Pitt's Institute of Politics to Hold Career Literacy Workshop Oct. 22

PITTSBURGH—The Human Capital Policy Initiative (HCPI), a special project of the University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics, will present The Rules Have Changed-Play to Win: New Thinking on Career Success, at 9 a.m. Oct. 22 at Westmoreland County Community College in Youngwood, Pa. The workshop is for students and teachers who will take these career literacy updates back to their classrooms.

The free presentation will include a PowerPoint slideshow that provides middle and high school students with information regarding postsecondary education and career pathways in Southwestern Pennsylvania. It also will focus on actual incomes and jobs in the region and contrasts the postsecondary plans of recent graduates in the region with the educational requirements of Southwestern Pennsylvania employers. The students will be trained to deliver this information to their peers in their school districts as well as to parent and civic organizations in their communities.

"This is essentially a student leadership approach to informing students and their parents about the drastic changes in the economy and the implications of these changes on career planning," said Anne McCafferty, project director. "In order to make good decisions about education after high school, we all need to become familiar with the new opportunities that have emerged and where solid middle-class jobs are now found."

New Thinking on Career Success also will raise concerns about the number of students who do not realize that training and education after high school are essential to their economic well being and who often have the impression that if they do not go to college, there's not much else to do. According to McCafferty, many well-paying jobs and career paths are now centered around two years or less of education and training, but this reality remains unknown to many people.

The HCPI makes these career literacy presentations available at no cost to civic and community organizations, school boards, professional associations, and education organizations. Student training for Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Green, Indiana, Washington, and Westmoreland counties also is available for schools and districts that want to expand their career development activities and curricula.

For more information or to schedule a presentation, contact McCafferty at

412-624-7731, or visit www.hcpi.org.

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