Excellent. A mock environment helps to improve the look, sound, and feel of a course. This will result in improved retention.
Dr. B
I work at an automotive technical college. In one of our courses students are introduced to a mock dealership enviroment so the can understand the structure within a dealership. We also do mock job interviews. The mock interviews are an exciting and much anticipated part of this course. It is always a learning experience.
they work very hard to not only just post jobs and externship openings, but also offer classes on resume writting and interviewing.
So, what would happen if your department got involved early in the educational process? Would there be a benefit?
Dr. B
Our dept. gets involved in the latter stages of their educational process. At that time they inform the students as to the internal procedures to find a job. What appears to be missing is occasional re-enformance as to the end goal of the student. For example, when I've talked to students half way thru their programs, so many of them have this look of " I don't really know". When they have no clear objective as to employment situations, it diminshes the value of the education they receive. Point being, why should they put forth maximum effort when they remain undecided as to their future.
What our placement department does to reach students throughout the training process is that they go out and visit the students at the work site. They get feedback from employers, then let the student know what they need to imporve on while at the site. They also meet one on one with the student to let them know what is expected of them through the process of finding a job and while at the work site. If a student is not successful at the job they are placed at, they have a talk with the student to let them what the problem was and how they fix the problem they then look at other jobs for the student to be placed at. They do a very good job of placing our student and following up on them to make sure they are doing a good job for them. If is very important for the employer to let us know too if they are having a problem with our students so that we can correct the problem as soon as possible.
Our school, I'm proud to say, uses very aggressive placement practices such as a job bulletin board, resume assistance, and frequently we have guest speakers who represent the leadership of the industry to mention a few. In the classroom, instructors are encouraged to share personal life experiences pertaining to the line of work we are instructing. This seems to be very helpful in allowing students to visualize themselves in the field encountering similar situations and gives them additional confidence that they, too, will be able to overcome the obstacles they may face.
we have job posting all through our campus. ALso students that are getting close to graduation get pulled to the employment office to help with job placement.
Nice! This practice really works. Be sure to adivse on career themes.
Dr. B
They meet with our students in their first class to discuss the oppportunities available in their program. They discuss employment searching strategies, resume writing, interview questions, and importance of networking.
Our placement department also holds workshops with our students ready to leave for extern to fine tune their soft skills and perfect their resume
Excellent. So, when do you engage career services in the educational process... at the front?
Dr. B
Very important. Employers are struggling with our grads on the issue of professionalism. Good for you.
Dr. B
We strictly enforce professionalism rules through out our program. We have listened to an advisory council comprised of local employers, and this is what they want. Professionalism encompasses dress, behavior, attendance etc.
Our school has a excellent program to prepare students for job placement. We have Job Fairs where employers come to the campus searching for students upon graduating. These companies offer information concerning desired qualifications and traits and even inform our students about competitive salaries.
You got it. The key is to keep the student's vision alive. By engaging career services early in the process, you will.
Dr. B
You got it. Career placeemnt starts the first day of class. This is the reason that students study in the first place...to get "the" job.
Dr. B
This sounds very similar to our Career Services Advisors. We schedule seminars for our students to have employer visits, recruitment fairs, and seminars to educate students to think outside the box. For example, speakers come from graduates to businesses that work in specific industries such as entertainment, catering, product development, cookbook writers, etc.
Many MSAT programs are available to the students.Job boards are updated weekly and local employment specialists are constantly working with the students to help with there employment
Our career services department has a daunting task of trying to place our grads in a job to start their career. Career placement starts when the student first starts our program and continues through their stay. Interview skills, writing resumes, how to dress for success etc. are shared with students as they prepare for the big world outside. It doesn’t guarantee success. Students must decide for themselves if they are to be successful. They learn quickly that nothing is handed to them.
our placement department is constantly in contact with the students throughout their stay at our school. They put on graduate career fairs where students who are close to graduating get to speak with potential employers about obtaining jobs. The placement department does not however prevent the other students from attending. So even students who are new to the school get to walk through and see the graduates in front of employers and i think this gets and keeps them motivated to succeed.
