Best Jobs List

Money magazine has issued a list of the "best jobs." The ranking is based on growth, pay, stress level and other factors. Top five, in order: software engineer, college professor, financial adviser, human resources manager, and physician assistant. Whoever made the list obviously wasn't in the midst of grading papers. Read more...

Career Exploration Vacation

Summer doesn’t just mean pool parties and sleeping late. Encourage the young people you know to use their break from school to explore career options. Below are places to check out for expanding career vision and personal growth, both locally and globally. Camp Invention Camp Invention is a weeklong summer enrichment day program offered in local communities for children entering first through sixth grades. This exciting program invites children to let their imaginations run wild through teamwork, creative problem solving, and inventive thinking. Engineering and Technology Exploring Academy Westmoreland County Community College Career Prep Program and the Boy Scouts of America have partnered to bring a three day exploration cap to the Westmoreland County Community College Youngwood Campus for students who will be enrolled in grades 8-11 during the 2006-2007 school year. Contact Paula Rendine at 724-925-4268 or rendinep@wcc-pa.edu for more information and a registration packet. Manufacturing Career Exploration Program The Manufacturing Career Exploration Program will engage participating youth in activities that will demonstrate the diverse, high skill careers that exist in the manufacturing industry and provide participants with the opportunity to develop and demonstrate personal skills in communication, teamwork and problem solving. Summer in the City- Explore, Experiment, Experience, Point Park University From engineering to movie producing, students in middle in high school can explore a number of careers through Point Park’s Summer in the City programs. Women In Engineering MTM ’06 Camp- Penn State University High school girls who are entering 9th through 12th grades are eligible. Applicants should like science and math and should have the desire to learn more about engineering. YWCA of Westmoreland County Camps include Robo Labs and Creating a Video/Public Service Announcement. Council on International Educational Exchange Go abroad or share your home and your lifestyle with a CIEE international high school student. Rotary Youth Exchange Rotary Youth Exchange provides thousands of young people with the opportunity to meet people from other lands and to experience their cultures. Youth for Understanding Youth For Understanding (YFU) is a non-profit educational organization which offers opportunities for young people around the world to spend a summer, semester or year with a host family in another culture. Many opportunities are free or very low cost. And for the grown ups who are thinking about career exploration, check out Vocation Vacations. Special thanks to Anne McCafferty, Michelle DeLuca, and Terri Campbell for providing career exploration vacation information.

More Educated, but Still Losing Top Talent

The Education Policy and Leadership Center and The Learning Alliance for Higher Education at the University of Pennsylvania have released a report, "A Rising Tide: The Current State of Higher Education in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania." The report boasts greater educational attainment in the commonwealth. Nonetheless, the gap between populations (by race and geography) persists. Another troubling finding -- Although Pennsylvania's colleges and universities are producing more technically skilled graduates (13,000 in 2004), a significant part of the growth was due to enrollment of out-of-state students. These students have less attachment to Pennsylvania and often return home or relocate where the best jobs are available. In short, we're exporting our most highly valued talent. Shame on us. Read the summary here: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06108/682922-298.stm Big long report, here: http://www.thelearningalliance.info/

Rendell & O'Connor Recognize Human Capital Investments

Congratulations to the 2005-2006 People Do Matter award winners! The winners were announced at a highly-anticipated and sold out award ceremony on Wed., April 5, 2006. Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell delivered the event keynote and joined Pittsburgh mayor, Bob O'Connor and other regional leaders to recognize the achievements of the region's best companies. Be sure to give a special shout out to this year's winners: The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Pittsburgh Branch was recognized for increasing employee retention, building relationships and adaptive skills, and becoming an employer of choice through the creation of the "Welcome and Succeed Program." Kennametal won top honors in the Learning and Development category for overcoming changing market dynamics and new competitive challenges through the "Customer Acquisition Process" -- a learning and development strategy that built a stronger sales culture. Finally, the Human Resources Collaborative was recognized for building an innovative shared service model that both saved money and improved human resource services. Thanks to the many individuals and organizations that contributed to the event's success. Download a program book with detailed descriptions of all of this year's finalists.

Going Places

Very cool career exploration site from, of all things, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Who knew CPAs knew how to create career exploration games?

http://www.startheregoplaces.com

Discovering Drop Outs

This month's TIME magazine covers the hidden problem of high school drop out rates. While there's great debate about the numbers, many researchers believe that 33% of public high school graduates will drop out. The numbers are much worse for Latinos and African Americans who experience dropout rates approaching 50%. In some states, legislators are taking action. Credit recovery programs and alternative environments are popular solutions. Disincentives are also being used (e.g., taking away driving or work permit priviledges.) It's good to see mainstream coverage of this awful problem. High school dropouts fare horribly in today's economy. Employers want to see a diploma. Completing high school not only tells the employer that you have certain skills, it says that you're committed to completing something. The TIME story is interesting, but the really good stuff is in a related report by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, "The Silent Epidemic." Check out these factoids: Why do students drop out? * 47 percent of dropouts said classes weren't interesting * 43 percent had missed too many days of school and couldn't catch up * 38 percent said they had too much freedom and not enough rules in life * 35 percent said they quit because they were failing in school * 32 percent said they had to get a job and make money What are dropouts' experiences in high school? * 88 percent had passing grades, and 70 percent said they could have graduated if they had tried * 69 percent were not motivated to work hard; 66 percent would have worked harder if more had been demanded of them How do dropouts feel about their decision? * 81 percent said they now believe graduating from high school is important to success in life * 74 percent said if they were able to relive the experience, they would have stayed in school * 47 percent agreed it was hard to find a good job without a diploma What might have kept dropouts in school? * 81 percent called for more "real-world" learning opportunities * 75 percent wanted smaller classes with more individual instruction * 71 percent favored better communication between parents and schools and more involvement from parents I know I'm completely biased, but I think these kids are starving for career education and work experience programs. TIME article available here (if you subscribe): http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1181646,00.html Additional info available in a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation report, "The Silent Epidemic" http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Education/TransformingHighSchools/RelatedInfo/SilentEpidemic.htm

Good Economic News

As reported in the Christian Science Monitor, the latest US economic numbers show that businesses aren't just growing, they're growing good jobs. http://csmonitor.com/2006/0411/p01s02-usec.html

How Much Do You Need?

It's hard to discuss job salaries with kids when they have little understanding of basic monthly living expenses. (Truth be told, grown ups aren't much better.) David Mosey at Keys2Work recommended this online activity. It's fun, give it a try. http://www.learnmoreindiana.org/@students/students_ms/money/RealWorld.cgi

What Do You Tell Tomorrow's Teachers?

Ok... here's a question for you. A kid comes up to you and says, "I want to be a teacher. Will I be able to get a job?" What do you say? In the past year, I've heard confusing information about the market for primary and secondary school teachers in Pennsylvania. Our elementary, middle and high schools have many teachers who are nearing retirement age. But is that a problem when you live in a state with 93 schools that prepare primary and secondary school teachers? Will our supply of emerging workers meet the demands of our employers? The answer is yes and no. Labor supply and demand is not uniform across all teaching jobs. You can't replace a physics teacher with a spanish teacher. There are also geographic differences in demand. While teaching opportunities may be growing in suburban areas, they are likely to decline in some depopulating urban areas. Two interesting resources that discuss this challenge in more detail: 1. This Tribune Review article highlights the relative ease with which Hempfield High School is able to fill open positions. In fact, they rarely place a "help wanted" advertisement. However, certain teaching specialities (math, science, foreign language) are much harder to fill. http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/education/s_437165.html 2. The Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board has highlighted primary and secondary teaching opportunities in the "Promising Career Pathways" series. http://www.trwib.org/PCP/Teachers_text.htm So what would you tell a kid who wants to be a teacher?

Hot Date on April 28

Please consider joining me at the Mon Valley Education Consortium's "Designing Our Destiny" event on Friday, April 28th at the Pittsburgh Marriott City Center from 5:30-7:30 pm. The event highlights the Consortium's student career exploration program, "The Future is Mine." This celebration will give you the chance to see how students learn about the world of work. I think you'll be impressed by the creativity, energy and determination of the students. Let's face it, career development activities are few and far between in our school system. This is a great opportunity to show that you think it's important to prepare kids for the world of work. The exhibit hall format also gives you the chance to learn at your own pace. (This means you won't be stuck sitting through a long program!) Reservations are necessary. RSVP by Wednesday, April 19, to the Consortium office at 412-678-9215.