Dr. Susan Schulz

HI Elda, Yes, we see the growing value of alumni associations in career schools. They can impact on admissions, retention, and placement. The more people and businesses in your community that know about your school as a resource, the more benefits. It's just that easy. And hardly costs anything. It means focusing on getting out into the community and following up. Thanks, Susan

HI Elda, You seem to have a great understanding of the placement services department and that it's more than just teaching a grad how to write a resume. With a range of services offered by career services, the student can learn employment skills. And also build confidence. When the student is satisfied and successful it does impact positively on the entire school - admissions, retention, and of course placement. Thanks, Susan

Hi Melanie, It is a challenge to make things happen with a limited budget. There is just so much that can be done with motivating staff. After a while they can get burnt out and overworked and eventually non productive. Sometimes a solution is to hire a clerical admin person to handle the routine parts of your directors' jobs. Thanks, Susan

HI Melanie, Sounds like you have a great team. Everyone is having fun and is productive. So this happiness factor is spreading to your students. And that's a good thing. And your staff like working together to make things happen. They will probably go the extra mile. You did a great job of hiring and maintaining a happy workplace. Thanks, Susan

Hi Melanie, Thanks for your comments. This also points to continually assessing the job description. Does it line up with the level of the position, the needs of the department and school, and any regulatory requirements. Are there duplications in efforts? Lots to learn from staff and their self assessments too. Susan

Hi Javier, How is your plan working in terms of students getting jobs? And how long from the time of graduation do the students get placed? You can see that we believe that placement services should start at the time of enrollment. We have seen placement stats increase when employment skills training starts early. Also retention rates go up. We feel that when students realize that building job search skills is as important as learning course skills and knowledge, they are more prepared for the externship and the interview process. Thanks, Susan

Hi Laura, Externships are certainly very important, and the start of the next phase of the students learning experience. If planned well, the externship provides real-work experiences that can be put on a resume. And if there is proper supervision and encouragement, the extern can gain confidence in him or herself and the skills they learned. With proper evaluation the student is truly ready for the job search. Thanks, Susan

Great that students will learn about placement services during orientation. That is a way to ingrain in their minds that placement services are on par with taking courses. You might want to focus on all the services offered to students and grads and perhaps have a sampling like a mock interview, review of a resume before graduation and after, and some fun activities to get the students' attention. We also think that one-on-one is essential. It helps to identify the student's special needs so you can be offering them custom employment skills training and confidence building before graduation. Thanks, Susan

Hi DAvid, Sounds like a great plan. We like the idea of offering an intro presentation re services right when classes start. It links placement services with going to school. We also think returning each month to offer seminars is important for consistency. What about having some "employment skills homework" for students to complete in the meantime? Not something hard. Perhaps some tasks to build awareness, skills, and confidence and to prepare for the upcoming seminar. How do you handle programs that are shorter than a few months? Thanks, Susan