Making Connections: Putting Students to Work

1. Making Connections: Putting Students to Work Academic Senate for California Community Colleges VOCATIONAL LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE January 29, 2011 Lisa Romain, Ph.D., NCC Wheeler North

2. Putting Students to Work

3. Learning Objectives • Learn why CTE students are at community colleges. • Discover how to make connections with career centers. • Explore what students experience. • Expose faculty to resources that will help students with their job placement and occupational experiences.

4. Agenda • What makes CTE Students Successful • Making Connections- Career Services • Resources • Wrap Up

5. Who’s Who • Lisa Romain, Ph.D., NCC Professor, Counselor, Career Center Director Palomar College • Wheeler North, Chair – ASCCC Occupational Education Committee – San Diego Miramar College

6. What makes CTE students successful? • DVD –Career and Technical Education

7. Did You Know? • The reality is ... a high-performing career center must be able to work with faculty effectively. In a NACE Journal article, They’re Just Not That Into You, author Scott Brown contends that college faculty are often misinformed, dismissive, or apathetic toward career centers and the services they offer. Yet college faculty support is critical for career center success. After all, they have a major influence on students’ career paths, hold power on campus, can drive students to career services, and have valuable industry and alumni relationships. Because faculty and career services share the same ultimate goal - Student Success, it is essential that you and your staff capitalize on and extend your career center’s faculty connections.

8. Did You Know? • Labor market and career information is to students what market research data is to business -- invaluable. Our 21st century economy demands a new approach to career development and that means career education becomes everyone's job. When instructors create active learning experiences linking today’s classroom assignments with tomorrow’s marketplace, students find learning more relevant, rewarding and practical. In addition, integrating career information and workplace skills into the academic experience, helps students make a more successful transition from college to the workplace.

9. Did You Know? • Television might introduce students to occupations and even lead to further career exploration. But to get beyond the introductions, they will need to turn off the TV and tune into the real world. Providing students with accurate career information from reliable sources is the primary goal of California Community College Career Centers. Students need to know where to go to gather the job facts and statistics so they can expand their options and uncover the "real" truth about different careers. Fortunately, there are sites loaded with the information students need. Here are five important sites and some ideas of how you might use them. (http://www.palomar.edu/counseling/careercenter/)

10. Job Tip • The employer today has many qualified candidates from which to choose. You will be seriously considered for a position only by showing the employer that you know who you are, what you can offer and where you are going.

11. Career Services – How Do We Put Students to Work? • Career Center webpage • http://www.palomar.edu/counseling/careercenter

12. Identifying and Connecting • Online Resources • Print Resources • Identifying local/regional opportunities • Student organizations

13. Online Resources • Career Café Website: Where Students Meet Success • http://www.cacareercafe.com/preview/ • “Take Ten”: 10-minute Career Consults • Additional links: • Yahoo Directory: http://dir.yahoo.com/business_and_economy/organizations/professional/ • Quint Careers: http://www.quintcareers.com/professional_organizations.html • Google Directory: http://www.google.com/Top/Society/Organizations/Professional/

14. Integrating Into a Professional Organization • Identifying skills to use and/or develop • Know your personal style: when you are at your best what are you doing? • Identifying opportunities within the organization • Connecting with the right person • Attending meetings, receptions, and other meet/greet opportunities

15. How To Connect to Career Centers • Many administrators, faculty, staff, and students are clueless about the quality and range of career services offered at their campus career centers. Here are some ideas and resources to help you connect to your career centers services, partner with faculty and staff, garner the support you need from administrators, and meet the needs of your students.

16. How To Connect to Career Centers • Connect with Administrators Review and share the booklet An Investment That Works. • Send brief informative emails describing upcoming events and then report results.

17. How To Connect to Career Centers • Engage Faculty and Staff -Present your customized version of the PowerPoint Partnering for Success at faculty department meetings. • Encourage faculty to bring classes to the Career Center. • Do classroom presentations. • Send instructors short career activities to use in class that will generate traffic to the career center.

18. How To Connect to Career Centers • Market to Students -Advertise and deliver a terrific Career Fair. • Offer fun and creative workshops like Career Services Jeopardy. • Create a virtual presence. • Provide relevant and accessible career services.

19. Other Connections • Faculty Externships-Preparing Today's Students for Tomorrow's Careers • AODS Mentor Program-Faculty and students connecting in the classroom

20. Wrap Up • Do you have questions? • Q/A