CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

Our Mission is:

“To facilitate the creation of career development programs through partnership and collaboration with associate schools districts by training and assisting identified school personnel to help students prepare for the transition periods of their lives.”

Career Initiatives, a department of the Career Development Division, is grounded in the belief that career development opportunities should be made available to all students, K-12 and beyond. To that end, our department is dedicated to:

Students

• Information to help students make informed education-related and career-related decisions within the context of a global economy

• Electronic lifetime career portfolio

• Interest & skills assessments

• Access to career-related activities and events for elementary, middle, & high school

• Mobile lab providing comprehensive, individualized, hands-on career skills assessment to associate schools

• Resources for students to obtain up-to-date career and labor market information

• Resources for students to obtain current post-secondary information & training options

• Support in developing a senior exit document to be used for next steps in their educational or career plan

Teachers, Guidance Counselors, & Administrators

• Professional development opportunities

• Curriculum integration support

• Financial, instructional, and human resources

• Instructional help in the classroom

• Access to career-related information and events

Parents

• Access to career-related information

• Training to use the electronic lifetime career portfolio

Business, Industry & Community

• Opportunities to be involved in career development activities and to be seen as a vital classroom resource

• Employees who have both technical skills and 21st Century Skills

 

CAREER PORTFOLIO

Career Portfolio

The Career Portfolio is an exit document that prepares junior and senior students for their next steps after high school. It provides employers and post-secondary education personnel with information about the student. It gives students skills they will use as they transition from one phase of their lives to another.

Benefits of the Career Portfolio

• Provides a focused working plan for the future

• Helps students identify and clearly present their strengths and marketable skills

• Boosts students’ self confidence for personal success and interviewing skills

• Gives employers and college admissions officials a "snapshot" of students’ educational abilities

• Prepares students for workplace and employer expectations

• Provides students with an ongoing, useable tool that can be revised to reflect new skills and experiences

Components of the Career Portfolio

School Profile
The School Profile, created by the local district, includes, but is not limited to, a description of school and community, graduation requirements, information about weighted courses, advanced placement and honors courses, current enrollment, and ACT/SAT results. Students can get a copy of their school's profile from their high school's Guidance Office.

The Resume
The resume can be generated by the student through the Ohio Career Planning System powered by Kuder® or by another means. Because a résumé is a uniquely individual document, there is no required format.

The Career Essay
This section of the Career Portfolio is a five paragraph, three-point essay written by the student that defines his/her career interest(s) or goal(s) and how that decision was reached. The narrative is based on as much objective data as possible; the student may gather the information needed for this narrative from many sources, the main source being the Individual Academic Career Plan (IACP) that has been kept in their electronic portfolios.

Employability Skills or Personal Essay
In this section, the student is given three options:

• Write a personal essay for “The Common Application” (www.commonapp.org)

• Write a college essay for the college of the student’s choice

• Respond to three of the following questions addressing 21st Century Skills:

« Gives employers and college admissions officials a "snapshot" of students’ educational How have you managed resources (i.e., time, money, materials) to plan, budget, or save to meet a goal?

« Describe a situation where you had to take a leadership role. How did you approach the situation and what was the result?

« Give an example of a situation where you needed to gather information in order to complete a task or solve a problem.

« Give an example of a situation in which you exhibited ethical behavior and/or social responsibility. What did you do and what were the outcomes of the situation?

« What types of technology are you proficient in using? How have you used technology?

« Give an example of a problem you have had and how you resolved the problem.

 

CAREER RESOURCES

Ohio Resources | Internet Resources

Ohio Resources

Ohio College Access Network (OCAN)
ohiocan.org
OCAN is a group of community organizations that work to make college accessible to all Ohio students. Families can use OCAN to find programs in their community that help students learn about college and how to get into college. To find resources in your area, click on the map of Ohio in the upper right-hand corner of the home page. Select your county from the drop down box.

College 101
ohiocan.org/College_101.aspx
College 101 is a magazine about attending college in Ohio. It includes real stories and interviews from Ohio college students. Topics include how they got to college and advice for other students planning for college. It also includes profiles of Ohio colleges and universities. This magazine can give students and families a better understanding of opportunities in Ohio.

Ohio Department of Education Family Web Site
ode.state.oh.us
The Ohio Department of Education has developed a new part of the Families Web site to give families information on college and career planning. Visit this site to find information on planning for the future and postsecondary options for high school students. Keyword search: families.

State Grants and Scholarships
Hotline: 1.888.833.1133
regents.ohio.gov
Information about state grants and scholarships is available on the Ohio Board of Regents Web site. Click on “State Grants and Scholarships.” The grants and scholarships are listed in the gray box on the right. If you have questions about state grants and scholarships, you can call the State Grants and Scholarships Hotline at 1.888.833.1133.

Kuder
oh.kuder.com
The Kuder Career Planning System includes the lifelong Kuder Online Career Portfolio, research-based assessments on interests, skills, and work values, comprehensive educational and occupational exploration.

Internet Resources

ACT Information for Parents
act.org/path/parent
You can use this site to:
• Understand the career planning process;
• Learn the basic steps of career planning to help you with your teen’s future;
• View checklists for both the family and the student to help prepare and make decisions; and
• View parent newsletters and other resources.

Bureau of Labor Statistics - What Do You Like?
bls.gov/k12
You can use this site to:
• Help your Grade 4-8 student learn about career fields and options; and
• Connect to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics main site for more information.

Career Zone
nycareerzone.org
You can use this site to:
• Assess your teen’s personal interests for career planning;
• Watch videos about careers;
• Search for information in the fields of health services and natural and agricultural science;
• Find information on summer-related internships, games and summer camps; and
• Read job highlights that include education, skills, knowledge, tasks, wages, job outlook and other additional information.

College Access
going2college.org
You can use this site to:
• Help your teen plan for college;
• Calculate the difference in lifetime income with different levels of education;
• Use this information to discuss planning for postsecondary choices; and
• Calculate costs and learn about saving for college and financial aid.

Construct My Future
constructmyfuture.com/parents
You can use this site to:
• Find information on careers in the construction industry;
• Discuss the variety of construction career opportunities in areas of your teen’s interests; and
• Explore postsecondary education, look at current job possibilities and investigate scholarships.

Engineer Girl
engineergirl.org
You can use this site to:
• Promote engineering with your teenage girl;
• Play interactive games, do activities and explore careers;
• Discuss classes to take;
• Explore colleges; and
• Help your teen enter contests that provide scholarships to help women enter the predominately male engineering career field.

Family Education
familyeducation.com
You can use this site to:
• Help guide your student through childhood – from birth to age 18.
• Choose the section of the Web site that pertains most to your teen;
• Find talking points, discussion questions, activities, checklists and resources;
• View articles on teens and drugs, alcohol, dating, driving and jobs; and
• Find advice and activities to help with reading, math, science and social studies.

Idealist.org
idealist.org
You can use this site to:
• Find information about nonprofit careers, as well as key terms such as departments, duties and daily tasks;
• Help your teen find job and internship opportunities in the nonprofit sector; and
• Explore career options in nonprofit organizations.

LifeWorks
science.education.nih.gov/LifeWorks
You can use this site to:
• Browse for information on more than 100 medical science and health careers by title, education required, interest area or median salary; and
• Read true stories of successful people illustrating the variety of real-life career pathways, from the carefully planned to the unpredictable.

Making it Count! Parents
makingitcount.com/parents/start/default.asp
You can use this site to:
• Research the process and planning for postsecondary education with your teen;
• Consider aspects that are often overlooked, such as finding the best college “style” for your teen;
• Discuss the pressures of senior year and making the transition to independence with your teen; and
• Read articles on topics such as:
        « Working with the school counselor
        « Advice from students to families
        « College visit checklist
        « Timelines
        « Admissions and applications
        « Financial aid process and questions

Manufacturing Is Cool
manufacturingiscool.com
You can use this site to:
• Discuss the variety of manufacturing career opportunities in areas of your teen’s interests through the video and print interviews;
• Find summer camp and academy opportunities for career exploration; and
• Find college and scholarship opportunities in manufacturing.

Mapping Your Future
mappingyourfuture.org
You can use this site to:
• Use the career planning area to have your teen complete an interest survey;
• Discuss the high school courses and careers that involve the preferred interests;
• Look at education options, school selection and paying for postsecondary education.

MVParents
mvparents.com
You can use this site to:
• Customize the site to your family’s needs;
• Discover what teens need to become caring, healthy, responsible adults by making smart choices;
• Find solutions to challenges in the lives of students and identify critical building blocks of positive youth development; and/or
• Sign up for the Everyday Parenting Ideas Newsletter, a collection of weekly parenting tips for you and your teenager from a positive perspective.

MyChild’sFuture
mychildsfuture.org
You can use this site to:
• View information on child development relevant to any age;
• Look over the tips and empower yourself with information on career decision making;
• Complete activities that help with decision making;
• View tips, checklists and facts for families to talk to their teens; and
• View future planning and guidance ideas with suggestions for implementing them.

Sloan Career Cornerstone Center
careercornerstone.org
You can use this site to:
• Explore science degree fields;
• Read candid interviews about science careers; and
• Access the Career Cornerstone Center, which offers resources to explore career paths in biology, chemistry, the geosciences and physics.

Try Engineering
tryengineering.org
You can use this site to:
• Ask questions of engineers and engineering students;
• Read interviews given by engineers in the field;
• Use the Ask an Expert tool to ask engineers and undergraduate engineering students about their careers;
• Help your teen see if his or her personality traits match those best suited for an engineer;
• Plan for an engineering education; and
• Use the Find a University tool to guide you and your teen in searching for universities and financial aid.

 

CAREER SKILLS ASSESSMENT

Help for Butler & Hamilton County Students Making Career Choices

Referral Form (PDF) | Parental Permission Form (PDF)

ASSESSMENT: What?

• Interests tests, academic screenings, dexterity and coordination evaluation, aptitude batteries, work-related values and personality needs exploration

• Results – produce a highly accurate profile of potential careers that would best fit each individual

• Provided to student by written report and conferencing

ASSESSMENT: What?

• Career selection has become a complicated choice – endless possibilities

• Choices must be made at younger and younger ages

• Specialized training and/or education is necessary to realize most career goals

• Specialized training and/or college venues are too expensive for “career exploration”

• Lessen the time necessary for realistic and targeted career planning for the students of Butler County

• Bolster the potential for satisfaction and success in training and educational experiences

• Increase the potential for satisfaction and success in career placement long term

ASSESSMENT: Who?

Any 9th – 12th grade student in any of the associate high schools of Butler Tech who is in need of or who could benefit from a skills specific career assessment to help with career decisions can participate in a Career Assessment. Students who:

• Still have no idea of a career direction; or have possibilities but are undecisive

• Are academically strong and need more information re: aptitudes and abilities for career decisions

• Are not academically strong and are not aware of other skills

• Are possibly under or over – aspiring

• Have a general idea re: the field they want to go into but need more skill and aptitude information to chose specifics

ASSESSMENT: How?

REFERRAL – School personnel, parents or the student themselves may refer (parent permission required).

ASSESSMENT: Where?

The Butler Tech Assessment Mobile Unit brings Career Skills Assessment directly to each high school on a pre-published schedule each school year.

ASSESSMENT: When?

4 – 5 hours for one school day. (or across two school days if scheduling permits).

For more information and/or referral forms, contact:

Bonnie Perkins
513.645.8263 (Office)
perkinsb@butlertech.org

 

INDIVIDUAL ACADEMIC CAREER PLAN

What is an Individual Academic Career Plan?

The Individual Academic Career Plan (IACP) is a personalized plan based on the student’s career interests and initiated by every student during the eighth grade year. Various tools and activities are used to help students identify their interests. The IACP is updated each year throughout high school.

What is the purpose of the IACP?

The IACP helps students focus on information that enables them to establish personalized academic and career goals. As students develop their IACPs, receiving guidance from parents, teachers and counselors, they are better prepared to make informed educational and career decisions.

Isn't an eighth–grade student too young to decide on a career?

The IACP is a map that guides students through their high school years. Annual revision of the IACP gives students the opportunity to adjust plans based on new interests, skills learned, and up-to-date labor market information.

How will the IACP be developed and where is it housed?

Each associate school district develops its unique plan to ensure that students complete the IACP process. Student IACPs are housed within the Ohio Career Planning System Kuder® Navigator at oh.kuder.com. Students have lifetime access to their Kuder® accounts as well as other college and career information within the Ohio Career Planning System, including:

• Assessment Results	• Career Comparison Feature
• College Major & Instructional Program Information	• College Comparison Feature
• Detailed Career Information	• Detailed College Information
• Education Planner	• Federal Financial Aid Information (FAFSA)
• Job Interview Planning	• Planning Timeline
• Resume Builder	• Repository for Career Experiences and Reports
• Scholarship Information	• State and Federal Job Banks