As the world economy continues to evolve, businesses and industries must adopt new practices and processes in order to survive. Quality and cost control, work teams and participatory management, and an infusion of technology are transforming the way people work and do business. Employees are now expected to read, write, and communicate effectively; think creatively, solve problems, and make decisions; and interact with each other and the technologies in the workplace. Vocational-technical programs must also adopt these practices in order to provide graduates who can enter and advance in the changing work world. The curriculum framework in this document reflects these changes in the workplace and a number of other factors that impact on local vocational-technical programs. The Health Care Assistant Program prepares the individual to assist in providing health care as a member of the health care team under the direction of a health care professional. This curriculum references standards based on the State of Mississippi Nurse Aide Candidate Handbook Exam Content Outline. Graduates of the one semester program will be awarded the Certificate of Health Care Assistant. Students who complete the program may qualify for employment as Homemakers, Nurse Assistants, Long-Term Care Aides, or Home Health Aides in the Mississippi health care industry. The program has been designed in modular format to allow sequential scheduling over a semester or it may be blocked into a short course format. Exit points are provided to allow employment as a Long-Term Care Aide after completion of the Nurse Assistant Core; and Homemaker/Home Health Aide after completion of the Nurse Assistant Core and Homemaker/Home Health Aide course of study. Appended are: (1) Standards Based on the State of Mississippi Nurse Aide Candidate Handbook Exam Content Outline; (2) Related Academic Standards; (3) Workplace Skills for the 21st Century; and (4) National Educational Technology Standards for Students. A list of suggested references is provided for each unit. (Contains 3 footnotes.)