The Career Center promotes effective career counseling and planning. The staff assists students with career options, provides career assessments, interpretations and guidance, and helps students develop career objectives and educational opportunities. The Center also provides a career reference library to assist with career exploration and job options. Approximately three years ago, the Career Center was revitalized. For years it was a "Career Equity Center" funded by grant monies. Thanks to funding from GAIN/CalWORKs and the Partnership for Excellence, additional staff was hired and enough supplies and materials provided to increase the scope of services to students.

Personnel - The Career Center has a full-time counselor, a part-time counselor and clerical assistance from two student workers at this time.

Equipment - At this time the program's copy machine requires a service contract. The office needs a fax machine and a color printer as well.

Facilities - The Career Center would be better located near the Transfer Center or Counseling Center. The space needs to accommodate walk-in students needing to use the Eureka System and the career reference library, and should include areas to serve group testing needs and to allow individual private sessions with a counselor.

Future Program

This program will be combined with the Student Employment Center, in which case staffing and other issues would be determined by the needs of the combined program at that time. It is expected that the size of the Career Center will increase at the same rate as the overall college enrollment in both the mid term (five years) and long term (ten years). As the labor market will continue to require employees with strong basic skills, the Career Center intends to serve more students who need help with assessment through the addition of more online assessment tools, such as the Myers-Briggs and COPS Battery. The Center will need to increase resources to meet the needs of a growing student population, and must remain up-to-date on new assessment materials in the marketplace to continue to offer quality services to students.

Personnel - See Projected Faculty and Staff Needs.

Equipment - Within five years the office's current computers, printers and copy machine will need to be replaced. Additional computers and printers to offer additional computerized assessment tools to students will be needed as well.

Facilities - A handicapped-accessible space large enough to accommodate the projected increase in student enrollment is needed for the Career Center. The office will require a reception area to greet students and sign them in, as well as a place for students to sit and wait. The work space will need to accommodate several computers, a library and an area for group testing and interpretations. Private offices for counselors and adequate space for clerical assistants are needed.

Staff Development - Department employees need customer service skills training, cross-training on all office machines and computer software, and instruction on dealing with difficult students.