Targeting Intervention Strategies
Does your institution’s career services department assess student employability skills and barriers to success prior to offering interventions? If so, what assessment is used and how are interventions applied? If not, how does the staff personalize interventions to ensure that the best approach is applied to each student?
One way our institution assesses student employability skills is through our Externship program. The students are evaluated at the mid way and again at the end of their externship. This allows CS and Academics to work together to correct any barriers the student may face.
In addition, all students are required to meet with CS at the half way point in the program. This meeting is a one-on-one way to determine any barriers to success the student may have. A road map is then detailed out for the student to take with them with an action plan to improve and or eliminate barriers.
Erin,
An remember, you may have to adjust your assessment model until it becomes successful for your institution. Be patient and steadfast. good luck! And remember, you can ask questions or post ideas in the Lounge for interaction from other members.
Sheri Leach
Developing an assessment tool is one of my take home messages from this section. The assessment is a missing piece in our current approach to placement. By implementing this step, we should be able to identify challenges and then develop plans in conjunction with the student to address obstacles prior to graduation and placement activities.
Darcee,
Another great way to continually have students thinking about employment related activities and skills while learning their technical skills. It is great that other departments are involved.
Sheri Leach
Our Student Services department facilitates career-advising sessions for our students at the entry, half-way, and exit points in the program. While the philosophy behind these sessions are retention-based, they provide an opportunity for important goal-setting and career-mapping that readies the student for future mock interviews, resume-writing, and advising sessions with the Career Placement Coordinator when they begin their job search.
Susan,
Don't forget to let us know if you have any questions. Use the Career Lounge to ask questions and share your thoughts as you start to implement some of these processes.
Sheri Leach
The career services dept. does not currently employ the practice of individual assessment of student employability and barriers - however I am excited to begin this process by implementing some of the tools outlined in this last section! The current student demographic will greatly benefit from these tools. I will also be partnering with our Library to dedicate a section for Career Services Resources and work with librarian to identify online resources as well as hands-on tools for students to self-assess at any time.
Jeremy ,
It is great that your institution is already addressing this issue. Can you share one of the best practices that you already have in place?
Sheri Leach
Theodore,
Online programs have specific challenges. To reach students to assess their skills and barriers, you can try email campaigns, develop an activity/assignment to identify barriers and enlist the help of other instructors and staff members.
Sheri Leach
Our Career Services Department does meet with each student individually to understand the their specific needs and skills. They work with each student to overcome challenges in skills, knowledge, and confidence. This helps them to identify potential barriers and what is needed to overcome in order to be successful. This section of the course definitely helped me look to additional approaches we can take to be more proactive in utilizing interventions and individual attention.
My institution relies upon a service called Career Cruising where student-customers can have access to resume builders, job opportunities, etc; We do have different career interest inventories, but honestly we do not assess employability skills and barriers aside from the successful matriculation in one of our programs. Also, the instructor staff really does not have a "buy-in" to personalize interventions. We are an online school (nationally and regionally accredited), so this is an area we can show growth.
Patricia G. Wilson,
What a great name for your sessions! Can you provide some specifics of how it is conducted?
Sheri Leach
Our career services departments hold "make the connection" sessions the include as initial assessment of student needs a barriers and well as several trainings to better prepare students for employment. The trainings are conduct throughout the student's life cycle, so the remain engaged throughout their entire program. It also creates improved relationships with the students and allows career services to be involved during challenges the student may encounter during their training.
Sherry,
You are not alone. With full classes and staff reductions, there is just not enough time or personnel to do everything that we would like to. I suggest getting together with the instructors on a regular basis, perhaps set up a weekly meeting. The instructors know their students and can be your eyes and ears to barriers and can share them and other insights that will help you work more effectively with the students. Establish a "total campus environment" where everyone plays a part in educating and placing the student.
Sheri Leach
We need to improve on learning students specifics barriers prior to offering interventions. We typically conduct workshops in a group fashion due to low staffing. We look forward to implementing new strategies in order to match interventions to student barriers.
Our institution does keep a close relationship with most students thus knowing a bit about their personal lives gives us insight on barriers they may have, but a more formal approach will be beneficial to us.
Mario,
With time and staffing challenges, it is not always possible to meet with students one-on-one or as many times as you would prefer. Workshops are a great way to get information across to a group. Perhaps you can use your workshops or your review of resume/cover letters as a way to identify students who may need more assistance.
Sheri Leach
There are no assessment employability skills & barriers performed at this school. However, we do meet with each student one on one to discuss job opportunities and how to obtain them. We also perform workshops; were they learn how to prepare their resume and cover letter and brief seminars on how to present themselves in speaking, dressing and in grooming which pretty much time allows.
Based on the course I heard, there is a lot more we can do where the student will benefit and become a productive member in society.
Tom,
When visiting an institution, an accreditor will often ask for a summary of the job placement process. Specifically asking when the Career Services Team starts to work with the students. Is there a particular answer to this question that the accreditor is looking for? Additionally, in your experience, is there a process that you would consider a best practice that you can share?
Sheri Leach
Accreditors typically assess the outcomes of career services and institutional placement activities. However, they do not have any standards or process for assessing the job placement process. Given its central importance in career education, it would be useful for accreditors to require certain fundamentals of the job placement process mentioned in this section, such as an assessment of employability skills and barriers, and customized interventions based on student needs.
