BY RICH SCHMALTZ Workforce Transition Program

Adult Population Displaced workers, College Students, Career seekers & Changers  Universal workplace skills  Displaced workers can get basic computer skills  College students finding a career fit to excel  How to find and get the job you want  Employers want soft skills first and foremost, especially communication  Soft skills give an edge in a market where degrees are abundant  Need for College students to have perspective about their careers

Purpose The Workforce Transition Program’s three-fold purpose is (1) to increase the knowledge, attitude, skills, and habits of college students and dislocated workers, (2) equip college students and dislocated workers with the necessary tools for success in the workforce, and (3) assist college students and dislocated workers in finding employment and transitioning into it successfully.

Function The staff of the Workforce Transition Program is responsible for four primary functions:  1. Provide an environment conducive to learning  2. Enhance students’ perception of learning and increase desire to achieve goals  3. Develop, implement, and evaluate all educational activities for students  4. Provide training and development to enhance soft skills and workplace skills of the students

Program Objective #1  To provide an educational program on what is needed to obtain employment and what to expect in the workplace  Learning Objectives: Ability to research suitable careers Ability to search for jobs effectively Ability to prepare a well organized resume Professionalism in a mock job interview

Program Objective #2  To provide training and feedback on the soft skills needed to succeed in an ordinary workplace  Learning Objectives: Ability to communicate effectively through an oral presentation Ability to communicate effectively through writing Ability to communicate effectively by listening Ability to work effectively on a team Ability to maintain a code of ethics Ability to problem solve and think critically Professional skills and attitudes

Program Objective #3  To provide guidance and support to all participants transitioning into the workforce

Lesson Plan: Researching Careers and Building Self-Awareness I. Introduction (15 minutes): 1. Introduce the program: Instructor welcomes everyone to the training and introduces him/herself including: Name, title, and organization; Why the Workforce Transition Program is important to them. 2. Ask for Introductions: Ask everyone to introduce themselves, including their name and their goals after being in the Workforce Transition Program. 3. Discuss Career Development: Talk about careers and work and their significance in our lives. Ask participants about their perceptions of careers and work. Discuss the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and its purpose.

Lesson Plan II. Administer the MBTI Personality Assessment to participants (30 minutes): Explain the purpose of the instrument. III. Return assessment results to participants (15 minutes): Give participants time to review and reflect on results. IV. Lead participants in researching a career (15 minutes): On the overhead projector, search for a career on O*NET and the Occupational Outlook Handbook online and explain how to use each of the websites to gather information. Hand out worksheets to participants. Worksheets will contain questions that will ask pertinent information about a specific career that is necessary to know. Encourage participants to take notes on careers most suited for based on their assessment results.

Lesson Plan (Transfer of Learning) V. Career Research Activity (2 ½ hours): 1. Introduce the Activity (15 minutes): Participants will complete a career search that will provide details of suitable careers and will aid in their brainstorming of career goals and self-awareness. 2. Career Resource Search (60 minutes): Participants will use online and print resources such as O*NET and the Occupational Outlook Handbook to research careers that are relevant and suitable to themselves. They will then search for more information using any source available as they narrow down their search. 3. Coaching and Feedback (45 minutes): The instructor will provide coaching through the process of self-discovery, career exploration, and the decision making process of finding a suitable career. They will review participants’ MBTI assessments, ask questions, and provide feedback. The feedback may be about a career that seems to fit the participant well, a job shadowing opportunity, or an academic program that would help prepare them better for the work they want to pursue. 4. Networking (30 minutes): Participants will talk with others in the class who are considering similar careers and discuss what they have discovered about those careers and themselves.

Lesson Plan VI. Question and Answer Session (30 minutes): The participants will be given a chance to ask the career counselor on staff any questions they might have about careers and choosing a career that they have developed during the training. The instructor will then summarize the events from the day and allow participants time to complete the program evaluation questionnaire.

Researching Careers and Building Self Awareness Career Development Creating a vision:  Step-by-Step  Find Favorite skills, fields, traits, working conditions, responsibility level, salary, and people  Intuition  Leaving a impact in the world within the realm of the mind, body, senses, heart, conscience, entertainment, handling of possessions, or the earth  Luck  Pay attention  Make connections with people  Know what you’re doing

Work Never is there either work without reward, nor reward without work being expended – Livy Why people work – producing something of value Two thirds of all workers would seek more information about jobs if they were starting over

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Favorite world: Do you prefer to focus on the outer world or on your own inner world? This is called Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I). Information: Do you prefer to focus on the basic information you take in or do you prefer to interpret and add meaning? This is called Sensing (S) or Intuition (N). Decisions: When making decisions, do you prefer to first look at logic and consistency or first look at the people and special circumstances? This is called Thinking (T) or Feeling (F). Structure: In dealing with the outside world, do you prefer to get things decided or do you prefer to stay open to new information and options? This is called Judging (J) or Perceiving (P). Your Personality Type: When you decide on your preference in each category, you have your own personality type, which can be expressed as a code with four letters. MBTI Basics, (n.d.). The Myers & Briggs Foundation. Retreived from personality-type/mbti-basics/

Career Research 1. Search using: O*NET Occupational Outlook Handbook online Job search engines with jobs and description included (indeed.com, careerbuilder.com, monster.com) 2. Fill out worksheets with questions pertaining to the career(s) you choose to look at. 3. Discuss your findings and thoughts with instructor and receive feedback 4. Network with others in this class who have similar interests and discuss what you found and how

Additional Resources Helpful Handouts on Careers (Most College Career Service Centers)  O*NET  Occupational Outlook Handbook online  What Color is Your Parachute?: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career Changers By Richard Bolles

Additional Resources Careers Out There: Real Advice from Real Professionals  Career One Stop: Pathways to Career Success  Unofficial MBTI style personality test 

Q & A Any Questions???