During the first 60 days on-Center, the Career Prep phase, students are adjusting to Center life, finding their place in the Job Corps community, and making the staff and peer connections that will sustain them through their time on-Center. They are also learning about career opportunities, developing career management, technology and job search skills and working on any academic remediation and other issues to prepare them for the Career Development phase.
During this time, staff provide a variety of services to students, including:
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Educating them about Center Life and helping them to adjust to Center expectations and environment.
- Helping students to form the attachments to staff and other students that are critical in this important period of adjustment.
- Teaching students career management skills, including self-assessment, labor market research and career decision-making skills.
- Exposing students to career opportunities on-Center and assisting them in finding the right career option for them.
- Facilitating the development of the student's career plan, including assisting the student in identifying career goals, barriers and supportive resources for overcoming barriers.
- Teaching students technology and job search skills.
RESOURCE LINKS:
Self-Assessments for Personal & Professional Development
Acquiring Self-Knowledge for Career Development
Career Exploration Application Brief
Leveraging Advantage: Career Education Strategies for Disenfranchised Students
Using the Internet in Career Education Application Brief
Using Online Occupational Information
Group Effectiveness in the Classroom & Workplace Application Brief
Learning in Groups
Contextual Learning in Education
Work4Women: Acomprehensive guide to helping women and girls learn about and access high-paying non-traditional careers
TRAINING SUPPORTS
Career Development Facilitator Certification Training
This 120-hour training program prepares individuals for certification as Global Career Development Facilitators. Using real-life team and individual projects, staff learn the 12 CDF competencies. CPP staff will develop skills in using assessments, researching and using labor market information, career decision-making and planning, youth development principles and interactive training & learning. The training is offered in a flexible, modular format that combines 80 hours of face-to-face training with 40 hours of technology-facilitated individual work.
Customized Workshops
Assessment Basics: This one-day workshop focuses on the types of assessment that should occur during the Career Prep phase to assist students in developing their PCDPs. Participants are introduced to various tools and strategies for assessing student interests, aptitudes, work values and barriers and learn how to use this information to help the student develop an appropriate career plan. Techniques for both individual and group orientation and assessment are examined.
Career Planning Workshop: This three-day workshop introduces participants to the three-step process of career decision-making‹Know Yourself, Know the Market and Make the Match. Staff learn how to use career assessments, labor market research and career decision-making strategies to assist students in the career planning process. They also learn basic career facilitation/case management techniques and apply their skills to student case studies.
Creating a Positive Center Climate: A key aspect of student's adjusting to Center life is their sense that they belong to a community. This one-day workshop develops staff skills in group facilitation and team-building, teaching them concrete strategies and techniques for building community with students and staff during the Career Prep phase. Using a highly successful model of group and individual interactions called "Restorative Practices," participants learn how to set and maintain high expectations for student behavior, while providing the support necessary for students to achieve these expectations. They will also learn how to engage students themselves in the process of creating a strong sense of community. The focus is on developing a habit-changing environment that supports student behavioral change.
Teaching Career Exploration and Management Skills through Project-Based Learning: Learners do best when they work with a project-based curriculum that allows them to use resources in a real-life context and to use those resources to create a relevant, meaningful product. This one-day workshop introduces participants to the principles of project-based learning and teaching, including how to develop learning objectives, project-based strategies and how to evaluate student work.
Group Facilitation and Active Learning Techniques: Research indicate that the most effective strategies for enhancing student learning involve active learning strategies that focus on engaging students in their own learning. This one-day workshop focuses on practical tips and techniques for managing group learning and using games, activities and other active learning strategies.
Youth Development Principles and Practices: When working with at-risk youth, there's a tendency to focus on negatives and to assume that negative student behaviors are a result of the student's at-risk status. This one-day workshop focuses on gaining a clear understanding of the mental, physical and emotional issues that adolescents face. Participants learn how to use these developmental issues in positive ways and to focus on youth assets, rather on youth liabilities.
Developing Quality-Focused Youth Career Programming: Using best-practice quality criteria and principles of high quality career development programming, participants in this two-day workshop learn how to integrate quality practices into the program development process. They will learn the specific components of high quality intake and assessment, orientation and career exploration processes and develop a plan for assessing their own efforts on a continuous basis. They will also learn fundamentals of data collection, evaluation and analysis.
Engaging Businesses in the Career Preparation Phase: Local businesses are key partners in the Career Prep phase, providing information, resources and opportunities for students to explore options. This one-day workshop helps participants identify those factors that will "sell" businesses on their involvement in Career Prep. It also explores techniques for developing job shadowing and internship opportunities that benefit both students and businesses.
Case Management and Career Facilitation Skills: Under CDSS, the roles of staff change. This one-day workshop explores the new skills necessary for staff to function effectively in managing their caseloads. Participants will learn how to change from a provider of services to a broker and facilitator. They will also learn techniques to engage students in managing their own career issues, how to develop effective client contracts that change behavior, and how to use interpersonal skills to guide, rather than direct students.
Effective Peer Mentoring and Support Programs: This one-day workshop focuses on creating effective peer mentoring and support strategies to ease student transitions during Career Preparation. It explores practical skills and techniques for engaging students in the mentoring process and for creating peer-to-peer programs that work.
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