Come listen and learn as the top 5 interdisciplinary graduate school teams propose their solutions to address two of Puerto Rico's current challenges:
Challenge I: The Puerto Rican Department of Education (PRDE) is responsible for preparing students for a range of opportunities after graduation including college, technical school, and careers.
How can the PRDE improve outcomes for students who choose to immediately enter the workforce? Specifically, what innovative strategies and partnerships could the PRDE establish to ensure that this subset of students has a seamless transition from the classroom to roles and fields with the potential to become family-sustaining careers on the island? Strategies should take the following into consideration:
- PRDE's academic projections and goals;
- employment and sector growth trends and projections; and,
- budgetary constraints.
Challenge II: In addition to planning workforce transitions for Puerto Rico’s students, The Puerto Rico Department of Education (PRDE) also has to consider its own workforce needs. While Puerto Rico has an ample supply of teachers, the island faces the challenge of ensuring that enough teachers are properly trained and certified to deliver effective instruction across a range of subject areas.
How can the PRDE re-train members of its existing educator workforce to fill its current high-need subject area vacancies? Analysis should focus on teachers who are employed on a yearly contract basis.
