In a move to meet the sudden demand for online business skills caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Midlands Independent School District (ISD) is enhancing its digital communication classes.
Through its Business, Management and Technology (BMT) Academy, Midlands ISD Business will expand offerings about the digital side of business, including adding classes on digital collaboration platforms Outlook and Microsoft Teams, Midlands ISD said in a news release.
"One of the challenges for students, teachers, parents, all of us, has been learning how to communicate digitally," Mickala Harper, director of Career and Technical Education, said in the Midlands ISD release. "There's a certain importance in how things are presented digitally versus when you're talking to someone face to face."
Through the classes, students can begin to make themselves more hirable by gaining certifications in Microsoft Word and Excel.
"A lot of things change when you're not working face to face," Harper said in the release. "These classes teach how to communicate digitally, knowing your audience, and the communication process."
According to its website, the BMT Academy offers high school students the opportunity to follow specialized pathways into business management, information technology, and computer science through a partnership with Midland College.
Upon entering the academy, students take two dual credit classes, Information Management 1 and 2. These focus on developing proficiency using Microsoft products.
"Microsoft Office is the most widely used digital publishing tool in the business world," Midland High teacher Michelle Navarrete said in the release. "This enhances their value, as they'll learn how to do things like create memos and PowerPoints, which are critical skills in modern business."
During the 2018-19 school year, Midland ISD took advantage of opportunities created by new legislation and began implementing the District of Innovation concept developed to individualize campus-level instruction and increase academic performance, according to its website.
Dual credit gives students the opportunity to graduate from high school with 23 college-level, business-related credits from the academy, according to the press release. Finance, Introduction to Business, and managerial classes are other classes on offer to students.
"These students will be so far ahead of their peers by the time they graduate," Navarette said in the release. "Businesses would rather hire someone who already has these skills and certifications than someone who doesn't."