Jackson Middle School 8th grader Zayah Burke, left, completes a job interview with Gwen Crumb, right, family and community development agent with the WVU Extension Service, during Career Class at the school.

Jackson Middle pilots Career Class

WCS Communications Dept.

November 1, 2021

Jackson Middle pilots careers program through WVU Extension Service

VIENNA - A pilot program introducing careers to middle school students wrapped up its first semester in October at Jackson Middle School.

The program through the West Virginia University Extension Service held “finals” Oct. 21 by putting students through mock job interviews and giving them feedback on areas of improvement. 

Jodi Smith, 4-H Extension Agent and Associate Professor with the WVU Extension Service, said the program gives students a better idea of what sort of careers might be available.

“Jobs/careers students are interested in are varied,” she said, ranging from traditional areas of interest such as doctor, nurse, lawyer and teacher to other specialized areas such as therapist, HVAC technician, cosmetologist, radiologist and photographer. 

Smith said to present those careers and help students narrow their search, the 8-week career class provided a variety of lessons.

Those lessons included: 

  1. Seeing Yourself in the Future – What are your values, interests and skills? How does your personality type play a role in career readiness? Connecting careers to your VIPs (Values, Interests, Personality, Skills).
  2. My Dashboard – Goal setting, creating a support network to reach goals.
  3. Vision Boards – Creating a vision board of the future to help maintain focus on goals.
  4. Volunteering and Job Shadowing – How do you gain experience for a job? How do you find out if you are really interested in a possible career? Volunteering, informational interviews and job shadowing.
  5. Soft Skills – teamwork, communication, time management, leadership, work ethic, problem-solving. What soft skills do you need to be a successful employee? How do you gain experience in soft skills?
  6. Job Applications and Resumes – What is a job application? What is a resume? What information do you need to fill out an application and create a professional resume.
  7. Dress for Success – how do I dress for the interview (combine social media/cell phone etiquette into discussion).
  8. Interview Tips/Techniques – Creating a professional pitch. Interview tips and practice interviews.

 

“These lessons were created by WVU Extension Service faculty members who serve on the Post-Secondary Success Team at WVU” Smith said. “Some lessons are still needed in areas and we are developing those lessons based on what we are learning from this pilot program.”

Jill Parsons, CEO and president of the Chamber of Commerce of the Mid-Ohio Valley, attended the student job interviews and said the Chamber is interested in seeing similar programs in other schools.

“For quite some time, I’ve wanted to have these types of discussions with our future workforce; I want them to be excited and realistic about the careers available in our community and the path to those careers,” Parsons said. “The pilot program by WVU Extension Services is a wonderful jumping off point and I am hopeful the MOV Chamber can play a role in this type of endeavor in the near future – the chance for middle school and high school students to shadow various employees would be a wonderful partnership between the Chamber, area employers and the school system.  I truly believe it is never too early in a student’s journey to facilitate career exploration.”