Question

A article on the topic "The career options Workshop'

Answer 1

It's a great resource, and it's right in our backyard," said Shawn Gifford, junior high gifted coordinator for Brockway, of bringing his students to the campus. "Until you come here, you don't always know everything going on and all the great resources that are here."

According to Assistant Director of Enrollment Services Holli Lashinsky, that's one of the goals of the program.

"We want to expose these students to our programs so that they're aware that there are great educational opportunities near to them, without having to travel far from home," Lashinsky said.

She also noted that taking advantage of educational opportunities close to home is just one way families can save on their expenses. The campus also can also provide qualifying students with assistance.

"We have over $400,000 in scholarships that we award to students each year," said Lashinsky. "These students in gifted programs, who are very strong academically, are poised to be able to take advantage of those opportunities."

Students rotated through three distinct workshop sessions during their visit. The first, instructed by faculty from the campus human development and family studies program, highlighted the impact human services professionals have on communities, and how wealth and power affect a person's success. The second session was taught by a member of the business program faculty, and focused on entrepreneurship and building a business. A third session, led by Career Services Coordinator Anna Akintunde, introduced students to building a college portfolio.

"We want to prepare these students for college, show them what's important, and what will set them apart from other students, and teaching them how to highlight their skills," Akintunde said. "We do the same for our college students with workshops that help to refine their skills. We're getting them job-ready. That is really the purpose of these workshops."

Answer 2

The Career Workshop is designed to help participants develop the skills they need to be
successful in their job search. The key to success in this program is to have participants
practice the skills they are learning in “live” situations:
1. With peers in the workshop (a safe environment)
2. With friends, associates, and colleagues (a more challenging environment)
3. With people they do not know-cold calls (the ultimate challenge)
Most people feel comfortable in the first two environments but find the last one the most
difficult. Ultimately, however, participants are most likely to find employment through
interaction with people they don’t know. If participants are not comfortable doing this, it will
take them longer to achieve their goals. Practice of this nature will help participants overcome
their anxiety.
As an instructor, it is your responsibility to help participants overcome their fears. Create an
environment where they not only learn job search skills but also practice them. There are
three activities in the Participant’s Workbook that lend themselves to this type of practice:
People to Contact for More Information (page 10)
Interview for Information or Referrals (pages 28–30)
Get Appointments for Interviews (pages 30–31)
In order to create “live” practice opportunities, incorporate the following activities in your
workshop session:
Have telephones available and encourage participants to make calls (cold calling)
during the workshop.
If telephones are not available, you may require that participants contact someone in
their network (by telephone or face to face) before they can proceed with the next unit
of the workshop. (Use this method only if you are sure it will not discourage
participants from continuing with the workshop.)
Have participants report on their experiences using the forms on pages 20–23 of the
workbook.
Remember, the workshop is not meant to be a clinical event―participants should be
challenged with opportunities to practice. Follow the 80–20 rule: participants should speak
and practice 80 percent of the time. By incorporating this practice you will create the best
opportunity for the participants to succeed.