SCHOOL‐TO‐WORK PLANNING: CAREER GUIDANCE AND DEVELOPMENT FUNCTIONS AT WYOMING COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Abstract

Student affairs professionals at 7 Wyoming community colleges and at 3 outreach campuses were interviewed regarding the career guidance and development functions at their institutions. This inventory was performed for the Wyoming School‐to‐Work Management Team to be used in the development of the state's school‐to‐work plan. Based on a taxonomy of increasing quantity of services, 2 of the campuses provide Level I career center services, 4 maintain Level II services, and 4 provide Level III services. Interviewees suggest closer examination and change in the areas of resources, career guidance and development services, collaboration with the business community, promotion of services, and collaboration with secondary schools. Specifically, the Wyoming School‐to‐Work Management Team might assist the community colleges to improve their career guidance and development services by (a) providing colleges with Wyoming labor market projections by county; (b) coordinating cooperative education programs statewide using established operational definitions for terms, such as cooperative education, internship, and practicum; (c) providing training to improve the effectiveness of business advisory committees; (d) instituting community‐wide promotion of community college career guidance and development services; and (e) improving articulation between career counseling in secondary schools and community colleges.