Getting Ready to help your teen with Career Decisions

Parents CanMake a Difference

Five things that make a difference in student achievement:• the amount of time parents discuss current events • student attendance at school •the variety of available reading materials in the home• the amount of TV teens watch• the amount of time teens use computers, Internet, and video games

What Employers Want?

Blue CollarWorkers 80%White CollarWorkers 20%

Outdated/Old Workforce Model Need was:

Blue Collar Workers=work with their hands (on-the-job training, apprenticeships, less than a 4 yr degree)White Collar Workers=work with their brains (4 yr degree)

Mills, Debra 2005

20%

80% Blue Collar

WhiteCollar

What Do Employers Want?

White CollarWorkers 20%Blue CollarWorkers 20%Gold CollarWorkers 60%

Gold Collar Workers need to work with their hands and their brains!

They need a H.S. degree plus 1-2 yrs of technical training and on-the-job training. Mills, Debra 2005

Global Economy 2025 Workforce Model

20% Blue Collar

60% Gold Collar

20% White Collar

What Do Employers Want?“Gold Collar”

Extremely Valuable Employees Who:• Rely on intelligence, imagination and well developed skills

• Identify & solve complex problems that are not well defined

• Derive original solutions to problems that are unique

• Use creativity to reach practical outcomes

• Cross-functional knowledge of the workplace

• Are crucial to the profitability and success of the organization

Is My TeenReady for the Real World?OF 20 teenagers in 9th grade in Minnesota

• 4 will NOT graduate HS• Of the 16 H.S. graduates, 11 will immediately enter a 2

or 4 year college• 3 will dropout after their freshman year• Of the 8 remaining, 5 will graduate college• 2 will be in high skilled occupations• 3 will be underemployed

Helping your Teen Prepare for a Career• Changing Economy Changing employer expectations• More education and training needed

– Technical skills– Soft skills

• Emphasis on skills, not longevity• Flexibility is key• A student’s GPA is a cumulative record of all

grades starting freshman year through high school graduation

Interests – One Way to Choose

• Realistic

• Investigative

• Artistic

• Social

• Enterprising

• Conventional

• Doers

• Thinkers

• Creators

• Helpers

• Persuaders

• Organizers

Another Way to Choose aJob – Demand for Workers

Jobs

High Demand

Fastest-Growing

Where Can I Go From Here?

• Elementary and Pre-School

8th Grade - “I like helping people & solving problems.”

Nursing Assistant 80 Hour CNA Certificate

Registered Nurse Associate or Bachelor’s

Licensed Practical Nurse One-year Diploma

Advance Practice Nurse Master’s Degree in Nursing

Options to Consider After HS Graduation

In General….

More Training = Higher Wages = More Responsibility

High Demand Occupationsin Minnesota

Each career cluster has growing areasVarying wages Varying educational levelswww.deed.state.mn.us

stays current-updated twice a yearspecific to our areaconnection to iseekconnection to college/training in MN

What’s A Parent to Do?I want my son/daughter to go to college, but I just can’t afford the tuition. What are our options?

Tips about College

• Going to college is an investment in your teen’s future.

• Tuition, fees, and other expenses vary from school to school.

• Higher education continues to be affordable.• Pursue financial aid, grants, scholarships,

loans and work study.

Helping My Teen Explore Careers

1) Recognize feelings and assumptions about career

exploration

2) Talk about your work

3) Emphasize the connection between education and careers

4) Help your child to develop work skills and values

5) Encourage your child to explore career clusters before

choosing one career pathway

6) Be patient and be readyBegin “Do You Know Your Parent?” Game

Helping My TeenMake Career Plans

1) Understand that career exploration is a process

2) Help your teen “test drive” different careers

3) Encourage your teen to learn new skills

4) Not every career starts with a 4-year degree

5) Your teen will have several occupations in their lifetime

6) Know where to go for information

Career Exploration Process

• Career Assessment• Exposure To Career Opportunities• Career Plan• Gain Work-Related Skills• Job Search• Career Management

Resources to Explore• www.Iseek.org/sv/index.jsp• www.actstudent.org/explore/future/career.html• www.mnscu.edu [MN Colleges & Universities]

• www.mnprivatecolleges.org• www.Fastweb.com [financial aid info]

• www.deed.state.mn.us [MN Dept of Employment]

• www.fafsa.ed/gov [free application for Fed. Student Aid]• www.careers.org [index of career related web sites, plus jobs]• www.gocollege.com [college information – nationwide]