Career Cluster : Human Services
Preparing individuals for employment in career pathways that relate to families and human needs such as counseling and mental health services, family and community services, personal care, and consumer services.
Workforce Region(s): Statewide Data - All Districts
Human Services Pathways
Pathway Description: People with careers in consumer services assist individuals with decisions and problems relating to finance, real estate, insurance and consumer goods.
Secondary CTE Courses
Introduction to Human Services: This course will build an understanding of the academic, communication, and technical skills in all aspects of the industry. Learners will investigate a broad range of human services careers through interest inventories and observations. This may be taught as a career exploration course in conjunction with other foundation Career Cluster courses.
Information Technology Applications: This course is designed for those students who have not mastered knowledge and skills related to technology applications prior to entry into high school. Students will use technology tools to manage personal schedules and contact information, create memos and notes, prepare simple reports and other business communications, manage computer operations and file storage, and use electronic mail, Internet applications and GIS to communicate, search for and access information. Students will develop skills related to word processing, database management, and spreadsheet applications.
Consumer Education: This course provides education on consumer rights, responsibilities, and privileges. Attention is focused on the importance of management, consumer awareness, economy of living, transportation and career opportunities in consumer services.
Entrepreneurship and Business Management: Students will apply economic and accounting principles and practices to promote business success and growth. Students will also apply principles of mechanics to choose, evaluate and maintain business equipment to provide client services. A work-based learning/practicum experience will be provided.
Other Courses and Elective Activities: Local student organization activities, including public speaking, record keeping and work-based experiences.
Pathway Description: People working in counseling and mental health services assist people with personal, family, educational, mental health, and career decisions and problems. Mental health care may be provided in hospitals, clinics, schools or private settings.
Secondary CTE Courses
Introduction to Human Services: This course will build an understanding of the academic, communication, and technical skills in all aspects of the industry. Learners will investigate a broad range of human services careers through interest inventories and observations. This may be taught as a career exploration course in conjunction with other foundation Career Cluster courses.
Information Technology Applications: This course is designed for those students who have not mastered knowledge and skills related to technology applications prior to entry into high school. Students will use technology tools to manage personal schedules and contact information, create memos and notes, prepare simple reports and other business communications, manage computer operations and file storage, and use electronic mail, Internet applications and GIS to communicate, search for and access information. Students will develop skills related to word processing, database management, and spreadsheet applications.
Human Growth and Development: This course provides basic knowledge of human growth and development as well as skills necessary for lifelong development, health and safety, CPR/first aid and nutrition. This course also provides information and activities for guiding behavior and meeting the needs of special age groups. Careers in Human Services are explored.
Counseling and Mental Health Services: This course introduces applications within professions related to counseling and mental health services. Students will apply principles of communication strategies to establish a collaborative relationship with clients, provide career counseling, and use principles of clarity and organization to write and speak correctly and achieve effective communications. Students will be exposed to a wide variety of careers in the field of counseling and mental health. A work-based learning/practicum experience will be provided.
Other Courses and Elective Activities: Local student organization activities, including public speaking, record keeping and work-based experiences.
Pathway Description: People with careers in early childhood development and services nurture and teach children. They provide services in childcare centers, nursery schools, preschools, public schools, private households, family childcare homes, and before- and after-school programs.
Secondary CTE Courses
Introduction to Human Services: This course will build an understanding of the academic, communication and technical skills in all aspects of the industry. Learners will investigate a broad range of human services careers through interest inventories and observations. This may be taught as a career exploration course in conjunction with other foundation Career Cluster courses.
Information Technology Applications: Students will practice ethical use of technology tools to manage personal schedules and contact information, create memos and notes, prepare simple reports and other business communications, develop presentation skills, manage computer operations and file storage, and use electronic mail and Internet applications to communicate, search for and access information.
Human Growth and Development: This course provides basic knowledge of human growth and development as well as skills necessary for lifelong development, health and safety, CPR/first aid and nutrition. This course also provides information and activities for guiding behavior and meeting the needs of special age groups. Careers in Human Services are explored.
Parenting and Child Development: This course introduces students to responsible and encouraging nurturing and basic applications of child development theory with emphasis on parents' and educators' responsibilities and the influences they have on children while providing care and guidance. Skills in communication, resource management and problem-solving are reinforced in this course.
Early Childhood Development and Services: This course introduces knowledge and skills needed in professions related to early childhood development. Students will develop skills of listening respectfully and attentively to children, parents and staff members to collect input concerning a child's development, child development in general and current issues in the program or classroom. Students will practice writing plainly, learn to synthesize and summarize child development and services information to ensure it is easily understood by parents and staff members, and learn how to create and organize parent-teacher conferences, open houses and family forums to enhance family and community involvement. All learning experiences will be based on creating an inviting atmosphere to encourage parent and family participation. A work-based learning/practicum experience will be provided.
Other Courses and Elective Activities: Local student organization activities, including public speaking, record keeping and work-based experiences.
Pathway Description: Employees with careers in family and community services help the homeless, housebound, and infirm cope with circumstances of daily living; counsel troubled and emotionally disturbed individuals; train or retrain the unemployed or underemployed; care for the elderly and the physically and mentally disabled; help the needy obtain financial assistance; and solicit contributions for various social services organizations
Secondary CTE Courses
Introduction to Human Services: This course will build an understanding of the academic, communication, and technical skills in all aspects of the industry. Learners will investigate a broad range of human services careers through interest inventories and observations. This may be taught as a career exploration course in conjunction with other foundation Career Cluster courses.
Information Technology Applications: This course is designed for those students who have not mastered knowledge and skills related to technology applications prior to entry into high school. Students will use technology tools to manage personal schedules and contact information, create memos and notes, prepare simple reports and other business communications, manage computer operations and file storage, and use electronic mail, Internet applications and GIS to communicate, search for and access information. Students will develop skills related to word processing, database management, and spreadsheet applications.
Human Growth and Development: This course provides basic knowledge of human growth and development as well as skills necessary for lifelong development, health and safety, CPR/first aid and nutrition. This course also provides information and activities for guiding behavior and meeting the needs of special age groups. Careers in Human Services are explored.
Family and Community Services: This course introduces applications within professions related to family and community services. Students will identify degree and credential requirements for occupations in this pathway and identify individual, social, historical, economic and cultural context to increase awareness of family and community services. Students will develop skills in how to evaluate and identify a range of effective communication strategies and skills necessary to establish a collaborative relationship with others. A work-based learning/practicum experience will be provided.
Other Courses and Elective Activities: Local student organization activities, including public speaking, record keeping and work-based experiences.
Pathway Description: People with careers in personal care services assist individuals with their personal appearance, including shampooing, cutting, coloring and styling hair; giving manicures, pedicures, and scalp and facial treatments; providing makeup analysis; cleaning and styling wigs and hairpieces; and providing personal fitness training. Also, within personal care services, funeral directors and attendants make funeral arrangements for grieving families.
Secondary CTE Courses
Introduction to Human Services: This course will build an understanding of the academic, communication, and technical skills in all aspects of the industry. Learners will investigate a broad range of human services careers through interest inventories and observations. This may be taught as a career exploration course in conjunction with other foundation Career Cluster courses.
Information Technology Applications: This course is designed for those students who have not mastered knowledge and skills related to technology applications prior to entry into high school. Students will use technology tools to manage personal schedules and contact information, create memos and notes, prepare simple reports and other business communications, manage computer operations and file storage, and use electronic mail, Internet applications and GIS to communicate, search for and access information. Students will develop skills related to word processing, database management, and spreadsheet applications.
Human Growth and Development: This course provides basic knowledge of human growth and development as well as skills necessary for lifelong development, health and safety, CPR/first aid and nutrition. This course also provides information and activities for guiding behavior and meeting the needs of special age groups. Careers in Human Services are explored.
Personal Care Services: This course introduces applications within professions related to personal care services. Students will learn how to assist individuals to recognize concerns and make informed decisions; facilitate the development of an individualized plan to reflect client/family preferences, needs and interests; use time management principles; and use interpretation and evaluation skills to enhance client satisfaction. Students will learn how to allocate resources to provide maximum benefit for the client, service provider and business organization, and examine the range of personal care resources to access at appropriate times. Students will also identify appropriate materials to establish a personal role in setting organizational priorities, apply principles of conflict resolution, use leadership skills to maintain a positive relationship with the community, and identify professional development trends and current licensing requirements needed to keep current on relevant resources and information. A work-based learning/practicum experience will be provided.
Practices in Personal Care Services: Students will continue to apply technical knowledge and skills required to function in the personal care services pathway. Students will learn to synthesize client and professional information to attract and retain clientele, apply administrative/clerical procedures and systems to provide client satisfaction, and apply principles and processes for providing personal care services to satisfy clients' expectations. This course includes emergency policies and procedures used to achieve a safe and healthy environment. Students will learn to recognize risks and potentially hazardous situations to help minimize workplace dangers, and use established guidelines, policies and procedures to take appropriate measures. This includes learning to apply and adhere to OSHA and CDC guidelines and proper procedures for storage of chemicals. Students will use techniques, principles, tools and instruments to develop efficient and safe delivery of client services.
Other Courses and Elective Activities: Local student organization activities, including public speaking, record keeping and work-based experiences.
The Perkins crosswalk of educational programs of study to occupations identifies a number of programs relevant to this career cluster: