Nebraska Career Connections
by Brian Slominski
Nebraska Career Connections is a new online location for career, job, education, planning, and training resources designed for Nebraskans.
www.nebraskacareerconnections.org
The Nebraska Career Connections is a collaborative effort of several state agencies and nonprofit organizations to coordinate resources and services through efficient and effective online access for all Nebraskans. This site will be continually developed and expanded as a resource to assist students and adults with career exploration and planning, educational planning and preparation, job seeking, and skill development. These services provide strong support for Nebraska's workforce and economic development priorities.
At Otte Middle school all eighth grade students will register with this site. With the assistance of the guidance department and the Career Exploration class, eighth grade students will explore possible interests and related occupations. Once these have been identified, students will have a better idea about the courses they should take in high school. All eighth grade students will have explored the system content by the time they register for classes at the high school.
System Content for the Middle School Student
Career Fields/Career Clusters: In this section, students can browse the sixteen clusters of career specialties, seeing a video, sample plan of study, and required skills.
My Interests and Skills: Two assessment inventories are offered to students in eighth grade, the Kuder Career Search with Person Match (interest inventory) and the Career and Life Skills Assessment (CALS) self-assessment.
Options after High School: From this menu option, users can link directly to the comprehensive information about planning for postsecondary education, which is offered by the EducationQuest Foundation.
My Personal Learning Plan: From this menu option, two options are provided: a) the completion of a goal-setting guide related to planning for living, earning, and learning and b) a personal learning plan. Both of these are stored in the user’s portfolio and can be viewed and edited from there.
My Portfolio: The Career Portfolio is the centerpiece of the system. It allows users to store, view, and edit information easily. The portfolio includes personal information entered during registration; Personal Learning Plans; assessment results, favorite career clusters, career specialties, and school; resumes; and work samples.
