Career and Life Skills
Students completing a secondary program of study, particularly those who have had to overcome challenges to their educational success, can benefit from continuing their studies at the postsecondary level even if they are unsure of their career direction. The Career and Life Skills certificate is designed to improve employability through college-level coursework that includes life-long learning skills, digital literacy, and career exploration, as well as essential workplace skills through experiential learning opportunities. The certificate, using an individualized, person-centered planning approach, provides the flexibility to tailor the program of study based on the student’s needs and interests. This allows the student to explore one or more introductory technical courses as a part of the certificate while developing the social skills and the general workforce readiness critical to entry-level employment and success.
All CLS students will have at least one mentor. Mentors may be CTP program affiliated staff in the Counseling Center, Pre-Employment Transition Services staff, TRiO staff, Experiential Learning Center Success Coaches, community partners serving students with intellectual disabilities, faculty members teaching the classes in which the student is enrolled, students majoring in education/social work/psychology—and peers, including, but not limited to, those in the student’s program of study and/or second-year CLS students. In addition to coursework and mentorship, students will engage in co-curricular and extracurricular events on- and off-campus to enrich and enhance the student’s learning experience and further develop their social skills.