SOCCCD Collaborative CTE Grant Funded Externship Thu Nguyen Acting Project Director-TPP Counselor Irvine Valley College

Externship with: Kathy Johnson, Executive Director Vital Link Orange County P.O. Box Costa Mesa, Ca At the following events: - Saddleback College Tech Prep Career Day - Wednesday, November 4, Coastline Community College Digital Media Arts Day - Thursday, November 19, 2009

What is Vital Link? Vital Link is a concept initiated by the American Business Conference with the goal of matching high school students' education with the needs of their future employers. Mission: The mission of Vital Link is to create the link between business and education to prepare students for the successful transition to meaningful employment. As a catalyst for systemic change, Vital Link is committed to making high school count in the career development process for students.

My goals: To learn the general process of organizing a career day event including:  Understanding the timeline for tasks  Scheduling presenters  Arranging facility  Planning for staff coverage I want to use what I learn from this externship to be able to better coordinate a CTE Teaching Career Information Faire for students in the Teacher Preparation Pipeline (TPP) program at Irvine Valley College.

Externship Highlights Keys to a successful career-pathway day Before the event: ◦ Keynote Speaker & Presenters  Vital Link works with many institutions within K-16 each year so Kathy Johnson attends professional association meetings regularly to network and seek out potential presenters for the different career events that she collaborates on with schools and colleges. Relationship building is very important in scheduling presenters. ◦ Volunteers  In coordinating volunteer efforts, ideally you do not want to have too little or too many volunteers. Sometimes managing the volunteers takes away from getting the job done. The volunteers have to understand what is expected of them and the length of time that they have to be at the event. ◦ Facility  Kathy recommends booking the site for the event as soon as possible. This is especially important when working with a large group of students because you will need a large room to hold everyone for an opening and closing session but you will also need to have convenient smaller rooms for the break-out sessions.  The rooms must have the equipment ready for presenters (i.e. internet, projector, speakers) ◦ Agenda  The topic of the event will be determined by the collaborating agencies, schools and/or colleges. It is important to understand that when working with K-12 students, there are only certain number of dates that field trips can be scheduled. Also, there are paperwork, staffing, transportation and other logistics that need to be completed well in advanced according to school policies.

Externship Highlights continue… Keys to a successful career-pathway day. The day of the event: ◦ The week before the actual event  According to Kathy, this is a key period of time for set-up. This is when the staging is taking place and you want to make sure you have everything you need and ready to transport. It is hard to go back to the office or get something you forgot on the day of the event. ◦ Check-In  Before students arrive at the check-in table, Kathy recommends having approximately two hours to set up before the start of the event if possible.  From my observations, the clear directions that Kathy gives to the volunteer/staff working at the check-in table (and for their other assignments for the day) before students arrive is critical in preventing confusion.  When students check-in, they each get a packet of materials that usually include the following:  Name tag (with group number for break-out sessions)  Agenda for the day  Materials about jobs/careers  Evaluation – collected at lunchtime and is the student’s ticket for lunch ◦ Equipment  Should be tested in the morning for the main meeting site as well as the break-out rooms. ◦ Food  If budget allows, it helps to provide a light breakfast or snacks for students during the day. Lunch arrangements should be made in advance and sometimes it may work to have other activities to coincide with lunch (i.e. raffle). Usually, many of Vital Link’s events end after lunch or soon after because of school and bus schedule.

Saddleback College Tech Prep Career Day November 4, 2009 Road Trip Nation was the keynote speaker at Saddleback’s event. Their goal is to “send people on the road who are interested in exploring the world outside their comfort zone, talking with individuals who chose to define their own road in life, and sharing their experiences with our generation.” This is an example of the different network that Kathy have built in order to coordinate events that are interesting to students as well help with their career exploration.

Coastline Community College Digital Media Arts Day November 19, 2009 At Coastline College, students got a chance to work on programs such as Adobe Photoshop and 3D Animation in the college’s computer labs.

Applications to TPP After having the opportunity to observe and participate in these two career days with Kathy Johnson as a volunteer, I have a much better understanding of how I can coordinate a career faire for students in the TPP program at IVC that will be enjoyable as well as educational.

For the opportunity complete this externship, I would like to sincerely thank: Kathy Johnson Saddleback College & Coastline Community College For the opportunity complete this externship, I would like to sincerely thank: Kathy Johnson – for giving me the chance to observe and learn from your expertise in event planning. Saddleback College & Coastline Community College – for the opportunity to get a first-hand look at the ‘behind-the-scene’ at both career days.