed relevant in today's business and industrial world and developing instructional materials based upon those job analyses.  Participants prepare weekly reports of their work and are closely supervised by an on-site supervisor and by a college coordinator.  The supervised work experience program provides at least as many quality valid work experiences as intended by the unstructured, unplanned two-year work experience requirement.
    2. A maximum of 1,000 hours may be awarded for successful completion of a supervised work experience program.  For every hour of actual work experience on a supervised program, a maximum of five hour of experience may be awarded.
    3. Institutions operating a supervised work experience course shall:
      1. Specify instructional activities or objectives which will enhance the work experience program.
      2. Establish work experience objectives with the student and employer.
      3. Evaluate the student's work experience with input from the employer.
      4. Supervise the individual's work experience program.

Work experience objectives and student evaluation records must be on file with the recommending institution

Michigan Department of Education
Office of Professional Preparation and Certification Services
Bureau of Postsecondary Education
P.O. Box 30008, Lansing Ml 48909
(517) 373-3310
vocation.inf 1 9198

 

3326 Kohrman Hall
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008 USA
(269) 387-3704 | (269) 387-3353 Fax
fcs-info@wmich.edu