The following is some information you will use today and in the future:

1. Class Website – www.nwtech.edu/alvacc/
2. How to use the Announcements menu for class announcements – Select your program from the Categories menu and then click on the heading in larger print and with the date of click to be directed a full page with that day’s announcement.
3. If ever prompted, do not run any updates on the computers.
4. Have you shared with me a Google email address?  If not, please create one to use for this class or I can have a gmail address created for you.  I only need this in which to share files with you on Google drive.
5. Last time you sat at the following computers. Please use this seating arrangement until I tell you otherwise since I have created a folder for you on the computer desktop (we will later move this to another location and upload the information to a folder on Google Drive):
   Dusti Maul – alvacc05
   Alanna Nacion -alvacc07
   Anastasia Copes -alvacc08
   Franchesca Barnes -alvacc10
   Hannah Horn -alvacc11
   Brisa Montes -alvacc12
   Haley Troutt -alvacc13
   Kamri Theis -alvacc14

 

What do we have planning for Spring 2020 semester?

• Complete the WorkKeys Assignment.
• Create and/or update a Work Resume (different than scholarship resume).
• Discuss and complete a job application.
• Discuss and create a cover letter.
• Discuss some do’s and don’ts for job interviews and job interviewing tips.
• Discuss and answer some possible job interview questions.
• Discuss and create a job interview thank you letter or email.
• Discuss possible benefits offered with employment.
• Update your Portfolios (black binders) to include all the information listed above as well as actual copies of any certifications earned.
• Take any student organization and/or end of year course exams arranged by your instructor.

 

Scholarships Information

Any students needing additional help with scholarships may visit Career Center on Wednesday, January 15th from 9:30 – 11:00 am and/or 12:40 to 3:30 pm.

NWTC Foundation Scholarship Applications –  Due January 22

Applications are now being accepted for Northwest Technology Center (NWTC) Foundation Scholarships.  Only high school seniors and adults may apply.  Applications for the Spring 2020 semester are due by January 22.

Each year a portion of the monies raised by the NWTC Foundation will go to support scholarships for deserving students. This financial assistance may include books, tuition, and other educational costs. The Foundation Scholarship committee assists in the establishment of scholarships and the selection of the recipients.

Adults only may apply for the Fall NWTC Foundation Scholarships. High school seniors and adults may apply for the Spring NWTC Foundation Scholarships.  To claim the scholarship, students will be required to show that they are incurring some type of educational expense for either the current semester or next summer or fall.

Students may download the NWTC Foundation Scholarship application –  NWTC Foundation Scholarship Application 2020. Please download this application to your folder within the Document folder on your computer and then open the application in Adobe Acrobat before completing the form! If you don’t download and save then open in Adobe Acrobat your work may be be saved in case you need to go back and edit the information later!

For more information about NWTC Foundation Scholarships, please contact Melinda Barton, Marketing and Foundation Director at 580-327-0344.

 

Otha Grimes Scholarship Applications (Adult Students Only) – Due January 22

The Otha Grimes Scholarship is administered by the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education Foundation and offered in the Fall and Spring to ADULT students who might not qualify for other financial aid.

Scholarships are to be used for expenses that directly relate to a student attending a technology center class. Allowable expenses include: tuition, mileage to and from school, books, uniforms, conference registration fees, school supplies, and childcare, if not paid by another source.

Application and instructions for the Otha Grimes scholarship may be downloaded below:

• Otha Grimes Application Tips
• Otha Grimes Scholarship Application

Only adult students may apply for the Otha Grimes scholarship. Scholarship Applications for the Spring 2020 Semester are due by January 22, 2020!

For more information about the Otha Grimes scholarship, please contact Karen Koehn, Career Counselor, at the Alva Campus or Ashlee Sneary, Director of Financial Aid and Human Resources.

 

OkACTE/ESSP Casy Cundiff Outstanding Student Scholarship – Due April 15

Oklahoma CareerTech Foundation The Casy Cundiff Scholarship is Sponsored by OkACTE Education Services/Special Populations (ESSP)  is offering a student the financial scholarship award to acknowledge the achievement of a career and technology student(s) who is a person with a disability and has overcome barriers to achieve his/her highest potential for success. The purpose for this student scholarship is to assist the student in accessing or completing a career and technology education career major or entering into the occupation for which he/she has trained.

Eligibility Criteria:

1. The criteria used to select the winner will include the student’s career goals, financial need, unusual circumstances, and letters of reference. The student is required to provide documentation of disability which may include test summaries, summary of performance, or a clear diagnostic statement by an appropriate qualified professional.
2. Each nominee must provide two (2) letters of reference. One of the references must be from a person actively involved in the applicants’ current career and technical education in Oklahoma.
3. High school transcripts and/or a list of career and technical courses completed must be submitted with the attached application.
4. All information in this application must be typed or computer generated. In order to receive maximum points in the consideration process all responses to questions should be between 50 -150 words.
5. Answer all questions. Applications which do not include: answers to all questions on the application form, two letters of reference, high school transcripts and/or a list of career and technical courses completed, documentation of disability which may include test summaries, summary of performance, or a clear diagnostic statement by an appropriate qualified professional “Examples: IEP / 504 / or diagnosis” will be considered incomplete and eliminated.
6. Each application form must be complete and provide specific information about the applicant. Photos, news clippings, original works of art, etc., which help support the application are encouraged and may be submitted. Materials submitted in support of the application will not be returned.
7. Signature form for applicant (including parent/guardian signature if applicant is under 18 years of age).

Use of Scholarship Funds The Oklahoma Association of Career and Technology Education (OkACTE)/Education Services Special Populations (ESSP) is offering a student the financial scholarship award to acknowledge the achievement of a career and technology student(s) who is a person with a disability and has overcome barriers to achieve his/her highest potential for success. The purpose for this student scholarship is to assist the student in accessing or completing a career and technology education career major or entering into the occupation for which he/she has trained. Up to 2 scholarship awards between $250 and $500 will be made depending upon funds available and number of scholarship awards presented. Scholarship awards must be used to assist with the cost of tuition, fees, books, tools, and/or other expenses connected to employment or training. Application Deadlines Nomination forms must be postmarked on or before April 15 of the year applying for award. Completed applications must be received by Sharon Baker, ESSP Advisor Career and Academic Connections, 1500 W 7th Avenue, Stillwater, OK, 74074. Oklahoma Association of Career and Technology Education (OkACTE) Education Services Special Populations (ESSP)

Download Scholarship Application – Casy Cundiff Scholarship App  – Deadline April 15th.

 

Oklahoma Association of Minorities in Career and Technology Education – Washington/DuBose Memorial Scholarship – Due April 30

The Oklahoma Association of Minorities in Career and Technology Education (OAMCTE) believes that educating young people in career and technology education is a positive step in providing role models for future generations of youth. As we continue to focus on education, our efforts turn to an important aspect of our organization – scholarship. One of the goals of our scholarship program is to provide assistance to deserving minority students who plan to further their education. In so doing, we are offering two (2) Renae Washington-Lorine DuBose Memorial Scholarships in the amount of $1,000 each. We believe this is one small way of helping to make this dream a reality for individuals who can become positive role models for others.

Applicants for the scholarship must plan to enroll in a full-time program at an Oklahoma Career and Technology Center or as a full time student in an accredited institution of higher learning for the Fall Semester of 2020 and the Spring Semester of 2021. The recipients must provide proof of enrollment prior to receiving the awards. After proof of enrollment is provided, the scholarship funds will be made available to the recipients chosen career and technology center or institution of higher learning. The student will then receive the full scholarship amount during the first semester, upon enrollment. Scholarship proceeds must be used to assist with the cost of tuition, fees, books, and/or tools. If a scholarship recipient does not complete his or her course of study, the remaining proceeds will be returned to the donor, namely the Oklahoma Association of Minorities in Career and Technology Education or the Oklahoma Career Tech Foundation. Selection of the Scholarship recipients are based on financial need and the ability to benefit.

Applications must be post marked no later than Friday, April 3, 2020. Scholarship winners will receive notification no later than Friday, April 30, 2020. Recipients are invited to attend the Career & Technology Summer Conference on Thursday, August 1 where they will be presented with their award.

Download the application – Oklahoma Association of Minorities in Career and Technical Education Scholarship Application

 

Blessings Box/Student Pantry

Did you know NWTC now has a “Blessing Closet” available for students? The “Blessings Closet” contains non-perishable food and personal hygiene items for students who may need them.  It is located in Office 3 which is right East of Multi-Purpose Room.  If you need assistance finding the “Blessings Closet” please ask any staff member.

 

Job Opportunities

I will continue posting job openings that are sent to me on the Career Center website. You may find this information on the Job Opportunities page – http://nwtech.edu/alvacc/job-opportunities/ – which is located on the Career Readiness menu as Employment Opportunities or by clicking Announcements on the menu and then selecting the Employment Opportunities category

 

Learning Styles Inventory

Complete the Learning Styles Inventory Survey and Assessment available under the Assessments menu of the website –  http://nwtech.edu/alvacc/learning-styles/.  Scroll down to the section that has “2019-2020” and follow the instructions to complete the survey and the assessment. Be sure to add your first and last name and then print the Assessment results of the Learning Styles Inventory to the Career Center Office Printer.  You can press Command and P to get the print options to appear on screen.   Print two copies of the results — one copy for your portfolio and one copy to Mrs. Thomas. I would also like for you to create a PDF file and save it to the folder I created for you on the the computer desktop.  Use Command + P to get the window which is save as print window except select Adobe PDF instead of a printer.

WorkKeys Assignment

You have taken all three of the WorkKeys assessments. If you wish to retake any of the three assessments, please visit with me.

I have printed a Score Report for each as well as put a copy in the folder I created for you on a Shared Google Drive.  So how do your scores relate to occupation you are interested in?  To find out more about specific careers and their skills requirements, check out the ACT ** job profiles database. **

Based upon your results and your interests, select one career from the ** ACT job profiles database ** and complete the WorkKeys Completion Assignment that I have put in a folder with  your name within the Documents folder of the computer you last sat at or open it from the folder with your name on it on the Shared Google Drive. . If you don’t have the file on your computer click here for file.  Open the MS Word file or Google Doc and complete the assignment. You may select a career of your choice to enter within the WorkKeys Completion Assignment (it does not have to be LPN but should be in the healthcare industry).  You may select the desired information from the job profiles database and then right click and copy and the right click and paste  into the WorkKeys Completion Assignment.  Please enter all the information requested for each question. Yes I want you to copy all of the job duties for the career not just a few you pick out.  After copying ALL the job duties for the job you selected, highlight the text in yellow for each job duty you currently know how to perform.

If you enter a job title in the Job title field and no O’Net Code job titles show up in the bottom box as shown below…..

 

Try not entering anything in the Job Title box and just select a Career Cluster and click Search to see what jobs show up then. You can select a job in the bottom box to get the information about that particular job.

There is information about how the certificate levels are determined on the  WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate   page of this website.

• Bronze Level – Signifies an individual has scored at least a Level 3 on each of the three assessments and has the necessary skills for 16% of the jobs in the WorkKeys Job Pro database.
• Silver Level – Signifies an individual has scored at least a Level 4 on each of the three assessments and has the necessary skills for 67% of the jobs on the WorkKeys Job Pro database.
• Gold Level – Signifies an individual has scored at least a Level 5 on each of the three assessments and has the necessary skills for 93% of the jobs on the WorkKeys Job Pro database.
• Platinum Level – Signifies an individual has scored at least a Level 6 on each of the three assessments and has the necessary skills for 99% of the jobs on the WorkKeys Job Pro database.

Your National Career Readiness Certification Level is based on your lowest score in the set of tests you’ve taken. If you’ve taken any of the WorkKeys tests more than once, you will use your highest set of scores.

Example:

• If your lowest score is a:
  • 3 = Bronze
  • 4 = Silver
  • 5 = Gold
  • 6 = Platinum.

Be sure to print the document when you are finished. Also save a copy into the folder with your name within the Documents on the computer hard drive.

 

Introduction to Resumes

The following Job Genius video provides an introduction to writing a resume. The video is provided by Express Employment Professionals.

Have you created a resume in an easy to read professional format?  You should include a heading at the top of the resume that includes full name, full address, phone number and email address.  Sections of your resume may include qualification summary, education, licensure, work experience, additional skills, professional memberships, community activities, honors and awards, and references.  Be sure to use formatting that allows the reader to easily distinguish between the different sections.  Proofread your final copy.  Sometimes it is easier to download a document and work in Microsoft Word and then re-upload to the Google Drive than utilize Google Docs.  You may choose whichever method is easiest for you.  Links to sample resumes are available on the Resumes page – –  (http://nwtech.edu/alvacc/resumes/) –  on the Career Center website.

Be sure to…..

1. Put a copy of your resume in stored in the Google Drive folder I have created for you on it is completed!  Do not “share” your resume with me from a different folder.  You may need to download it and then drag it into that folder I created but have a copy of your resume stored in the folder I have shared with you.
2. Put the most important sections towards the top of the resume.
3. Put most recent information within the section at the top of the section.
4. Include certifications such as WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate (if you scored at least a three or higher on the WorkKeys tests)
5. Include Northwest Technology Center (not Alva Votech  or Northwestern Technology Center) and your program name in the education section.
6. Include honors such as Outstanding Attendance or Student of the Quarter if it applies.
7. Use an easy to read font but not the standard Times New Roman that many other people may use.
8. Ask me to look over your resume before printing your final copy.