April is School Library Month

Gov. Rick Scott has proclaimed April as School Library Month.  Katrina Figgett,  Director of School Libraries and Information Service, Florida Department of Education, stated in a memorandum anouncing School Library Month that ”(r)esearch studies… found that school library programs make a measurable difference in student academic achievement.  School library programs prepare students for lifelong learning and enhance their reading enjoyment.”

 

Many think of school libraries as “just for kids.”  I can tell you with assurance that WTI’s media center is not “just for kids” - it’s for everyone.  It’s for the adults who attend WTI to take advantage of career and technical education training opportunities but who also enjoy reading good fiction in their limited spare time.  It’s for the high school students who attend WTI for part of the day and who live, eat, breathe, and want to learn more about their chosen technical education program by accessing WTI’s large technical section.   It’s for any student who needs to conduct research, type a resume, or needs a quiet place to study.  It is for the children of the daycare who visit every Thursday for Storytime.  It’s also for our teachers, many of whom come directly from industry into teaching (accordingly, our professional section has grown and developed significantly in the past five years.)  To put it simply, WTI’s media center is for any student who is interested in learning – anything.

Why Should An Employer Hire Me?

This is the question the job-seeker must ask himself or herself every day. 

The answers to the question are as varied as the number of job-seekers themselves.  It will take a combination of your skills, training, and personality to land the job you seek.  Key to this endeavor is selling yourself.  There will be many others who, all things being equal, are every bit as qualified as you for a particular job.  What will make you stand out is how you market yourself to the employer. 

Marketing yourself is not being the loudest, brashest, or most boastful candidate.  Often it is quite the opposite.  Selling yourself requires a balance of confidence, humility, and excellent communication skills that communicate to the employer, “I’m capable.  I’m confident but not arrogant.  I can get along with others or work alone.  You can rely upon me to help you achieve your goals in business”.   The candidate needs to be objective about his or her abilities, and able to put his or her strengths into a package the potential employer cannot resist. 

Look at yourself in the mirror every day and ask, “Why should an employer hire me?”  Be honest – brutally honest if necessary – with yourself about what you need to improve, whether it’s your technical skills or your people skills.  Never get promoted? Maybe you are lacking a skill or set of skills you need in order to get ahead.  Have trouble getting along with co-workers?  Perhaps you need to adjust the way you relate to or communicate with others.  Work objectively on these areas of improvement and you’ll be amazed at how much better things go for you in the long run.

A New Year, A New Start

It’s a New Year, and many are glad to leave 2011 behind. 

The start of a new year gives reasons to feel refreshed, renewed, and eager to take on new challenges.  A new career, a new job, or adding new skills to enhance your employability.  Change and improvement don’t have to be limited to the first month of the year, however.  Continuous improvement and reflection are essential to growth, and growth is essential to remaining employable in today’s economy.  Even after you achieve your initial goals, keep working to improve yourself and increase your inventory of marketable skills. 

And don’t forget your own personal interests and passions – work on improving your application and execution of the things that feed your soul.  Seeking a work-life balance is the biggest challenge most adults face. 

If you are starting or even continuing your education here at WTI, I wish you much success in your new or continued endeavor. 

 

Entrepreneurship Seminar with Representatives from SCORE

On Monday, November 28, 2011, Jeremy Moyes and Norm Mangano of the Citrus County chapter of SCORE engaged students from WTI’s CTE programs in an informative seminar about entrepreneurship  The seminar was held at WTI.  Many of WTI’s programs lend themselves naturally to entrepreneurship.  The seminar’s focus is on students who are preparing to graduate from their programs and enter the workforce.  From there, at some time in the future they will eventually decide whether to continue to be an employee or open their own business. 

An acquaintance with the principles and opportunities of entrepreneurship is required by the Florida Essential Skills, which are skills identified by the Florida Department of Education as being essential to employment and career success.  Mr. Moyes and Mr. Mangano asked students to consider the many hard questions that come with the process of starting a business.  They ask students to evaluate several factors about themselves and their personal commitments, financial realities, the economy, and the geographic location they want to operate in.  Students were provided with concrete advice and information about getting started on the right foot.  For instance, students are advised that one must be prepared to pay for expert advice on the legal and accounting aspects of starting a business. 

Here at WTI we strive to constantly assist students with improving their educational experiences as well as equip our students with the skills and information they will need to be successful in the “real” world.  Thanks to the help of outstanding community members like Mr. Moyes and Mr. Mangano, that task is made easier. 

 

 

 

 

Resumes Defined

According to Dictionary.com, a resume’ is a noun, “a brief written account of personal, educational, and professional qualifications and experience, as that prepared by an applicant for a job”.

Your resume’ is a factual recitation of who you are, what you want, and what you can do for the employer.  Employers have a limited amount of time to consider job candidates and the resume is usually the first introduction to a job candidate.  Most only briefly scan over resumes before making decisions to “keep and pursue further” or “throw away”.

A resume’ will not get you a job, but it might get you an interview.  A resume’ can certainly lose you a job before you ever set foot in a workplace.  It’s the first impression and you need to make it a positive one.

I assist WTI students in preparing resumes for any need.  If you need help with a resume’, contact the media center to schedule an appointment.  We can work together to craft you an entry-level resume’ for your new career, or one to help you obtain an interim job while you are in school.

 

 

Financial Literacy for All Students

On October 27th, 2011, students in the career and technical education programs at WTI were introduced to the concepts of financial literacy, budgeting, and wise use of financial products by guest speaker Kimberly Darby, Vice President and Cashier of Brannen Banks of Florida (shown above).  Co-facilitator was WTI Media Specialist Jeane DeFelice.

Financial literacy is not only a requirement for life, it’s a requirement for WTI career and technical education students.  The Florida Essential Skills, which include academic foundations, communications, ethics, employability and career development, and financial literacy, are integrated into the standards and benchmarks of career and technical education programs.  These skills represent the knowledge and abilities vital to success in careers in every career cluster as identified by the State of Florida.  You can view all of these skills here: http://www.fldoe.org/workforce/dwdframe/rtf/essential_skills.rtf

The financial literacy component of these skills call for students to be able to, among other skills, describe the effect of money management on personal and career goals and to develop a personal budget and financial goals.  Financial health and literacy are goals students should continuously strive to reach, and the introduction to these goals are just one of many essential skills WTI teaches to its students.

Teen Parents Learn Financial Literacy

The teen parents, whose educational program is headquartered at WTI, learned about financial literacy today from an expert in the field – Kim Darby, Senior Vice President and Cashier of Brannen Banks of Florida. 

Mrs. Darby discussed with the male and female students the need to create a budget, tips on how to save money, why one needs to balance one’s checkbook, as well as many other topics relating to banking and finance.

The format of the seminar was informal.  Students were able to ask questions that concerned and interested them.  Mrs. Darby answered their questions or referred them to another business or agency if the question was beyond her knowledge base.

In general, teen parents and their children are statistically known to be at high risk for living in poverty.  It is hoped that by providing the students with the tools they need to be financially literate, they will avoid making poor financial choices in the future.

WTI Media Center is here to serve you!

The WTI Media Center’s hours of operation are as follows:

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

10:00 am to 11:15 am and 1:30 pm to 2:45 pm

Tuesdays

By Chance

Thursdays

7:45 am to 11:15 am and 11:45 am to 2:45 pm