On Aug. 7, St. Louis Community College officially launched STLCC Career Coach, an online tool to help job seekers answer these questions and more.
The tool helps St. Louisans access real-time information about local employment, including how much jobs will pay, which industries have job openings and which jobs will be needed in the future.
STLCC Career Coach is a free, easy-to-use online resource that allows both STLCC students and local residents to explore career opportunities and industry trends far beyond what’s currently available on existing job search websites. The STLCC Career Coach online portal – available at stlcc.emsicareercoach.com – went live at an Aug. 7 event on the college’s Forest Park campus.
Many other notable guests joined in the STLCC Career Coach kickoff, including Michael Holmes, executive director of St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE); Daryl Cothran, acting director of Saint Louis County’s Division of Workforce Development; JoAnn Shaw, vice president & chief learning officer at the BJC Learning Institute; Nia Ray, director of Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC); and Betsy Cohen, director of Mosaic Project.
In addition to the online portal, STLCC unveiled a traveling version of the tool – a 36-foot computer- and Wi-Fi-equipped trailer. Beginning in August, the aptly named STLCC Career “Coach” will visit local events and schools, bringing this technology directly to job seekers and students. On Aug. 10, the STLCC Career Coach traveled to Sedalia, Mo., for the Science Street Fair at the Missouri State Fair, and will next visit the STLCC-Meramec campus on Aug. 26 for the Passport to Success event.
“There’s no shortage of open jobs in St. Louis. The challenge is that people either don’t know about them, or they are unsure how to go about learning the right skills to get hired,” said Donna Dare, STLCC’s vice chancellor for academic and student affairs.
“The STLCC Career Coach helps people across the St. Louis region find, train for and fill the available jobs in our area. As one of the largest providers of education and workforce training opportunities in the area, we are delighted STLCC can offer a free tool to help people make informed decisions about their career plans.”
Visitors to the real-life STLCC Career Coach or online portal need only perform a simple search to learn about employment prospects in their chosen career field. The information is customized to the St. Louis region. STLCC Career Coach also includes a resume builder to help students and job seekers create or refresh a resume quickly and efficiently. For more updates, search for #findyourfuture on Twitter.
STLCC alumna Debbie Zamora was on hand to give STLCC Career Coach a test drive. With a degree in speech communications and diverse work experience, Zamora showed how the new tool can help her take the next step with a possible career change. She used STLCC Career Coach to search for available human resources and training and development jobs, and to identify the training she needs to earn a master’s degree in her field. Job searches were also conducted with Kamie Davis, a student in STLCC’s Plus 50 Initiative, and Rondae Brown, a recent high school graduate.
STLCC to Host Career Exploration Sessions in fall
St. Louis Community College is hosting New You Career Exploration Sessions on Sept. 19, Oct. 16, Oct. 24, Nov. 7 and Nov. 14 that are designed to help you identify your interests, discover your passion and point you toward the career that’s right for you. The sessions will be conducted 6-7 p.m. at the Florissant Valley, Forest Park, Meramec and Wildwood campuses.
Participants can learn about career advice as well as financial aid and enrollment instructions.
Sessions are scheduled as follows:
-Thursday, Sept. 19, in Training Center Rooms 105-107 at Florissant Valley, 3400 Pershall Road
-Thursday, Sept. 19, in Room 102B at Wildwood, 2645 Generations Drive
-Wednesday, Oct. 16, in Business Administration Room 105 at Meramec,11333 Big Bend Road
-Thursday, Oct. 24, in Café West in the Student Center at Forest Park, 5600 Oakland Ave.
-Thursday, Nov. 7, in Training Center Rooms 105-107 at Florissant Valley, 3400 Pershall Road
-Thursday, Nov. 14, in Room 102 at Wildwood, 2645 Generations Drive
Sessions are free; however, registration is required. Register now at www.stlcc.edu/visit. For more information, call 314-539-5002.
Scholarships to honor Attorney Frankie Freeman
The Professional Organization of Women (P.O.W.) is accepting applications for the Professional Organization of Women Scholarship in honor of Frankie Muse Freeman. The scholarship will be awarded in the amount of $5,000.00 beginning January 2014. Scholarship funds will be provided directly to the school in four installments and can be used for tuition and applicable fees associated with your school expenses. Each recipient must maintain a grade point average at minimum of 2.5 and provide transcripts to P.O.W. upon the completion of each semester. Recipients must allow P.O.W. to use your name and image as a scholarship recipient.
Applications must be received by Friday, September 13, 2013. Scholarship applications can be accessed at www.powincstl.org. For additional information please email www.empower@powinc.org or call 314-963-5287.
