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Online Toolkit
Looking for more career resources for your child? We have an online toolkit full of recorded weekly webinars, tutorials, how-tos, and recorded career-related presentations for your students that will be added to and updated weekly.
Virtual Student Appointments
Would your child benefit from a virtual career appointment with one of our Career and Education Outreach Specialists? During these one-on-one appointments, your child can speak directly to our team about any questions they might have about their future career. Please note that these student appointments are only available to those districts involved in our Career and Education Outreach Pilot Program.
Career Exploration
Career Planning
Colleges & Technical Schools
- Action Career Training
- Cisco College
- Howard College
- Ranger College
- Texas State Technical College
- Western Texas College
Community Resources
Disability Employment
- Department of Labor - Youth in Transition
- Texas Workforce Commission - Vocational Rehabilitation Services
- Texas Youth Connection
- Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities
- Texas Statewide Leadership for Autism Training
- Partners Resource Network - PEN Project
Entrepreneurship
Financial Aid
Job Search
Military
Universities (Regional)
Worksheets & Activities
Curated with your West Central Texas child in mind, we have put together six week worth of units of activities and helpful career-related information for your child to engage with at home.
Activity 1: Match the App - Recent events have made the way we communicate and learn in business and education change at an exponential rate. It seems there are thousands of apps, but what are they really used for? Test your knowledge on 12 apps and maybe discover one that will help you be productive! Available in PDF or Word Document format.
Activity 2: Mind Your E-Mail Manners - Sending emails has become a part of our everyday functions but do we always mind our email manners? Refresh your email etiquette or learn some new ideas in our Mind Your Email Manners infographic and see how your manners hold up. Available in PDF format.
Activity 3: Virtual Communication in the Real World - Schools across the United States have had to switch to a virtual classroom due to the coronavirus; however, not all classrooms are equal. This activity requires students to read a scholarly article from Education Dive that discuss what lawmakers are doing to increase internet access and facilitate remote learning. The article is accompanied by a media worksheet. Available in PDF format.
Activity 4: Social Media Soundness - All of our social media can use a checkup. Check out suggestions for a healthy social media and see how your can put your social media to work for you! Available in PDF format.
Activity 5: Tips for Virtual Live Sessions - In this activity, there is a great infographic that shows how to create engagement and a community feel in virtual live sessions. One of these steps includes participating in a virtual ice breaker. There is an accompanying “Virtual Ice Breaker” article and activity that allows students to make real connections. Available in PDF format.
Activity 1: Adaptability - No matter the circumstances, adaptability is a huge asset that employers seek when looking for prized workers. This lesson will teach that the attributes of an adaptable person can be categorized by their attitudes and actions.
Activity 2: Soft Skills and STEM in the Real World - “Soft Skills Invaluable to STEM” is a March 2020 article from Education Dive that explains the importance of soft skill acquisition for students. Pair the article with the “Soft Skills Anagram” activity to the highlight specific skills addressed.
Activity 3: Organization - Making the shift to doing your work from home takes more than just a mind shift. Creating a new plan to organize your life to create time and space for work is needed. This activity looks a some suggestion for work space, creating a schedule and preparation for carrying out the plan and provides opportunity for the students to layout how they will make it work for them.
Activity 4: Time Management - This lesson and activity are designed to calm students’ uneasiness of learning and living in a virtual world while assisting in development of employers’ most sought-after transferrable skill: time management. Materials include 10 tips for managing time and an activity for students to practice organizing time.
Activity 5: Hard vs Soft Skills - This activity allows students to distinguish between the two types of skills for various professions as well as creating a skills list to describe themselves. (Worksheet complied from: http://www.60x30tx.com/media/1409/thecb-career-readiness-handbook.pdf)
Activity 6: Enthusiasm - Enthusiasm is an attribute of adaptable employees. Employers appreciate someone who will do their job efficiently, creatively, and add spark to everyone around them. This activity is taken from Skills to Pay the Bills at youth.gov. It introduces the power of an enthusiastic attitude in the workplace and highlights a few historic enthusiasts that you may recognize.
Activity 1: Essential and High Demand - The terms "essential business" and "essential workforce" are terms that we have heard in the past couple weeks amid the COVID-19 discussions. "High demand occupations" is a term that we have discussed this past year, but are they the same? Dive into what they are and how they are determined.
Activity 2: Labor Market - Despite its importance, the labor market is often difficult for students to understand. This activity includes an explanation of the labor market, a podcast (NPR’s “Coronavirus and the Labor Market”), and an active-listening worksheet to accompany the podcast.
Activity 3: Is Construction an Essential Business? - “Is Construction an Essential Business?” is an April 2020 article from LevelSet that seeks to prove that construction should be explicitly listed on the government’s “Critical Infrastructure” list. Pair the article with the “Critical Analysis” worksheet to allow students to evaluate the information presented and form their own perspectives.
Activity 4: Learn the Path to Jobs Now! and WorkInTexas Scavenger Hunt - Texas Workforce Commission and Workforce Solutions of West Central Texas offer services dedicated to helping individuals find jobs. Two sites in particular are Jobs Now! and Work in Texas. These sites assist job seekers with all aspects of locating a job including job searches, career assessments, and training.
Activity 1: Journaling- Write It Out! - Writing for a few minutes a day boosts your mood and contributes to better productivity. This exercise asks students to try free writing four days at three to five minutes a day, and then reflect on their mood at the end of the week.
Activity 2: Get Outside! - It is easy to sit inside all day either completing school work or watching television, but humans have a real connection to nature. Studies prove that for individuals to be productive, we must spend time in the outdoors. This poster gives a few practical tips anyone can do to get outside.
Activity 3: Take a Deep Breath! - There are many stress management techniques. One helpful technique is diaphragmatic breathing. This is a great way to relieve stress when working through any task that requires lots of concentration and brain power.
Activity 4: Positivity Every Day - It is easy to get down when life is crazy. Discover how positivity every day can improve many facets of life with a few simple changes. Take the opportunity to discover and practice how to put some positivity in every day.
Activity 5: Stress Management in the Real World - " 6 Stress Management Tips for Online Students” gives excellent advice on how to help students deal with their stress. The “Stress Mandala” activity is meant to ensure that students understand the article while completing a stress-reduction activity at the same time.
Activity 1: “8 Proven Video Interview Tips to Help You Succeed” – With social distancing the "new norm", this article gives eight great tips about how to give a stellar video interview. It is accompanied with a worksheet to ensure student comprehension.
Activity 2: Interview Questions - Ready to rock your next interview but just not sure what they will ask? The “Super Seven” are the top seven things that employers want to learn about you during an interview. You will discover what the questions are really asking, what key words to look for and how to best respond. Put your decoding skills to work and see if you can figure out which “Super Seven” these common interview questions is really asking.
Activity 3: Piecing it Together - A functional resume focuses on skill groupings and is best for first-time workers or those with very little work experience. Students will differentiate subtitles that should and should not be included on a resume. They will also have an opportunity to create their own resume.
Activity 4: Power Verb Fill-In- Employers review many resumes. As a job seeker it is important to make your resume stand out. One way to perk up your resume is to get creative when using verbs to describe your accomplishments.
Activity 5: You Choose - A resume is like an advertisement in that it should advertise a job-seeker’s desirable qualities as an employee in a very short amount of time. The purpose of a resume is to get an interview. Students get to be the hiring manager and critique four resumes in this exercise. For even more great tips on resumes, head over to https://7seconds.gradsoflife.org/
Activity 1: Demand Occupations Education – One of the many changes COVID-19 brought with it was a drastic change in employment. Students looking toward their future occupations can investigate what the Demand Occupation are in West Central Texas and where to find the training for them.
Activity 2: Free Trial of Life is Over – Adjusting to full time adulting can be scary and stressful. One of the biggest concerns is the unrealistic views of affording the life we want. Now is a great time to start making plans for an All Access Life. This fun activity will take students through the steps to find what their chosen life would cost in West Central Texas as compared to other areas of Texas.
Activity 3: Get Inspired! - This activity is useful as a self-directed reading activity. Four articles are provided that highlight information about successful young entrepreneurs. After students read their article of choice, they have questions prompts to guide what they learn form these stories and plan practical ways to use this information in their own plans.
Activity 4: How Much Do I Need to Make? - Students have likely completed the Reality Check at TexasRealityCheck.com, however, information about the cost of utilities and eating out may still seem foreign. This activity allows students to research everyday costs incurred in their lives and then use this information to formulate a plan about the salary needs in order for them to maintain their current lifestyle.