Career Development and Postsecondary Readiness (K-12)

Career development begins in kindergarten and is exemplified by students who are knowledgeable about multiple options and are prepared to enroll and succeed in any postsecondary experience without the need for remediation. Students of all backgrounds possess unique interests, abilities, values and goals, which come together to lead to exciting future opportunities. School counselors at all levels play an important role in helping students realize their potential, achieve their dreams and become productive citizens. 

Learn how to design developmentally meaningful career experiences and hold impactful career and postsecondary conversations with students K–12 by helping them identify their interests and abilities and aligning their interests and abilities to postsecondary opportunities. Provide opportunities for all students to develop the ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors necessary to obtain attitudes and skills for school and work success and gain an understanding that lifelong learning is critical to long-term postsecondary success. Strategize ways you can ensure each student selects an appropriate postsecondary path to productive citizenry.

Learning objectives
After attending this workshop you will be able to:

• Have meaningful college and career conversations with students at all grade levels
• Describe the school counselor's role in career development
• Use the ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors to determine students’ career-readiness needs
• Articulate the connection between school and the world of work to students
• Identify ways to help students transition from school to postsecondary education and/or the world of work
• Distinguish career development and postsecondary milestones and competencies by grade level
• Advise students on multiple postsecondary pathways, including college, career-specific credentials and certifications, apprenticeships, military, service-year programs and full-time employment with a family-supporting wage
• Brainstorm ways to collaborate with administrators, teachers, staff and decision makers to create a postsecondary-readiness culture
• Identify ways to work with teachers to integrate college/career education into the curricula
• Collaborate with community resources, local businesses and industries so students are exposed to local career possibilities and opportunities
• Identify gaps in college and career access and the use of such data to address both intentional and unintentional biases related to college and career counseling
• Recognize and support essential developmental factors key to future successes, including self-efficacy, motivation and perseverance

Schedule: Full day training; 0.6 CEUs available to attendees

Cost: $3,750* for full day

To bring this professional development workshop to your district, email Jennifer Walsh.