Over the last few weeks, the Strategic Partnerships and Workforce Development Division, in collaboration with Guided Pathways Director Carla Grandy and many other faculty and staff across the College, hosted a variety of events to support Meta Major Week. This was also the perfect opportunity for the Strategic Partnerships and Workforce Development division to launch our Suite of Services to the campus!
On Monday, October 21, Strategic Partnerships and Workforce Development kicked off the week with the “Be a Boss” day hosted by Laura DeKelaita, Job Placement Coordinator for Business, Entrepreneurship and Management. The event allowed students to engage with local entrepreneurs from various industries including the confectionery, art, apparel and skincare industries. Students learned strategies for building a business and having an entrepreneur mindset. The “Be a Boss” event also helped students gain a deeper understanding of the Business, Entrepreneurship and Management Meta Major at Skyline College. Students who participated in the event were entered into a drawing to win merchandise from the Be a Boss entrepreneurs.
On Tuesday, October 22, Steven Lopez, Job Placement Coordinator for Arts, Languages, and Communication, along with the team introduced students to the newly designed “Sweets” of Services guides available through the Strategic Partnership and Workforce Development Division. During the event, students were given bold and helpful printed guides covering career readiness topics such as Job Search, The Resume, Interviewing and Networking. Students were invited to pop into these topics with a free bag of butter popcorn and various candy shop treats, like chocolate bars, cotton candy, and Cliff bars. It was the perfect way to share with the campus just one of the many ways that the Strategic Partnerships and Workforce Development division works to support students around job readiness and bring them closer to achieving their dream jobs.
Additionally, later that evening, Alexa Moore, Job Placement Coordinator for Society and Education hosted the Careers with Children Job Fair! The event supported job placement efforts by connecting students directly to employers within the industry. Students who participated networked with employers and had the chance to learn about the various roles and jobs available within the field of Early Childhood Education.
On Wednesday, October 23 the Strategic Partnerships and Workforce Development Division hosted the event, “Look Good in Person and Online,” which incorporated three different features. On this day, students had the chance to hear about the upcoming launch of the Skyline College Career Closet. Michele Haggar, Program Services Coordinator and Jose Milan, Career Resources Aid for the division invited students to participate in this event by having students complete surveys which will be used to inform the division on what the Closet will need to support students who are getting ready for job or employment engagement opportunities. With the help of Claudia Paz, Visual Communications Coordinator and Student Assistant, Millie Santos, students also had the wonderful opportunity to try on some of the clothing and pose for professional headshots, which will be used for their LinkedIn profiles. And to continue to support professional development for students, Laura DeKelaita and Alexa Moore provided LinkedIn Learning accounts at no cost! Having access to LinkedIn Learning is another great resource for students to develop their professional skills online and to continue bringing them closer to landing their Dream Jobs.
And finally, Tia Samn, Strategic Partnerships and Workforce Development Student Assistant DJ’d the event with the help of Sarina O’Gilvie, Staff Assistant who introduced students to our new social media platforms and connected them to fun prizes for stopping by!
Overall, the event was an overwhelming success as students shared it was fantastic to hear of all the very valuable resources the Strategic Partnerships and Workforce Development has to support student success and job placement.
Special thanks to the fabulous team for all their hard work and to Andrea Vizenor, Dean of Strategic Partnerships and Workforce development for her dedication and support.
Article written by Michele Haggar, Laura DeKelaita, Steven Lopez and Alexa Moore
