Placement
As discussed a school is measured by retention and placement results, but what can you do if a number of students after graduating just don't seem to have the drive to join that specific work force that they received training for?
It's very hard to place someone at that point, and subsequently this will affect your placement numbers when it's not for lack of trying your end.
Aaron,
Interesting comments. We believe that schools should only enroll students with the goal of seeing that each grad gets a job in the field trained for which trained This takes as much training as knowledge and skills needed for the job! We believe that students need training in searching for jobs, being prepared for that first job interview, interview coaching, confidence building and lots more. It usually takes several months. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
Paul,
Thank you for stating what I was thinking. However challenging the task may seem, it is not 100% placement that schools are held accountable for this reason. Exceptions will apply. Having programs in place that focus on providing resources to students leading up to the time for their job search is indeed extremely important and achieveable.
Aaron Meadows
kelly,
Very true, Kelly. Students enroll in career schools because they want a job. That's why we feel that career services staff should meet the prospective student when admissions is conducting the interview. Some students think they don't need employment training. The reality is that everyone needs to learn the skills or get an update. We feel it is the responsibility of the school to provide the tools for grads to successfully find employment. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
Placement services should be required for all schools. Students need help thats why they are looking for a school because they arent able to do it alone.
Hi Jay, Great list of career services activities and tips. Susan
Hi Milo! This is certainly an ongoing challenge for career services. In addition to stressing to graduates and students the importance of communicating that information, I think the key rests in relationships. We have to make them want to tell us. Here are some tips (many of which you may already use):
-involve career services early on with students so that by the time they get to graduation, they have built a solid, professional relationship with career services reps, not just assistance toward the end of the program
-ask faculty members for information; in many instances, instructors stay in touch with students and graduates, and know where they are working
-see if financial aid has contact information if you cannot currently locate a graduate to ask them about employment
Jay Hollowell
Guest
MaxKnowledge
Interesting situation, Milo. The first thought we have is - what are you asking your grads and when? And also what involvement did your school have in assisting in getting the job? Perhaps the school needs to have more involvement in the job preparation and job search process. As part of the assistance let the students know that it is expected that they will continue to communicate with you after they get a job and that you need to know placement results and details as the information needs to be reported to your regulatory authorities. Be sure to reenforce that their privacy will be maintained. Again, you might want to start by looking at the questions you ask now. What is it about the questions that might make the grads balk about responding? Thanks, Susan
One additional question - many of our graduates are employed but refuse to send us documentation about their employer or any details that we need to comply with accreditation requirements. Any tips ?
You make some great points about motivation. They made us think that probably there are not a lot of notes about the motivation of each student. There's certainly no place on a student record or file! So how do faculty and staff rate a student's motivation and how does this get recorded? And then what is done with the low rated student and how is the highly motivated student treated? Certainly food for thought on what services to offer each type. Thanks, Susan
Hello Sarah,
I agree with many of the posts for this thread. Knowing a student's motivation starts with the initial interview. Being able to keep that motivation alive requires both internal and external support. If the student is intrinsically motivated to finish and find a job then it's best to eliminate as many obstacles as possible. Extrinsically motivated students need more praise and support in addition to making the process of admissions to graduation to placement possible. Establish a feeling of purpose in the student that drives them to the finish line. This can be accomplished by learning their goals, understanding their need to succeed, and identifying their core values.
Thanks for your comments, Paul. The whole nature of career education, as you state, involves working with nontraditional adult learners who may sometimes need an extra nudge. I am convinced that if we lead by example and show immediate relevance to the knowledge and applications they are learning, we have tapped motivation.
Jay Hollowell, MaxKnowledge
Guest Facilitator
My overall understanding is that as professionals working in the vocational training field, we have
accepted the challenge that the students that we are wroking with need more help to stay focused, get to the finish line, and find a job. We have no
way but to accpet this challenge, and work on it the best we can. That is also what the regulations hold us to.
There will be always a few that you can not help, no matter what. We should do our best to keep that number to the minimum. I like all the suggestions that focused on encourgaing the students during the lenght of the prgram, and not just the at the end.
Hi Crystal. Sounds like you are doing everything right. We find that students need to be reminded about the occupational outcomes of their training on a daily basis. It's as simple as instructors talking about their work or career services offering many workshops, presentations, etc. throughout the students entire school experience. Or running videos throughout the day showing people on the job. Best wishes, Susan
Our school as well emphasizes individual attention to our student body. We require an essay with the admissions process to determine why they want to come to culinary school. Also we are very frank about a typical day in the foodservice industry and are there to help our students with finding a job and everything that goes with it. We also encourage our students to help local restaurants/catering companies with special events for additional hands-on training while in school.
Hi Dale, Really well said. Employment and placement skills training is as important as any course, in our opinion. It's not only learning the skills, it's about getting over the fear of the job search, increasing self-esteem, gaining skills in public speaking, overcoming shyness and feelings of inadequacies, and much more. It does take time. Thanks, Susan
One of the things that separates our school from other types of schools - like community colleges - is the individual attention we promise to give to our students. This is time-consuming and often frustrating, but absolutely essential in getting our students through the job hunting process. We have to meet with each student individually early on and consistently through the program - not just at graduation time.
Hi Vicky
Intersting situation. If students enroll in a course for personal enrichment then placement isn't an issue. If students enroll in programs with no plans to get a job, or are already working, you can ask them to sign a statement that they are not enrolling with the goal of employment. And thus placement isn't required. Your license and other regulatory boards should have accommodations for this. Or perhaps your students take courses or a program because they want to work on their own. Usually regulatory boards have certain accommodations for this. Your goal as a placement department is to show students and grads their options for seeking jobs, job enhancement or promotion, salary increases, etc. You do also need to keep track of what they do upon graduation and then follow up periodically in case their status changes and they do get jobs. You'll learn a lot. Not all as easy as it sounds!
Best wishes, Susan
Our school is a Music School so the music industry employment opportunities are very unpredictable, also many students that come to our school do not have the goal of being professionals. They come for the pure enjoyment of musical self-expression. We do have also placement numbers not really reflecting the quality of our program. With this scenario in mind, how do we improve placement?
Thanks!
Great Suhas
You might also consider student satisfaction and feedback. And maybe student success and how soon after graduation that they get a job.
Best wishes
Susan
