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CTE LEARNERS GO ON TO SUCCEED!

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Nebraska Workplace Experiences Continuum

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Workplace Experiences Strategy Focus: Awareness

Awareness Activities

Career Fairs / Career Speakers / Career Videos�Early exposure to multiple career options and workplace cultures.
Career-Themed Events / Lunch & Learns�Schools highlight career pathways in engaging formats.
Career-Based Service Learning / Research Projects�Students connect classroom learning to potential career interests.

Awareness → Exploration → Work-Based Learning

Quick Wins for Schools

Host a local career fair.

Invite local professionals to speak.

Assign short research projects linking curriculum to careers.

Awareness strategies spark interest, broaden horizons, and help �all students see themselves in future opportunities.

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Workplace Experiences Strategy Focus: Exploration

Exploration Activities

Business Tours / Field Trips�Students experience real workplaces �first-hand.
Job Shadows & Mentorships�See “a day in the life” and learn directly from professionals.
Simulations & Summer Experiences�Hands-on projects and activities mirror �real-world tasks.

Awareness → Exploration → Work-Based Learning

Quick Wins for Schools

Partner with local employers for �full-day or half-day job shadows.

Coordinate with Chambers or economic development groups for tours.

Set up short-term mentorship matches aligned with student interests.

Exploration strategies deepen career understanding, preparing students �for informed choices and equitable access to Work-Based Learning.

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Work-Based Learning: Learning THROUGH Work

Work-Based Learning (WBL) allows students to use their skills directly in workplaces to discover what it may be like to work in different occupations. This process is highly effective to evaluate and determine postsecondary career goals which aligns with interests, skills, and work values.

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WBL: Beyond “Work-Study” or “Work-Release”

Typical Work-Study/Work-Release:

Job placement without curriculum connection
No Individual Training Plan
Limited or no monitoring from school staff
Focused mainly on earning a paycheck
Little evidence of skill development

High-Quality WBL:

Instruction-Connected: reinforces classroom learning
Individual Training Plan with objectives in:

Academic & technical skills
Career readiness skills

Active Oversight: Coordinator + employer communication
Evidence of Learning: Reflection, portfolio, or artifacts

WBL Resources: Launch WBL

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WBL Strategy Focus: Apprenticeships

(Registered Apprenticeship & Youth Apprenticeship)

Paid, structured training program
Combines on-the-job learning + classroom instruction
Leads to industry-recognized credentials (often long-term employment, too!)
Multi-year commitment, with potential entry points in junior or senior year
Nebraska Examples/Resources:

ELEVATE Apprenticeship Conference November 18, 2025 in Kearney, NE
Nebraska Department of Labor, Registered Apprenticeship
Nebraska Teacher Apprenticeship programs

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WBL Strategy Focus: Internships

Short-term (typically a semester or during the summer)
Can be paid or unpaid
Focus on career exposure + skill development
Flexible formats (in-person, virtual, project-based)
Nebraska Examples/Resources

Local employer partnerships; connect with:

Chambers of Commerce and Local Business Associations
Agricultural Cooperatives & Farm Bureaus
Regional Economic Development Groups

Career field internships (e.g., healthcare clinicals, business internships)

Local need internship initiatives, such as

Students as paraprofessionals for younger grades
Students as IT tech support for a district

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Work-Based Learning Supplemental Endorsement

Helps empower teachers to lead meaningful, real-world learning, �and helps school districts prepare and deliver impactful and �responsive programs that connect students to future careers.

Grade Levels: 9-12

Persons with this endorsement may coordinate, teach, and supervise programs of �instruction that develop career and life skills.

Certification Endorsement Requirements: This endorsement requires a minimum �of three (3) semester hours in the coordination and supervision of work-based learning.

Work Experience: �This endorsement is available to those who have either -

1,000 verified hours of paid work-based experience
At least 300 hours of supervised work experience under the direction of the college or university recommending the endorsement.

Course Offerings that Meet the Work-Based Learning Supplemental Endorsement Requirement

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Nebraska’s P2C Labor Market Navigator

What It Is

User-friendly portal with Nebraska-specific Labor Market Information (LMI)
No registration or log-in required → ideal for student exploration

Key Features

Statewide, regional, and local labor market data
High-demand career pathways tied to Nebraska industries
Wages, job outlook, and required education/training
Connects career exploration to real workforce needs

Learn more about Pathways to Careers (P2C) Labor Market Navigator

Explore the P2C Labor Market Navigator

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2025-26 Teacher Recruitment & Retention Act Grant

Pursuant to Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-8,112, the purpose of the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act Grant Program is “to provide financial incentives to recruit and retain teachers in Nebraska classrooms.” This program is open to teachers from public and nonpublic schools, as well as teachers employed by an ESU.
The retention grant is for $2,500 for teachers in their 2^nd, 4^th, or 6^th year of teaching, including time teaching outside of Nebraska.
The high-needs grant is a one-time grant for $5,000 for teachers who have been issued an endorsement in specific high-needs areas with a contract to teach in that area. You can check your issue date of your endorsement at: teach.education.ne.gov. It must be issued on or after 6/2/2023.
Guidelines and the application can be found at: https://www.education.ne.gov/csds/teacher-recruitment-and-retention-act/
The application opens November 17, 2025 and closes on December 17, 2025, at 11:59 pm CST. Applicants will be notified no later than January 31, 2026. If you qualify for both grants, you can apply for both grants.

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Professional Development

ESU CTE Collaboration Days

NCHSE National Health Science Conference
NCHSE Wednesday Webinars

HOSA State Leadership Conference – will have advisor sessions
NCE Conference 2025: Health Sciences track + cross-field sessions + networking
HOSA International Leadership Conference
JumpStart for new teachers on Career Education Permits

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SAVE THE DATE!

2026 NEBRASKA CAREER & TECHNICAL EDUCATION (NCE) CONFERENCE

June 8 – 10, 2026

Younes Conference Center South – Kearney, NE

TIM ELMORE

Tim is Founder of Growing Leaders, an Atlanta‐based non‐profit organization created to develop emerging leaders. His work grew out of 20 years of serving alongside Dr. John C. Maxwell. Elmore has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, USA Today, Psychology Today, and been featured on CNN’s Headline News, Fox Business, Newsmax TV and Fox & Friends to talk about leading multiple generations in the marketplace. He has written 40 books, including Habitudes: Images That Form Leadership Habits and Attitudes, and Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership. His latest book, The Future Begins with Z: Nine Strategies to Lead Generation Z As They Disrupt the Workplace, releases fall of 2025. You can find his work at: TimElmore.com.

2026 KEYNOTE SPEAKER

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Health Science Resources

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Nebraska Health Science Resource Guide

This guide is a working document of health science resources available and is regularly updated with new resources.

Sections include:

Tools for curriculum and instruction development
Professional Development opportunities
FREE instruction resources
Instruction resources with a cost
Health Science classroom suppliers
Student opportunities

Access the Guide

Student Opportunities in Health Sciences

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UNMC uBEATS

Series of free, online STEM and health science modules that have been vetted by university experts

Aligned to Nebraska Health Science courses and National Health Science Standards

New modules in Medical Terminology; others are listed on your printed uBEATS handout

New curriculum specialist Sarah Shaffer is supporting teachers with integration of this supplemental resource into their existing curriculum.

Can register on the uBEATS website to get access to the modules.

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Find The Why

Teacher Resources, including full, detailed Teacher’s Guide

One-Pager

Benefits to students:

No cost to participate.
Healthcare Challenges – offered multiple times throughout the year; student teams can compete for cash prizes
Five industry-valued micro-credentials (i.e. HIPAA, bloodborne pathogens, ethics)
Nebraska employers have the chance to offer participating students invite-only virtual recruiting experiences, internships, scholarships, and even employment opportunities

Main lift for teachers and advisors – letting students know about the opportunity and where to register

The second challenge of the school year runs November 10^th-21^st

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Find The Why

Jami talks to Stacey about opportunities for HOSA members through Find The Why:

Zoom recording: Find The Why & HOSA�Passcode: Qe$ZVyV1 �

Our conversation went over:

What is Find The Why (FTW)?
Benefits available to students through the FTW platform
Nebraska Medicine's Next Gen program - opportunities for Omaha-area high school students ages 16 and up (with hope that this opportunity will expand across the state)
How students register and get started (see one-pager linked on previous slide and this short registration video as well)
Student privacy
Cost for using the FTW platform (FREE for students)

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OERcommons.org

Over 230 lessons added during summer of 2023 across all six career fields
High quality resources (lesson plan, website, video, and more)
Search by topic, standard, author, and subject
Access education resources from across the world!
Nebraska Health Sciences Working Group

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Everfi

Wellness Matters: K-12 Health & Wellness Courses

Completely free for teachers; integrates with Clever and Classlink OR teachers can give students a code to log on.
Teachers can download a csv file with student pre- and post-course results to upload to their gradebook

Some courses include:

Prescription Drug Safety: Training for High School Students
Vaping: Know the Truth
Health Literacy Curriculum for High School

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The Leadership Center – 1^st annual �President’s Summit

Support your chapter presidents through this training!

November 6, 2025 from 11:30 am – 5:30 pm
For presidents of high school organizations, including HOSA; $45 registration fee
The purpose of the Summit is to connect, build, and equip chapter presidents to promote strong organization and school cultures, a healthy view of leadership, and an opportunity for advanced leadership coaching for high-achieving individuals.
The Leadership Center, Aurora, NE
NOTE: This is the site (and some of the same training facilitators) that HOSA State Officers worked with this past August.

Learn more by reading this flyer, and register at www.d4lc.com/presidents

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HOSA Resources

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HOSA Inc. Resources

Chapter Advisor Development Program

First developed in Dec. 2024 to replace the HOSA TALL program
Account creation no longer required
Open access videos through this HOSA webpage and Youtube

NEW!

Member Development Program

No account required
There is a worksheet that can be completed alongside the short videos

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Nebraska HOSA Resources

Nebraska HOSA Chapter Toolkit

New resource
Includes links to resources that have historically only been shared through listserv so you are able to access them multiple places
Folders for Advisors, Chapter Officers, Chapter Resources, Competitions, and Marketing & Branding

Writing Chapter Bylaws - SAMPLE (this is the best sample I have found - from Minnesota HOSA)

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HOSA Programming

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HOSA Program of Work

Fall Leadership Conferences – October 9 in York and October 13 in Scottsbluff
MCC Health Science Experience – October 31 in Omaha
HOSA Week – November 3-7
Mind-Bending Careers – November 10 in Kearney
Bryan Discovery Day – November 14 in Lincoln
NECC Health Science Experience – January 23 in Norfolk
State Leadership Conference – March 8-10, 2026 in Omaha
International Leadership Conference – June 17-20, 2026 in Indianapolis

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State Officer Chapter Visits

Chapter Visits (in person and/or virtual) - August 2025 - March 2026

Three workshop themes:

1. Launching HOSA - an introduction to HOSA opportunities

2. Navigating Competitive Events

3. Soaring to New Heights at ILC - how to prepare for International Leadership Conference

Email Taryn Brown at TarynRBrown15@gmail.com to schedule a visit.

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HOSA State Leadership Conference (SLC) & Competitive Events

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2026 HOSA SLC

March 8-10, 2026 at Creighton University

The Nebraska HOSA State Leadership Conference is the premier event of the year! Some highlights include:

March 8:

Opening Session with speakers, online testing awards, & recognition events

March 9:

In-person competitive events with a clinical skill component

Breakout sessions

Campus tours

HOSA Bowl pre-lims

March 10:

Health Science Expo

In-person competitive events – leadership, teamwork

Breakout sessions & tours

Anatomage tournament & HOSA Bowl finals

Closing Session with speakers, competitive event awards, and new state officer team announcement

The 2026 SLC Guide will be your GO-TO source for all information!

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Competitive Event Program

HOSA’s Competitive Event Program (CE) is designed to motivate HOSA members and provide a system for recognizing the competencies developed by members through their Health Science classes, related job training, and HOSA-related activities.

Each competitor can participate in:

One event that is completed prior to SLC
One event that has a component at SLC
HOSA Bowl (limit 2 teams per chapter)
Unlimited Recognition Category events
One ATC National Geographic test (plus additional for an added cost of $10 per test) - Please note that students cannot qualify for ILC in these tests. They can take ATC tests at ILC regardless of whether they compete in that test at SLC.
NOTE: The Anatomage Tournament is offered but is not an official HOSA event, so competing in the tournament would be in addition to the competitions above.

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Competitive Event Updates

Nebraska HOSA CE Characteristics (spreadsheet)

Competitive Events At-a-Glance (handout)

New Events:

Healthcare Administration (test)
Biomedical Equipment Technician (test)
HOSA History Exam (test; only offered in 2026)
Occupational Therapy (test; skills added this year)
Surgical Technician (test & skills)

2025-26 Topics:

Biomedical Debate: Social media health influencers should be monitored.
Public Health; Speaking Skills: Champions of Change: 50 years of HOSA-Future Health Professionals
Public Health: Food Wars: Battling big soda and ultra-processed food
Public Service Announcement: Brain health is public health
Research Persuasive Writing & Speaking: Is the smartphone responsible for the current youth mental health crisis?

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Important SLC Deadlines

JANUARY 30:

SLC Registration, including competitive event selection, chapter voting delegate designation (2 members), lunch ticket orders, and t-shirt orders.
State Officer Applications

FEBRUARY 20:

Testing is open February 9-20 (don’t wait until the last day - test early in this window in case of inclement weather!)
Digital Uploads (instructions)
Recognition Events

HOSA Service Project (NMDP, formerly known as Be The Match) volunteer hours and money raised into the HOSA Activity Tracking System - tracking: member activity tracking instructions
Barbara James Service Award hours must be entered into the HOSA Activity Tracking System and approved by teachers - tracking: member activity tracking instructions
American Red Cross Chapter Recognition - see guidelines for details
America’s Blood Centers & HOSA Blood Drive - Refer to guidelines for details.

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Notes on Testing

Proctors

Each chapter will be required to add/activate proctors this year.
Best practices for proctoring tests.

Scheduling Testing

Students should be testing between 7:00 am – 5:00 pm during the testing window. Anything outside of that – chapter advisor should notify the state association of plans that are outside the 7 am – 5 pm time frame.
Schedule testing EARLY in the testing window. Do NOT plan on the testing window being extended. To move on in those events that have a second round, the testing must be successfully completed.
Team members should be testing at the same time. This is the practice followed at ILC.

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State Officer Application Process

State Officer Applications are Open!

Due January 30, 2026
Each chapter can have up to four candidates
Each chapter can have up to two members selected to be part of the state officer team

Email Taryn Brown at TarynRBrown15@gmail.com with any questions.

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Chapter Award Program

Chapters who complete the award program will be recognized at SLC
Evidence must be submitted in a portfolio by February 20, 2026
There are four different categories of activities, each of which will help strengthen your chapter
The chapter must complete a certain number of activities in each column to qualify for a Bronze, Silver, or Gold award.

Chapter Grant Program

The purpose of this program is to promote the development and growth of new and existing HOSA - Future Health Professionals chapters in Nebraska.
Applications must be submitted by October 17, 2025.
Chapters can apply for up to $2,000
Chapters officers are highly encouraged to take an active role in the grant processes.

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Additional Opportunities

Due February 20:

HOSA College Scholarship Application
ILC Pin Design Contest
Member of the Year
Advisor of the Year
Special Award Nominations

Due date TBD:

ILC Scholarship Application (app opens following SLC)

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Who’s who – the SLC team

Heather Norberg, Office Associate

Taryn Brown, State Officer Coordinator

Allyson Lanham, Competitive Events Coordinator

Audrey Foster, Partnerships Coordinator

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HOSA’s 50^th Anniversary

Fifty Years of HOSA Commemorative Book

Each association will be featured
Request for legacy photos, distinguished alumni
Putting together materials to feature on a NE HOSA website page

50^th Anniversary Recognition Opportunities:

HOSA History Exam (1 year only)
2076 Time Capsule for the 100^th Anniversary

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HOSA Week Themes

Monday: RED for Live On and Organ Donation
Tuesday: GREEN for Mental Health Awareness
Wednesday: BLUE for Diabetes Awareness
Thursday: HOSA apparel
Friday: ORANGE to Launch the Weekend