1. The OCFS Youth Portfolio Helping Young People Prepare for Their Future….Today!

2. Why a Portfolio? Encourages Young People to Include Work In Their Plans Marries Education and Employment Helps Young People to Think Ahead- Realistically A Tool That Young People Can Use to Display Their Strengths, Skills, and Talents to Employers Demonstrates a Level of Preparedness Beyond the Simple Resume

3. What Employers Expect 2005 National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) survey revealed that “good grades” ranked 17 th out of desired qualities in a job candidate.

4. What Employers Want Communication Skills Teamwork Skills Strong Work Ethic Honesty/Integrity Motivation Leadership Skills Flexibility

5. PORTFOLIO A tool that can be used at a job, education, or training interview. Not a scrapbook! Remember who the audience is- tailor a portfolio to meet individual needs.

6. Portfolio Sections: Personal Profile- The 60-Second Infomercial Resume/Fact Sheet My Five-Year Plan Work Essential Documents Academic Documents Samples of Work Awards and Recognition References Community Resources

7. 60-Second Infomercial “Can you tell me a little about yourself?” Prepared response marketing skills, strengths, and talents for an interview or networking opportunities. Culminating activity following self- assessment and identification of skills, strengths, and talents.

8. Discovering Skills, Strengths, & Talents Assessments can help a young person identify interests, skills, strengths, & talents. There are a number of free and inexpensive assessments available. Assessments can include: Interest Profiler, Work Importance Locator, Multiple Intelligence Assessment, Learning Style Assessment, etc.

9. Resume/Fact Sheet If a youth is 16 and over, learning how to create a resume is a great skill. Fact sheets are often more appropriate for youth under the age of 16. Young people should know the “low down” on internet and scannable resumes.

10. My Five-Year Plan Results from assessments help youth explore future careers. Career exploration can lead to setting short-term and long-term goals. Goal setting should include work experience, volunteer experience, & extracurricular activities as a way to practice and master transferable skills.

11. Work Essential Documents Young people need the following documents to be “work ready”: Working Papers Birth Certificate Social Security Card Alien Registration Card Drivers Permit or License Selective Service Registration

12. Academic Documents No portfolio would be complete without talking about school performance. Include: Report Card High School or College Transcripts Honor Roll Certificates GED SAT or PSAT scores

13. Samples of Work Vocational Training Certificates- First Aid, CPR, etc. Photos at work or involved in a vocational activity Sample of writing Excel or PowerPoint Presentations Samples of artwork or poetry

14. Awards & Recognition BRAG! Include: Student of the Month Award Most Improved Student Award Best Team Player Award Be sure to know how achieving this award applies to the job!

15. References Who should you ask to provide a reference? How do you ask for a letter of recommendation? Make sure you have copies of your reference letters for your files and to give to employers.

16. Community Resources Youth must learn about the resources in their community & how to access these resources. Contact names, numbers, & addresses should be included in this section. Don’t forget about: One-Stop Career Centers CBOs that offer workforce development programs Child care (if needed) Transportation Private sector employers BOCES, Voc High Schools, & Magnet schools, etc.

17. If we are to prepare our youth to successfully compete, we must do all that we can – not tomorrow, but now. The OCFS Portfolio represents a part of this effort.