Dear Susan,
As we go out and meet with employers in the specific industries we ask them if they would be interested in speaking with our students to give them a "real world perspective." The response has been favorable and we have had a few guest speakers at our school to discuss topics on success in the workplace.
Hi Laurie
Great that you are connecting with employers and they are willing to provide their expertise. YOu might want to create a series of workshops and presentations, develop topics, and ask for employers to discuss these topics. Or ask them to suggest topics of their one. You will have a very unique and interesting program.
Best wishes
Susan
The software we use for all school activities the last 10 year is Classware which is created by:
Campus Management Corp
777 Yamato Rd., Ste 400
Boca Raton, FL 33431
800-483-9106
561-923-2750
http://www.campusmgmt.com
chuckt@campusmgmt.com
You may want to contact them to see if it can be useful for you.
Office managers in the industry, as well as placement agencies have been useful to us as employer speakers. These individuals usually have worked with our graduates and can better inform the upcoming grads about the pitfalls.
HI Wanda
Great idea to call upon folks in placement agencies to give presentations to your students. They often look for ways to market their companies.
Hopefully they are smart enough to realize that the entry level students they meet today could be the hiring decision makers in the future.
Best wishes
Susan
Our Career Services department encompasses both externship and placement. Securing employers for presentations has never been a problem. Our Career Services Directors spend a lot of time networking with the medical community, (we're a medical school), and knowing that our graduates may one day be their employees they are extremely receptive.
We call on Physicians, Medical Office Managers, successful graduates, Pharmacists...anyone that can provide our students with positive, motivational information that keeps them excited about the field they've chosen.
We have a Partners-In-Education program that turns heads in the medical community. This program has medical offices calling our Career Services department asking to be members instead of our Career Services department calling them asking.
Wow Allison. Sounds like you have a formula for a very successful career services department. Can you share any more tips and details for the rest of us. What are your most effective presentations? What is the best use of your employers? Thanks
Susan
Allison, I would be interested in hearing more about your Partners-In-Education program. Can you tell me what it involves?
Wanda
Ihave found that office manager's are very interested in talking with the students. I have had many representatives from the different courses we offer come in and speak with the students.
Hi Marlene
Great idea to ask office managers from various industries to come to your school and give presentations. My guess is that these office managers may be responsible for hiring. They also have a good overview of the jobs in the company. Great idea to share.
Best wishes
Susan
We're using STARS - it's awesome! You can customize it for your program so that there is plenty of space for student notes. We require all administration to put notes in the database any time they have any contact with a student. The notes say what time they met, what was discuss and what the action items were. That way at any time, those with access to the database, can review what contact administration has had with a student and what the outcome of their meeting was.
Oh, another thing we do is interview the employers 60 and 90 days after the student has been hired. It's much easier to get them to commit to be a speaker or having any kind of role in your school because they are at the point of feeling like you did them a favor by sending them a good employee. It seems to work well for us.
HI Amy
Sounds like a great database management system. Can you provide more details so we can review it. Also, perhaps you can share more how everyone on staff uses it.
Thanks
Susan
HI Amy
Great to stay in touch with employers. Suggest when you survey them to ask how prepared the grad was for the workplace, what other courses should be included, etc. Lots of benefits to both employers and the school when you keep in contact. You might even start contacting them within 20-30 days of the grad's employment.
Best wishes
Susan
I can't divulge too much information because we have a contract with them, but just do an internet search for STARS database management and you'll find it. We all use it in differnert ways - they have sales contact managements, account management, student files, grading, etc. so we all use it in different capacities and there are restricted areas so not everyone has access to all areas.
Employer presentations are a vry effective tool in the classroom. Employers can say the same thing as the instructor, however hearing it from another in the filed only serves to reinforce the message.I have found the school Advisory Board a great source of information and help. Also, look outside the box for presentations. Sometimes sessions on financial planning,business planning, handling and developing a solid credit rating are also topics (soft skills) that go a long way to interest students. Sometimes overcoming obstacles, time management and other road blocks which students face prevent a good placement from becoming a career placement.
Hi Dorothy
Really great points. There is more to developing emplyoment skills than learning to write resumes. Building a personal work ethic is important. Also learning life skills helps to increase success on any job.
Best wishes
Susan
Hi Suzanne;
I am currently working on setting up our placement department, and we do have a placement database but it's not quite extensive, would you be able to let me know what software you are using?
Hi Fiona and Suzanne
Please share with all of us. Tell us what works and doesn't work. How would like to see it designed more effectively. What information does it collect and provide? Thanks, Susan
Where to start?
As our school's sole offering is a 720 hour massage therapy master program, the obvious pool of employer presenters would be owner/operators and HR directors of spas, massage clinics, chiropratic offices, various medical sites (hospitals, out-pt centers, medical spas, etc.).
It might also be a good idea to include the school's director as his preference is to hire graduates who possess the requisite skill sets for specific jobs (i.e., Teaching Assistants, front desk, admin positions, etc.).
As out state does not yet have statewide licensure for massage therapists, it will be necessary to capture the pertinent information governing licensing in the specific locales relative to our students. It will also be necessary to bring in officials who can address the issues relating to students who wish to become independent contractors.
I also feel the need to be creative regarding the needs of those students who won't want the usual career path. Therefore, keeping in touch with local and national member organizations, publishers of industry journals, etc.
For broader topics I would like to include a representative of the local Chamber of Commerce and the Better Business Bureau.
Kate T.
