Just Browsing: KTC Students Create Presentations on the Various Job search Agencies in Grand Rapids, MI and Summarize Information for Presentations

This week at KTC, the classes are looking at agencies who help companies of various industries in Grand Rapids, MI, find workers for open positions.  The students are to create a Google slide presentation with this information and present it to their classmates.  I opted to do this project because it informs the students about other agencies in the communities along with Michigan Works! that help people find jobs, but also puts the learning in their hands while also getting them to practice their presentation skills for their job interviews.

The students were given a rubric that explained what they were looking for, how the slides should look, and what they would be graded upon when presenting.



The students are being told how they would search for these agencies using Google Chrome and shown where to find the information.  The were also shown how to take large amounts of information and break it down into smaller amounts that are easier to handle using an online text compactor.  This site lets you copy information from a page of text or website, paste it into place, and decrease the word amount to as little as 20% of the original text.


The students are in complete awe that there are agencies that exist to help companies find workers like them and that there are so many of them in Grand Rapids and nation-wide.  The students will continue to work on this presentation next week and prepare for their Rapid Bus training as well.  They will most likely present the first week of the final quarter.

Preparing for the Real World: KTC Auto, Retail, and Facilities Maintenance Students Determine their References and Look at Job Postings

Today at KTC, we are having the students add references to their resume.  We have given them our rubric to tell them what would get them the highest grade but also told them that having all the information for their reference and from a great reference is what could get them their "dream" job.

I even showed them my list of references and prefaced it with telling them that I aimed to leave a great impression on the people I had worked with at every job so that they would have no problem being a reference for me.  This brought up a great discussion that many students their age don't realize; they realized that if they don't behave well for their limited pool of possible references (teachers, mentors, counselors, etc), that this does not help them in obtaining those references because references like reciprocity, a.k.a "The Golden Rule."

After added at least 3 references and all of their information so they could be contacted and so that the person is aware of how you met them, we moved onto looking at a job posting.  We looked at a job posting in an automotive setting and looked through it for hourly pay rate, job title, qualifications, and duties and responsibilities.  We talked through the job posting trying to help them understand what the company was looking for but also referenced what their math teacher, Anya VanElderen, referenced in her workplace math lessons about pay, deductions, and tax rate.

At KTC, we want our students to be aware of what they will encounter when they go into the world and being prepared and knowing how to read through a job posting is one of the most important pieces of information we can give them.

At KTC, we prepare students to be able to chose a career they want, learn about it, and do it.