Short-term training is quick and flexible, meaning you don’t have time to plan out or invest in a multi-year academic program to start reaching your career goals. That said, even programs with the quickest turnaround require a little bit a planning to ensure the training fits into your goals and overall life plan.
Getting a clear sense of your goals and objectives are an important part of the conversation FastForward trainees will have with their Career Coach.
“We discuss career and educational goals early, which often lays a framework for broader career planning,” Brooke Shehan, FastForward Career Coach at Dabney S. Lancaster, said. “Students will share their end goal with me, so we discuss their options and I provide tools and resources that can assist in getting them there with as much assistance as possible.
Another role the coaches play is helping students get the right mindset around their training and what it means for their future job.
“I talk to the students about the importance of soft skills and treating their training like a job,” Melissa Marcus, coach at VWCC, said. “I explain to students that they are held to a high standard so they are better prepared for the workplace upon completion of their coursework.”
While our coaches are there to help students get enrolled in the best FastForward training for them, they’re also there to help you manage your time and to get you back into the groove in a classroom setting. Some coaches even go as far as facilitating hands-on workshops to ensure you have the right tools for today, and tomorrow, when it comes to your workforce training.
“Students at TCC are offered the opportunity to attend the FastForward Workshop, where we review resume and cover letter writing, as well as interviewing techniques and job search strategies,” Alejandra Diaz-Rangel said. Diaz-Rangel created this workshop for students going through FastForward at Tidewater Community College as a way to prepare students for the workforce once they’re done with their training.
To learn more about FastForward training where you live, reach out to you local coach to ask those questions.