Senior Newsletter 2007

October 2007

 

 

What are you going to do after high school???

 

There are many educational options after high school.  Your choice should be based upon your career goals, abilities, interests, and the amount of schooling desired.  Education and/or training are never completed.  It will be necessary to update your skills and knowledge continually throughout your life.  Consider all of the following options:

 

GO DIRECTLY TO WORK

 

If you have decided to work full time immediately after high school, you will need to:

ü      Find out what kinds of jobs are available

ü      Develop job-finding and job-keeping skills

ü      Contact the Virginia Employment Commission online at www.vec.state.va.us or by phone at 804-786-1485.  The addresses of local offices are online

ü      Make use of the many other online job listings

ü      Consider the opportunities for advancement available through the positions you are considering

ü      Consider entrepreneurship or self employment opportunities

ü      Consider an internship to gain work experience

 

ATTEND A PROFESSIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL OR PROGRAM

 

v     York County Public Schools offer continued training after high school through New Horizons Regional Educational Center.  Visit www.nhgs.tec.va.us for more information. 

v     Community Colleges offer specialized courses of study where a student can earn a certificate in one year or less in an intensive training program.  Visit www.tncc.edu for additional information.

v     Specialized schools offer career-specific programs of study.  A typical program can vary in length from three months to two years.  Programs may include, but are not limited to: information technology, culinary arts, automotive, cosmetology and health fields.

 

 

ENLIST IN THE MILITARY

Opportunities for enlistment in the military are plentiful.  The five services offer hundreds of schools and thousands of courses of instruction.  This training and the experience that follows, gives the military veteran a real advantage in the civilian world.  The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) given free of charge at Grafton High School or through a military recruiter can offer some insights into future military compatibility. 

 

Sign up in the guidance office if you wish to take the ASVAB!

(ASVAB date will be announced)

 

Military Benefits:

     *Career Training     * Education     * Income      * Service to your country

 

Each service sets its own enlistment qualifications.  Local recruiters may be contacted for more information or visit these websites for information regarding program opportunities and qualifications:

 

     ARMY: www.army.mil                              MARINE CORP: www.mc.mil

    NAVY: www.navy.mil                                 COAST GUARD: www.uscg.mil

    AIR FORCE: www.af.mil                          NATIONAL GUARD: www.ngb.dtic.mil

 

BECOME AN APPRENTICE

 

An Apprenticeship is an employer’s training program.  It is a time-honored program combining on-the-job (OTJ) training with classroom instruction.  The result is a skilled craftsperson.  Upon completion of both OTJ and the related instruction, the student becomes a registered apprentice.  Registered apprentices completing a full program receive a State Apprentice Certificate.  This certificate is nationally recognized.

 

Some examples of fields which offer apprenticeship programs are carpentry, cosmetology, electricity, optical, plumbing and surveying. 

 

To participate in an apprenticeship, an individual must:

 

  • Be at least 16 years old
  • Train for an average of three or more years
  • Complete the instruction component through adult education, or community college.

 

Steps to Becoming a Registered Apprentice

  1. Step 1: Identify the occupation that is right for you.  All prospective apprentices should start by identifying the trade or craft they wish to learn. There are many ways to learn about occupations. One way is to do the Virginia VIEW Occupational Search that matches an individual's personal preferences in work situations to occupations. Career counselors and helping professionals in high schools, vocational centers, community colleges, and public service agencies such as the Virginia Employment Commission know about Virginia VIEW (see the back cover of this newsletter to take this test). A person who wants to become an apprentice can discuss the requirements of a particular trade with their local Virginia Employment Commission Office.
  2. Step 2: Identify an employer who will sponsor your apprenticeship.  A sponsor, also known as a business, must be identified as to who will provide on-the-job training for the apprenticeship program to be conducted. If a prospective apprentice knows of a business establishment that is willing to hire him/her in the trade or craft he/she wishes to learn, the prospective apprentice should contact an Apprenticeship Representative at the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry (see address and phone number below). The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry Representative will assist the prospective apprentice in asking the business to establish an Apprenticeship Training Program.

    If the prospective apprentice has decided on a particular trade or craft but does not know of a business that would be willing to be a sponsor, the Workforce Information Coordinators in their local Employment Commission Office can be contacted to help identify possible sponsors.
  3. Step 3: Contact the apprenticeship representative from the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry.  The apprenticeship representative from the Department of Labor and Industry will meet with the prospective apprentice and sponsor, usually at the sponsor's business establishment. At the meeting the training program will be outlined and discussed. The length of time an individual will be required to serve on-the-job and to attend related instruction will also be discussed. An apprentice action form that formalizes the apprenticeship agreement is signed by the sponsor and the apprentice. This is not a contract, but rather an agreement as to the time frame and terms of the apprenticeship.

 

 

  1. Step 4: Work, learn and earn during your apprenticeship.  At the completion of an apprenticeship training program, the apprenticeship representative from the Department of Labor and Industry will have the sponsor and the Related Instruction Coordinator sign a certification indicating the apprentice has completed the required training. In approximately one month from the completion date, the apprentice will receive a Certification of Completion of Apprenticeship Training issued by the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry.

    New Horizons currently offers numerous specific programs of Apprentice Related Studies. Training of apprentices in our service area is monitored by the Related Instruction Coordinator.

    VA Department of Labor & Industry
    Apprenticeship Training Division
    P.O. Box 10123
    400 N 8th Street, Suite 404
    Richmond, VA 23240
    804-771-2488
    (Administers program in Mathews, Middlesex, Gloucester, James City, and Williamsburg)

    Department of Labor & Industry
    Commonwealth of Virginia
    Interstate Corporate Center, Building 6
    6363 Center Drive, Suite 101
    Norfolk VA 23502-4102
    757-455-0891 Ext. 126
    (Administers program in Hampton, Newport News, York County, and Poquoson)

 

 

 

ATTEND A COLLEGE

 

Students choose to apply to college for many reasons.  Some of the more important reasons include an intellectual curiosity and a career goal that requires a two-or-four-year college degree.  Besides helping you to attain a particular competence and an associate’s (two-year) degree or a bachelor’s (four-year) degree, college can assist you in developing the ability to think independently and to become aware of the complexity of the modern world.  Prior to beginning the college selection and application process it is important to determine your academic strengths/challenges and personal characteristics and needs.

 

Plan to attend the College Fair on

Tuesday October 31st

5:30 – 7:30

Hampton Roads Convocation Center

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Links to Career Resources

For additional career resources, visit the following websites:

Internship Resources
Internship Programs www.internshipprograms.com
Rising Star Internships www.rsinternships.com
The INROADS Internship www.inroads.org

Volunteering Resources
America's Promise www.americaspromise.org
Volunteer Match www.volunteermatch.org
Idealist.org www.idealist.org

Other Resources
America's Job Bank www.ajb.org
AmeriCorps www.americorps.org
ASVAB Career Exploration Program www.asvabprogram.com
Military Careers www.careersinthemilitary.com

 

 

Scheduled College Visits to GHS:

To meet with as admission’s representative, sign up in the college visit notebook located in the guidance office

 

September 28: Randolph Macon College

October 2: University of Virginia

October 4: Hampden-Sydney College

October 10: Bridgewater College

October 11: George Mason University

October 16: Roanoke College

October 16: East Carolina University

October 20: Virginia Polytechnic and State University

October 27: University of Mary Washington

November 1: High Point University (NC)

November 3: James Madison University

November 27: Virginia Wesleyan University


Get a career studies certificate at community college.

In less than a year you can be an:


 


Arborist $20-50,000

 Network technician $18-44,000

Emergency medical technician

 $15-35,000

Pharmacy technician $16-33,000

Veterinary assistant $20-40,000

Welder $22-44,000

Computer service technician $22-55,000

Fiscal technician $18-42,000

Health information technician

$18-42,000

Massage therapist $13-65,000


 


 

Want a new career in less than 2 years?

Prepare for one of these jobs with a community college career studies or certificate program.


 


Administrative assistant $24-56,000

Arborist $20-50,000

Auto body technician $16-75,000

Automotive service technician $18-56,000

AV technician $20-60,000

Architectural drafter $22-54,000

Baker $13-32,000

Bank teller $15-30,000

Bank customer service

Biotechnology $20-45,000

Bookkeeper or fiscal technician $20-45,000

Building & facility maintenance tech $20-50,000

Carpenter $20-45,000

Child care worker $12-23,000

Computer graphics $30-70,000

Computer service technician $22-55,000

Cook $13-30,000

Corrections officer $22-40,000

Customer service representative

 $17-43,000

Dental assistant $20-38,000

Dental lab technician $18-59,000

Dialysis technician $20-46,000

Diesel mechanic $23-50,000

Drafter $30-70,000

Electrician $25-55,000

Electronics technician $25-75,000

Electronic security systems technician $23-49,000

Emergency medical technician $14-36,000

Esthetician $12-57,000

Firefighter $24-47,000

Fitness instructor $14-56,000

Florist $13-30,000

Forensic technician $28-68,000

Forestry technician $30-66,000

Gardener $14,000-29,000

Groundskeeper $14,000-29,000

Glazier $18-46,000

Guest services representative $12-23,000

Hair stylist $12-42,000

Health information technician $18-42,000

Hotel managers $18-60,000

Heating & air conditioning technician $23-56,000

Instrumentation & process control technician $30-75,000

Interior decorator $21-80,000

Interpreter for the deaf $18-74,000

Legal secretary $21-53,000

Licensed practical nurse $23-44,000

Machinery maintenance mechanic $20-50,000

Machinist $20-48,000

Massage therapist $14-68,000

Medical administrative specialist $20-40,000

Medical transcriptionist $20-42,000

Metrology technician

Mining technician

Music recording engineer $18-70,000

Nursery & horticultural worker

Nursing aide $16-28,000

Office clerk $16-38,000

Optometric technician $20-40,000

Pilot $26-92,000

Pharmacy technician $18-33,000

Photographer $16-40,000

Phlebotomist $20-30,000

Plumbers & pipe fitter $22-55,000

Production worker $22-57,000

Purchasing agent $26-100,000

Real estate agent $18-75,000

Receptionist $15-30,000

Recreation worker $15-42,000

Retail buyer $22-82,000

Retail manager $20-55,000

Secretary $24-45,000

Security guard $15-35,000

Surgical technologist $24-46,000

Surveying assistant $20-45,000

Telemarketers or other call-center agent $14-40,000

Tool & die maker $26-58,000

Tour guide $12-30,000

Travel agent $16-43,000

Truck driver $20-46,000

Veterinary assistant $13-26,000

Water treatment plant operator $22-50,000

Welder $22-45,000

Word processor $16-44,000