December is month to explore careers
As the first half of the school year is coming to a close, and Michigan high school and college students are breaking for the holidays, Gov. Rick Snyder has proclaimed December Career Exploration and Awareness Month as a way to encourage families to start conversations with students about career options.
“It’s important students explore careers early and often,” said Jeremy Hendges, interim director of the Talent and Economic Development Department of Michigan. “This month is about highlighting the array of resources and opportunities to explore careers before students graduate from high school, but it’s more than that. It’s an opportunity to bring those conversations about career exploration home from the classroom to the holiday dinner table so families and friends can share their experiences with their students, too.”
There are currently more than 811,000 high-demand, high-wage career openings available in Michigan, and this is predicted to continue through 2024. State leaders believe this talent gap stems from a lack in career awareness, and counselors, educators, employers and parents all share part of the responsibility.
“Too often, students leave high school without a plan for what’s next and are doing their career exploration in college,” Hendges said. “The more we can help students explore these opportunities earlier, the sooner we can close our talent gap and connect our young people with rewarding, great-paying careers here at home.”
In an attempt to address and close this talent gap, the state has developed multiple online resources to help job seekers explore careers and learn the steps it takes to achieve them.
The Michigan Talent Investment Agency has developed the Pathfinder Toolkit – a state-of-the-art online career path exploration tool that allows students and job seekers alike to easily match their skills to career paths and jobs.
Additionally, Going-PRO.com is a one-stop online tool designed to raise awareness of careers in professional trades and to showcase opportunities in a variety of rewarding pathways. This tool includes information on salaries and job growth data, along with a “day in the life” series highlighting professionals in their careers and how they got there.
It’s important for job seekers — particularly students — to know that a four-year degree isn’t the only option, and that there are multiple paths to great careers in Michigan. Part of the idea behind Career Exploration and Awareness Month is to draw people’s attention to those other career paths.
“There are many career choices and pathways to those options, including stackable credentials, certificates and degrees,” said Sheila Alles, interim state superintendent for Michigan. “Success comes in many forms, and it’s a priority for us to help every student find and achieve their own success. To do that, we first must help them explore all the options, and that’s what this month’s focus is about.”
To learn more about Career Exploration and Awareness month, visit mitalent.org/exploration.
Edythe Hatter-Williams is the CEO of Capital Area Michigan Works! For more information about Capital Area Michigan Works!, a complete list of workshops we offer and our locations, visit www.camw.org. Capital Area Michigan Works! is a proud partner of the American Job Center network.