Overview of Your Career Services Department | Origin: CS101
This is a general discussion forum for the following learning topic:
Setting Up an Effective Career Services Department --> Overview of Your Career Services Department
Post what you've learned about this topic and how you intend to apply it. Feel free to post questions and comments too.
I've learned how important it is to have a successful career department, especially at a trade school. It requires close work with other departments and not only assists students with jobs but helps build lifelong skills that will assist them throughout their professional career. A clear and consise mission statement drives the services and goals of the department and allows us to hold ourselves accountable if we are not meeting a commitment we have made to the student body.
As a School Director, the Career Services provided by our school is vital to our business. Simply put, the goal of career services is to assist graduates through the often daunting preparation and process of legwork required to prepare for and seek employment. The perception of the viability of the training programs is directly related to the success of the Career Services process. The process starts with a culture of understanding the needs and goals of the individual, providing career education and guidance, and supporting the graduate well beyond graduation. The process for success begins with Admissions, is reinforced throughout training and fulfilled by Career Services.
I have learned that Association Membership is important because it offers greater networking opportunities, Real Life/Job balance from industry leaders who are performing jobs in the career industry you want to be involved in. Memebership is key and it lreflects positively on resume.
I learned that a mission statement is important in helping the career and student services department to help them focus on how they can help students. I also learned that the Career and students services department is important in all aspects of the school. From the time that a student starts to the time that they graduation and also after graduation.
I learned that the role of career services is not just to assist students and graduates find employment. The serivces that a career services center offer have the ability to impact many differnt faucets, not just students. By understanding that we are the bridge for students and employers, we can find creative ways to prepare students for a career in their field and help employers find quality candidates faster.
What I have learned in this module so far is how important the Career and Student Service department are and how it is the center for the whole school. From the minute the prospective student tours the school until way beyond graduation our department has a great oppurtunity to show all that we are THE place.
This section allowed me the chance to think about what services and opportunities I’d like to offer students. In this review I was able to not just brainstorm ideas but also determine the “why” I would want to incorporate into a Career Service Department; which led me to be more decisive in the offerings. Something else I hadn’t thought about before was the impact this department has on an institution as a whole. It’s refreshing to see how this work is helpful to so many, not just the student who sits in front of you at that moment.
The main takeaway from this module has been how impactful a Career Services Department can be, not just for current students, but also for graduates, the admissions department and employers. What a valuable resource!
Career Services plays a who role in higher education. Starting from the mission statement of the institution to the individual mission of Career Services must compliment the direction of the overall goal for each student. Being able to prepare the future leaders of tomorrow takes dedication, attention to detail, and empathy.
I've learned that having a functional and engaging Career Services Department is pivotal for the institution's visibility in it's local, national, and international communities, while ascertaining that graduating idividuals enter the workforce, boots on the ground, ready to go!
The Mission Statement will dictate how successful your organization can be. It will also enhance the abilities of Career Services to provide 110% services to the students. Career Services are the backbone of a school or any organization. In order to do that you will need to create a strong team. One of the best Mission Statement I have heard is "Transforming lives through the power of work"
I learned that having a mission statement as a good foundation is key. Offering multiple services to help students be successful and providing industry information and career opportunities is a great path to success.
Learned that providing career-oriented publications can help students stay informed on industry current events. Wages, trends, developments and job openings will help keep them motivated to graduate and finding employment. We put more emphasis in this area to maintain students excitment about working.
Along with having a good mission statement, I learned that you always need to keep your information and resources for students updated. Its important to stay in contact with other departments such as Admissions so your on the same page. This gives the students the most relevant information to aid them in finding a career.
I learned that the Career Services Department can affect the entire institution. Working closely with admissions can help students with retention and being able to motivate students in the long run. Career Services' job is to be able to provide the proper tools for all departments to communicate with one another.
It is important to get students to join professional organizations. Being a part of professional organizations help students gain experiences that they can list on their resumes.
Posting the mission statement not only helps students to understand the purpose but is a great reminder for staff as well. It is too easy to get sidetracked by the variety of demands from the various stakeholders and having everyone on board with the purpose and mission helps to keep everyone on track.
I learned that it is important to give direction to a WBL program by creating a mission statement. This is where industry, community, educational members, and students can look to see what the program is about, and what the goals are for the future. It is also important to define the various departments that will be involved in the WBL program, and to identify what each department's roles are in making the program the most efficient it can be.
The Career Services Department can benefit every area of your institution.
