Advisory panels are being maintained by practitioners of Career and Technical Education! These panels are essential to ensure that training programs address the need for workplace competencies (i.e. changing knowledge and skill requirements). As such, Career & Technical educators have an opportunity to audit their curriculum and/or modify their certification requirements (annually) to address innovations (i.e. changes) in the workplace.
We must establish similar mechanisms to perpetuate “innovative” academic programs in our schools and colleges. Students graduating from high schools (and colleges) in the advancing century must be capable of adapting in a rapidly changing, increasingly more demanding, and technologically interconnected world. Contemporary (as opposed to stagnant) instructional paradigms must prepare students for life-long learning and employment in the high tech world. Therefore, academic educators must strive to develop an understanding (and be capable of providing their students with examples) of how the curriculum is relevant to various social and workplace contexts. Efforts to systematically change how students learn (i.e. to initiate applied academic curriculums) are dependent on the expertise and involvement of technical educators and representatives from business/industry and/or social service organizations. These individuals may be directly or indirectly associated with the development, implementation, and/or management of curriculum in our schools.
Advisory panels can enhance (and assist) academic programs in a variety of ways. Committees of business and industry leaders can conduct needs assessments, review proposed changes in the curriculum, consult with teachers and administrators, host groups of teachers and students [e.g. workplace tours], and perform other important roles [e.g. mentoring] in assuring that students … [are prepared for life after graduation] (Bottoms, Presson & Johnson, SREB, 1992, p. 149).
Our capacity to establish high performance schools necessitates a fundamental shift in how society conceptualizes schooling–“the ends” that are desired. Although feasible, changing curriculum and assessment frameworks to facilitate “applied academics” remains challenging because educational psychology accommodates a spectrum of differences in philosophical beliefs among practitioners. Learn more about school reform and teacher training via my manuscript(s) published at smashwords.com.
Becoming A Reflective Practitioner. (link below)
Kenneth Fetterman 
Very insightful! It is important to properly prepare students for life post-graduation!