Applied and Integrated School-to-Work Curriculum
In the context of school-to-work transition, an applied and integrated curriculum generally refers to combining academic and vocational learning so that all students acquire the academic and vocational proficiencies necessary for further education or training and work. It is a means by which all students, whether or not they plan to attend a college or university, can acquire solid academic skills as well as practical measures to enhance their employability and make learning more relevant.
Paris (1994) describes the purpose of an applied and integrated school-to-work curriculum:
"Applied and integrated curricular strategies are viewed as a means of ensuring that more students leave high school with the essential academic and occupational competencies that will enable them to compete in an education and job market that demands increasingly higher levels of communication, math, science, analytical, and problem-solving skills. In short, the applied and integrated curriculum is intended to help more students master the skills they will need to live, learn, and work productively in an information-based society." (p. 34)