Maria de la Cruz, CHEO Career Coach Dotsy Baxter, CHEO Instructional Designer

 Maria is the Career Coach for the CHEO TAACCCT grant at Pueblo Community College. During the last 15 years, she has had extensive experience in leadership positions: Admissions Director at Trinidad State Jr College; and the Perkins Administrator/Career Counselor/21 st Century Grant Administrator for Huerfano RE1 School District. She has also contributed countless hours of service to numerous community endeavors.   Dotsy is the Instructional Designer for the CHEO Grant at Pueblo Community College. She helped transform HIT courses from Face to Face to Hybrid and Fully Online. As Instructor for these same courses her experience is well rounded. Dotsy also has a BS in Rehabilitation Education and a wealth of Professional Development and Continuing Education training in Instructional Technology and Design.

 Gap? What Gap?  Infusion  Generation Boomers, X, Y, and Z  A salesperson knows the product  Education/Industry Partnerships  Career Pathways

 SOFT SKILLS are “Skills, abilities, and traits that pertain to personality, attitude, and behavior rather than to formal or technical knowledge” (Moss and Tilly 2001)  Technical skills ALONE do not make someone competitive in the job market  Educators need to address those gaps and help students recognize that they have these skills (Shameless self promotion)

Oral and written communication Teamwork/collaboration Work ethic/ self-motivation/dependability/honesty Critical thinking/questioning/problem solving Leadership/influencing Ability to work under pressure Creativity/innovation/resourceful Organizational/time management Attention to detail

 This is not about creating more work for you or your students  Many of your assignments are already “infused” with soft skills.  Ideas – 53 Ways to Check for Understanding

Multitaskers; media-oriented Used to working in teams Optimistic & confident; want to be rich and famous Achievement-oriented; need structure and feedback Negotiate anything; lack diplomacy “Entertainment attitude” Get bored quickly if it’s not FUN Computers & devices are NOT “technology” Balancing work-life realities

 Re-think ◦ Modify our assignments to help students practice and connect ◦ Integrate more “real world” experience ◦ Integrate business etiquette into class etiquette ◦ Assess communication skills - rubric ◦ Design and assess team dynamics and behaviors ◦ Practice presentation skills ◦ Assign a portfolio or list of acquired skills

 Advisory Committees  Sector Partnerships  Internships  Apprenticeships  Employment Hubs  Community Councils  Community Endeavors

 Academic Programs – 2 Advisory Meetings  Informational Meeting vs. Collaborative Problem Solving  Regular Agenda Item: Workforce Preparedness & Technical Skill Requirements  Establish Common Goals  Identify Barriers  Plan collaborative student activities: mock interviews, internships, field visits, class presentations

 Become INVOLVED. The Time is NOW  Graphic is a hyperlink to:

 Find an Active or Emerging Sector Partnership in Your County  Industry Driven Partnership with Education, Colorado Workforce, Economic Development  Participate regularly  Are all Voices at the Table from the Employers perspective? From the Educational perspective?  Other Perspectives ? Community Involvement

 Results:  Internships that address Educational Standards  Educational Strategies that meet Industry Needs  Enhancing the community – Economic Development to attract and retain quality employees  Growing our Own Employment Pool from Middle School > High School > College > Industry  Innovative Educational & Training Tools  Anticipating & Planning for the Future  WE ARE PUEBLO PROUD – product of the Sector Partnership WE ARE PUEBLO PROUD Pueblo Proud hyperlinked to:

 Employment HUB for the Healthcare Industry  Benefits to Industry  Direct Communication with students/employees  Link to academic programs  Link to Workforce Centers  Benefits to Higher Education  Hub assignments can be embedded into academic curriculum to address soft skill development  Many educational institutions have similar career sites

 Traditional Paths: Education > Employment  Non-traditional paths: Employers are involved in the Educational Training Process COLLABORATION  Sharing Resources  Creating Common Goals  Collaborative Communication Tools  Collaborative Assessments  Collaborative Problem Solving  RESULT: COLLECTIVE IMPACT !!

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