Skills for the Workplace and LifeThe Bakker Career Center began operating its career development program in 2006 to fulfill CYDC's mission "to assist children in reaching their full potential as healthy and well-adjusted individuals." The Education and Career Technology Services program provides young people with challenging experiences to prepare them to transition to work, community, and on to adulthood.
Personal Development is the first step in the program process and requires students to complete a basic skills assessment. It also encourages them to identify their educational goals and develop a plan for completing those goals. Students then identify vocational interests to establish short/long-term career goals through the use of vocational software. Lastly, professional development provides ongoing exposure to vocational opportunities, educational programs and seminars conducted by guest speakers from the community.
KeyTrain is a computer-based and print training system that applies academic curriculum to the workplace while preparing individuals for the WorkKeys assessments. It includes nine courses entitled: Reading for Information, Applied Mathematics, Locating Information, Applied Technology, Writing, Listening, Teamwork, Observation and Business Writing.
Job Training involves an array of training activities that provide a focus on career development. Students evaluate their interests and skills, produce resumes, create personal portfolios, conduct job searches and develop interviewing skills, which eventually leads to employment in the surrounding community. Vocational areas include health and beauty, automotive services, graphic design, retail sales, recycling and food service. Participating students earn an incentive ("pay") based on their attendance, productivity, competence, teamwork and leadership skills. Students may also become "unemployed" at which time they are required to assess the actions that led to their status. Students are required to confront workplace issues and then continue their program or be reassigned to a new field, thereby instilling strong work ethic and conflict resolution skills. Work performance is evaluated on a weekly basis and celebrated monthly through student recognition programs.
Leadership for Life specifically focuses on preparing students for life after group home care. These areas include developing coping skills, becoming financially literate, practicing self care and maintaining healthy relationships, using public transportation and finding and maintaining adequate housing. The Bakker Center's readiness curriculum includes money management, budgeting, consumer education, use of credit, interpersonal skill building, educational advancement and job attainment skills.
Upon completion of this curriculum, each youth develops a written Individual Life Plan, which includes their personal and professional goals and objectives; their resume, highlighting work experience gained through the Center and outside internships; and documented outcomes from computer-based trainings and workplace performance. For the past three years the Bakker Center has served as an agency centerpiece, showcasing new programs created to integrate new models in the continuum of care, to ensure more positive outcomes for CYDC youth transitioning to independent living and successful employment and careers.
For a list of granting organizations and partners, click here.
Peter Phillips- Career Center Director
Phone: (843) 266-5261
E-mail: pphillips@cydc.org
