Monday, September 27, 2010

Training dates, RSVP needed

We are looking forward to our upcoming training opportunities with GCDF colleagues.

October 22-23, 2010 will be our weekend with the class of 2008. Remember, it starts on Friday at 3:00pm until 9:00pm and again on Saturday from 8:00am until 11:00am.

November 19-20, 2010 will be our weekend with the class of 2009.

If you missed a training, all of these training opportunities rotate between classes. So, check with us to see if you can make up one you may have earlier been unable to attend.

Continuing education is a critical component of your GCDF credential. We will constantly strive to make sure you have sufficient opportunities to enhance, develop and stretch your competencies.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Career Theorist Spotlight - Sunny Hansen


In the GCDF and career development fields, we certainly have our "rock stars". I recently attended the National Career Development Association's annual conference and was fortunate enough to participate in break out sessions with heroes such as Dick Bolles, Jim Bright, and Sunny Hansen. As you may recall for our GCDF training, Dr. Hansen is most well known for developing "Integrative Life Planning" (ILP) which is a more holistic approach to career/life planning issues. This theory encompasses six critical tasks for an individual to obtain for a more integrated life.

1) Find work that needs you on a local, national, or even global level.
2) Find ways to weave life into a meaningful whole by taking into consideration the people in your life.
3) Find ways to connect family and work.
4) Make choices that validate diversity and include others.
5) Explore values, spirituality, and the meaning of life while also integrating how each affects your life.
6) Learn how to manage change and transition in your life.

In a recent email, Dr. Hansen shared the following:

"My relatively new concept of ILP - translate that as holistic life planning, looking at not only work but at other major life roles and goals - has been well received by many adult and college career professionals, as well as those involved in their own career decision-making. Although ILP is designed for both women and men, I have found that it has been of special interest to women, whose life roles have gone through major changes in the last decade. We know that many people who currently need jobs have resources available to them, but for those who have time to do more long-term planning, I believe ILP has much to offer. For further information, see my original book, Integrative Life Planning: Critical Tasks for Career Development and Changing Life Patterns, (for which I am developing a second edition). There is also a short article on my website called "Using Integrative Life Planning in Your Professional Development" (Hansen & Suddarth, Career Developments, Fall, 2008), http://www.sunnyhansenbornfree.com/.

So how do we as busy GCDF professionals integrate ILP both into our career and life roles? Does this career theory have relevance to your population of clients?

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Green Jobs

There has been a lot of talk lately about "green jobs" and "green industries". But what exactly are green jobs and industries? Part of the problem in identifying green jobs has been to figure out how to define and label them. Unfortunately, most employers simply list a job by a generic title and don't designate it as a "green job". Also, employers usually do not list in the job description a link to the job and the environment. A green job is simply any job that is good for the environment. The green economy is a an infrastructure of our society being developed to increase sustainability of natural resources that reduce harm to natural resources that are considered to be finite. According to Jim Cassio, author of Green Careers Resource Guide,
  • Between 1% and 8% of all jobs in the U.S. are green jobs
  • The current Administration's goal is to create 5 million new green jobs over the next 10 years
  • There are 340 occupations that can lead to a green job or career.

The O*NET Resource Center has listed twelve green sectors. They are renewable energy generation, transportation, energy efficiency, green construction, energy trading, energy and carbon capture and storage, research, design, and consulting services, environment protection, agriculture and forestry, manufacturing, recycling and waste reduction, and governmental and regulatory administration. The O*NET also lists Green Increased Demand Occupations, Green New and Emerging Occupations, and Green Occupations with the Most Openings.

Some green job hunting resources include:

www.greenjobs.com

www.renewableenergyaccess.com

www.findsolar.com

www.area.org (wind industry)

www.goinggreenjobs.com

www.ases.org

www.careersinwind.com

As you discover new sources for green information or job leads, please post your comments and share with our group. In the mean time, we encourage you to pick one recent book on green jobs and read for professional development.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

2010 - 2011 GCDF Training Calendar

Fall Schedule 2010

August 27-28, 2010 (Class of 2006 - Training #6 "Career Resiliency and Challenges of Today's Diverse Clients"

September 10 - 11, 2010 (Class of 2007 - Training #5 "GCDF Tools for Client Success"

October 22 -23, 2010 (Class of 2008 - Training #4 "Expanding GCDF Knowledge and Resources"

November 19 - 20, 2010 (Class of 2009 - Training #3 "Increasing the Effectiveness of Your GCDF Competencies"


Spring Schedule 2011

January 14 -15, 2011 (Class of 2006 - Training #7 "Helping Our Clients Stay Motivated"

February 11 - 12, 2011 (Class of 2007 - Training #6 "Career Resiliency and Challenges of Today's Diverse Clients"

March 11 -12, 2011 (Class of 2008 - Training #5 "GCDF Forecast Tools for Client Success"

April 8 - 9, 2011 (Class of 2009 - Training #4 "Expanind GCDF Knowledge and Resources"

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

April Visits


We have had the pleasure of visiting so many of you recently across the region and truly have witnessed spring coming to the mountains. At the end of March, we visited Manchester (City of Hope) and the folks at Daniel Boone CAA. If you have not been to their office, it sits a mile and a half straight up a hill. Quite steep for us flat road city slickers. Such an amazing view though! When the weather is bad, we are told that employees park at the bottom of the hill and are transported up to the office by four wheel drive vehicles. That same day we headed over to Jackson and spent time with Alesia in the McKee Office and with Sherrie and Mary Ann at the Jackson County Vocational School. The new high school is being built at the vocational school site. It will be so nice for the students to have both schools together.
In mid-April the redbuds were in full color as we travelled to Northeast CAA in Sandy Hook to visit with Stephanie. Her office is located in the local library and the youth center is just a few buildings away. Next we took the most adventurous road of the season and headed to Louisa to see Bonnie in action. On one hairpin turn, we had to completely stop the car to allow a large truck, coming in the opposite direction, to make the curve. In Louisa, we had the most delicious milkshakes at Dee's. Yum! Later that day we met with the folks in the Olive Hill office and attended their evening board meeting.

That same week we headed to Hazard to see the new LKLP office. What a transformation? Brian transported us to Whitesburg in the afternoon and provided awesome commentary along the way. So nice to see Irene and Kathy's office in the heart of their city.

Next on the agenda was Harlan where we spent time with Flora at the community college, ate in the campus cafe and met with the President. Flora took us up to Kingdom Come (above photo), and showed us Lynch and the Benham School House. The dogwoods and redbuds made for a lovely drive. Later that day we met with Chris and Celia at their community college location.
Additional visits included the Gateway West Liberty office where we observed Karen and Sidney teaching an ethics class to JobCorp participants. Ask us sometime about the impromptu skit that we put on for their students.
Lastly, our month ended with a day in Barbourville. We spent time with Stephen and Shanna as they taught a class for out of school youth on communication. That afternoon we were able to visit a growing local business - Troll and Toad.
How can we thank you enough for your wonderful hospitality?


Friday, April 16, 2010

Free Microsoft Computer Training Deadline April 27th

In order to meet workforce demands of the 21 st century, Kentuckian's must become more technologically savvy. Help your clients take advantage of Elevate Kentucky. For more information go to: https://kyelevateamerica.ky.gov/.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

ROWE - Results Only Work Environment

http://preview.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124705801

A recent NPR story on how one Minnesota Government agency made a radical switch to a ROWE work environment. Similar discussions have surfaced in our GCDF trainings, especially in light of generational work styles/differences. Could this work in your office?