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Kuder^® Systems Support College & Career Readiness Initiative

When President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into effect on Feb. 17, 2009, significant emphasis was placed on sustaining and improving the nation’s education system. This investment in education comes at a time when a high school diploma simply isn’t enough to secure a job due to global and technological demands. To establish a career, students need to graduate high school with the college and career readiness to pursue additional training and/or educational opportunities.

As part of the Act’s education initiative, states are encouraged to “make progress toward college and career-ready standards and rigorous assessments that will improve both teaching and learning." Kuder^® Navigator helps middle and high school students make progress toward these standards by:

• Taking research-based assessments to increase their self-awareness.
• Building an education plan.
• Exploring various options after high school.
• Promoting parental support and involvement.

College Readiness
To prepare students for college, educators must help students increase their skill sets as well as their knowledge of potential careers and occupations. Many states are now requiring students to create four-year education plans as a way to help guide them in their career direction. Navigator includes the following tools and resources to help educators and students achieve these goals:

• The system’s Education Planner allows students to create four-, six-, or eight-year education plans that align with their interests, skills, and favored occupations. Within the Education Planner, administrators can upload course offerings for students to choose from and guide them in creating a plan that best fits their needs. Students may develop as many plans as desired, store education plans to their portfolio, and send education plans to their parent(s) or counselor for review and approval.
• Students can take assessments that will help narrow their college major choices based on their interests, skills, and work values. Aligned with the O*NET career database and the States’ 16 Career Clusters, detailed information is available about each career cluster and pathway.

Career Readiness
Students need more than a diploma to be equipped to locate education and training opportunities. To help prepare students for the education they need to enter a career field, they must understand the process of preparing for postsecondary training, identifying programs of study related to their top career clusters of interest, and finding financial aid or scholarships so they can pursue such education. To help users prepare to enter the world of work, the system offers a variety of tools and resources:

• Specific job search tools including a résumé builder; a tool to upload documents such as certificates, work samples, or other materials to save to a portfolio; a tool to write cover letters, which includes sample letters to guide the user through the process; a tool where the user may collect personal references; a sample job application that may be printed so the user can have the information needed readily available; and an extensive tool to prepare and enhance interviewing skills. Students may also review their interviewing skills using a number of options.

Career Progress
Once students graduate from high school, their ability to progress in their career path and make changes or adjustments doesn’t end. Kuder^® Journey is an effective solution to help postsecondary students and adults plan for a career, make career changes, and keep their careers on track.

According to Dr. Jo-Ann Harris-Bowlsbey, Kuder’s senior director of development, “The combination of the extensive content of Navigator and Journey and the lifelong electronic portfolio provides the tools individuals need to manage their educational and career opportunities across the life span.”

Journey is also the answer to improved workforce preparation for today’s jobs and support for economic development. As workforce boards across America work to reverse our nation’s unemployment rate and lead adults into satisfying and lasting careers, they are turning to Journey as the tool for connecting adults with these training, education, and career opportunities.

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