Presentations and connections after pre-college programs
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EmailMaking presentations and connections after a pre-college program can build career skills.
After a pre-college program is over, there is hope that the students who attended the pre-college program are excited about the experience they gained. This is because participation in pre-college programs can provide direction for a student’s future in college and for their career. In addition, students will have had the opportunity to network with other student participants, college students serving as assistants or mentors, and college faculty and staff in different departments. Hopefully, the students will also be excited because they gained knowledge, learned new skills, and had fun during their participation in a pre-college program. Michigan State University Extension suggests that students can continue to build career skills by sharing this excitement about the pre-college program with others.
One way to share the experience is to set up an appointment with a school counselor, teacher or school administrator so that the student can tell them about the pre-college program they attended. Then, working with their school counselor or teacher, the student can set up a time to present their pre-college program experience to other students and hopefully get them interested about possible future participation. Consider taking this idea beyond the school and into other activities and groups students are involved in such as 4-H clubs and other community service organizations.
Students will build presentation skills by putting together and making the presentation to other students. Presentation skills are good skills to have that can assist youth in workforce. Presenting can also build skills in marketing and recruiting, as they make not only presentations but also tell their friends and peers about their pre-college programming experience.
Another way to build career skills is for a student to connect his/her network at the college with the school they attend and community groups in which they participate. Once a connection is made, a student can advocate for the pre-college program to make a visit and present the program to other students at the school and in the community groups. The goal of the connection is to promote the program to get other students involved and build a relationship that can become a pipeline for the pre-college program. This builds career skills in partnerships and collaborations.
Beyond these two experiences, the benefits of participating in a pre-college program can continue long after the program is over. Follow-up activities like service learning, job shadowing or getting involved in other type of activity can pay off positively for the student. Sharing the excitement can benefit not only the student building presentation skills, partnerships and collaborations, but also other students, the school, community groups and the pre-college program.
Michigan State University Extension and Michigan 4-H Youth Development help to prepare young people for successful futures. As a result of career exploration and workforce preparation activities, thousands of Michigan youth are better equipped to make important decisions about their professional future, ready to contribute to the workforce and able to take fiscal responsibility in their personal lives.
To learn about the positive impact of Michigan 4-H youth career preparation, money management and entrepreneurship programs, read the 2016 Impact Report: “Preparing Michigan Youth for Future Employment.”
