Click here for a printable version of this newsletter. ©2009 CORD	The articles in this issue of Connections highlight the 2009 winners of the Daniel M. Hull and Dale P. Parnell Partnership Excellence Award. This award was formerly known as the Exemplary Worksite Learning Award, but was renamed a couple of years ago to honor two visionary leaders in the Tech Prep and Career Pathways movements. For more than a dozen years, Caterpillar Inc. has been the primary sponsor of the award. For the last three years, Texas Instruments has been added as a cosponsor. (Read more) The Tech Prep Consortium of Brunswick County Schools (BCS) and Brunswick Community College (BCC) of North Carolina strives for a comprehensive approach to worksite learning in the health sciences career pathway. The partnership involves primary business partners Brunswick Community Hospital and Dosher Memorial Hospital, in conjunction with the Brunswick County Health Department and Emergency Management Services as well as numerous local medical practices, healthcare facilities, emergency service providers, public services agencies, and community organizations. (Read more) Tucked away in the hills of Northwestern Connecticut, an innovative career education program is combining the efforts of a high school and a bank. The program—called "It's In The Bank"—operates a branch of Northwest Community Bank in the halls of Northwestern Regional High School #7 in Winsted, Connecticut. The bank is run by students enrolled in the business education department's Honors Money, Banking and Business, a new course developed to increase financial literacy among high school students, provide an honors-level course in the business education department, and provide a means for rural students to explore business and finance careers. (Read more) Savannah Chatham County Public School System's Work-Based Learning Youth Apprenticeship Program is a structured combination of school- and work-based learning. Participating students receive an education that is academically challenging and relevant to employment in today's economy. (Read more) (Back to the beginning of this issue)	Connections is distributed to members of the National Career Pathways Network (NCPN) as a benefit of membership. For information on becoming a member, visit ncpn.info. NCPN is an organization of CORD (cord.org). NCPN Conference Just Around the Corner The 2009 NCPN conference, September 30 through October 3 (Hyatt Regency Atlanta), is fast approaching. NCPN members qualify for registration discounts. Go here for the latest information. Articles of Interest to Our Members Diane Jones, "A Perfect Model for Community College Investment," The Chronicle of Higher Education, July 27, 2009 Rita J. King, "Digital Workforce Initiative Transforms Gulf Coast Job Prospects," Policy Innovations, May 5, 2009