Career Connections New Jersey
Development and management of an industry-education alliance to educate New Jersey's about career options and critical skills.
From 2004 to 2007, the Heldrich Center and Verizon New Jersey jointly created industry-education alliances to educate New Jersey students, parents, educators, and school counselors about promising career options and the skills needed to work in today's labor market. A Career Connections steering committee was convened and included the state’s top business, education, and school counseling organizations as well as the New Jersey Department of Education. Project accomplishments included providing up-to-date career information and technical assistance to New Jersey high school students, parents, teachers, and school counselors; disseminating data on high-demand industries, jobs, and jobs skills; promoting the State of New Jersey’s website for students; and incorporating njnextstop.org content into K-12 curricula and counseling activities.
In 2004, with support from Verizon New Jersey, the Career Connections initiative was launched to encourage New Jersey's leading industry and education groups to work more closely on career education. A statewide steering committee of employers, educators, and labor organizations was created to disseminate information to students, parents, teachers, and school counselors on the skills and education requirements needed to fill high-demand jobs in New Jersey's key industries.
About Career Connections
Career Connections worked diligently to raise awareness about the changing education and training needs of New Jersey's 21st century economy. The program hosted statewide conferences to showcase successful business-education training partnerships and new apprenticeship options. It also shared career information with educators and counselors through the New Jersey Education Association, New Jersey School Boards Association, and New Jersey School Counselors Association.
In addition to participation at large state conferences, Career Connections rolled out a "high-tech, high-touch" strategy to reach students, counselors, and teachers by introducing them to cutting-edge career and education information. Hundreds of NJNextStop posters and mousepads were distributed to New Jersey high schools and colleges.
Resources
Teacher and Counselor Resources
A coalition of states committed to aligning high school standards, assessments, graduation requirements, and accountability systems with the demands of colleges and the workplace.
Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE)
A national education association dedicated to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for careers. Provides over 28,000 member career and technical educators with the resources they need to prepare an educated and competitive workforce. ACTE is committed to increasing public awareness and appreciation for career and technical programs and to assuring growth in local, state, and federal funding for these programs by communicating and working with legislators and government leaders.
Learn More Now, Do More Now, Earn More Later
A product of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, this website encourages students to take challenging courses, achieve at their highest level, and reap the benefits of that hard work at a good college and in a good job. The website also provides everything a teacher needs to educate students about the hard decisions they have to make in middle school and high school to be academically competitive for good colleges and even better, more fulfilling jobs including presentations, lesson plans, background research, and certificates of accomplishment.
New Jersey Education Association
An organization dedicated to promoting excellence in New Jersey’s schools by advocating on behalf of members and promoting quality professional development for teachers to advance and support policies that enhance and enrich public education.
A website that provides school counselors, teachers, secondary students, and their parents the vital details about industries, types of jobs, and the cutting-edge career paths that are possible.
Regional Educational Laboratory Program-Mid-Atlantic
A partnership of The Pennsylvania State University, Rutgers University, Caliber, and ICF International Company, Metiri Group, ANALYTICA and Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) to meet the research and technical assistance needs of educators and policymakers in the mid-atlantic region.
New Jersey Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
The New Jersey Association of Colleges for Teacher Education is an organization whose work is focused on improvements in the education of professional school personnel in New Jersey to ensure that all children are taught by highly qualified teachers.
Student, Parent, and Counselor Resources
Learn More Now, Do More Now, Earn More Later
A product of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, this website encourages students to take challenging courses, achieve at their highest level, and reap the benefits of that hard work at a good college and in a good job. The website also provides everything a teacher needs to educate students about the hard decisions they have to make in middle school and high school to be academically competitive for good colleges and even better, more fulfilling jobs including presentations, lesson plans, background research, and certificates of accomplishment.
New Jersey School Counselors Association
Helps students transfer community college courses in New Jersey. It helps in deciding which courses to take at community colleges, which New Jersey four-year colleges offer equivalent courses, and how the courses will satisfy four-year degree requirements. Also offers contact information for admission, course transfers, or transfer recruitment events. Provides information about career fields that are in high demand in New Jersey.
New Jersey Commission on Higher Education: Equal Opportunity Fund
Offers detailed information about the Equal Opportunity Fund program. Provides information about which colleges and universities have Equal Opportunity Fund programs and contact information at those institutions.
New Jersey Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools
Learn about the innovative programs at the 21 county vocational-technical schools throughout New Jersey that link academics with real-world career training.
New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority
Provides students, parents, and financial aid professionals knowledge of different types of financial aid information available for students.
A website that provides school counselors, teachers, secondary students, and their parents the vital details about industries, types of jobs, and the cutting-edge career paths that are possible.
Provides information for parents and students on planning for college, financial strategies, and more.
With information on the different fields of engineering, encourages young women to consider a career in engineering.
Has vast career information and helpful tools such as reports, videos, and labor market data.
The Fun Works: For Careers You Never Knew Existed
Introduces students ages 11-15 to several careers in health, science, the arts, sports, and others that are suited to their interests.
Designed for students, counselors, and jobseekers, includes overviews of 900 occupations in various sectors beyond California.
For Kids Only: Earth Sciences Enterprise
Features extensive information on earth science topics and fields of employment such as air, land, water, natural hazards, and their interaction with the human population.
Provides vast and helpful information on the admissions process for college, graduate school, and professional schools ranging from exam requirements to financial aid.
Career Videos
Sometimes the view from inside a job is the one that adds the most insight. That is why the Heldrich Center, with support from Verizon New Jersey, interviewed nine professionals in different industries and occupations -- and let them tell their own story.
How did they get to where they are? What is the most important thing they need to know to be good at their job? What challenges did they face in getting there? How did they overcome them? Could someone you know -- or something you are doing right now -- be the thing that changes your life?
These are the kind of questions you need to answer before you launch your career. Take a few minutes to listen to people tell their career story, in their own words, and then start your own adventure. Good luck!
- Apprentice Engineer Technician
- Audio-Visual Manager
- Conference Services Director
- Executive Chef
- Information Technology Director
- Instructional Technology Specialist
- Policy Fellow
- Trauma Nurse