|
Career Center 
The Career Center at Lake-Sumter Community College opened in 1997 and offers a number of FREE services not only to LSCC students, but also to members of the community. We hope you will feel free to use these services to help make career choices, to explore career options, to plan for meeting training or work experience requirements, to assist with financial arrangements for career training, and to locate job opportunities. Making Career Choices Deciding on a career is one of life's big decisions. We have a number of assessment tools that will assist the career explorer. We offer the Career Occupational Preference System (COPS), Myers-Briggs, and Choices. Results are explained and discussed with the individual, and resources for exploring career options are given. Through our library of career-related materials, Internet availability, and the assessments themselves, the career seeker can learn of requirements for potential careers. In making this important choice, he or she can learn about the training and experience qualifications, working conditions, salary ranges, related occupations, and future need for a particular profession. This exploration can narrow the list of possible career choices and help the individual make a decision. Training and Experience Requirements After a career is chosen, it's time to decide how to reach your goal. Our numerous school catalogs will assist the training bound individual. We would love to have everyone decide to come to Lake-Sumter Community College, but know we can't meet everyone's needs. So, we can help you find a school that will provide the needed training - from college to short courses! For the person who has chosen a career that requires no formal training but does require experience, we'll assist by helping them find an on-the-job training program or in locating a volunteer experience that can be considered applicable work experience. We'll also look at those summer and part-time jobs to determine transferable skills. Locating Financial Assistance We're well aware that many students need financial assistance to attend school. Here in the Career Center, we offer some direct possibilities. From data given to us by the career seekers, we can refer them to a Workforce Investment Act (WIA) representative who is in the Career Center on a routine basis or to our Women's Program Coordinator who is here full time. WIA (formerly JTPA) funds will pay for tuition, books, and some transportation and childcare for eligible students going to Lake-Sumter Community College and to other training programs such as Lake Technical Center and the Truck Driving Institute. Women's Program funds, available to men as well as to women, will assist with the tuition costs for eligible students who attend Lake-Sumter Community College. If students are not eligible for either program, then we will assist them in seeking other financial aid programs and scholarships. For the person who wants or needs to work while attending school, we have a number of local job listings that are updated weekly. If the training program is in another city, we will show the student how to locate jobs in other geographical areas by using the Internet. Sometimes an individual just needs a job for support while attending school. We will be happy to assist with the job search and referral. By using our job listings and Internet sites, you can locate a number of job choices. However, that is just the first step! The application, resume, and/or cover letter can determine whether or not the person gets an interview. Again, literature, books, and the Internet along with staff assistance can help prepare the paperwork and plan the interview. If you are or will soon be an LSCC graduate, the Job Placement Coordinator will help you seek a job in your particular field. It is important to us that our graduates be employed in good jobs in their fields. When our students succeed, everyone at LSCC succeeds too! Job Referral or Placement Job Referral and/or Placement is available for students who are looking for career work experience prior to graduation or a career position upon graduation from LSCC. Students seeking employment who are within 30 hours of graduation should make an appointment with the Job Placement Coordinator. Regularly updated lists of local job openings are posted on all three campuses as well as on the website. Federal and State job openings are also available for review. Assistance is provided in job search techniques, resum preparation, and interview skills both individually and in seminars. The Job Placement office is located in the Learning Center Building on the Leesburg Campus. Services are provided on a regularly scheduled basis at the South Lake and Sumter Campuses. For more information, please call (352) 323-3603 or call toll free from Sumter County, (352) 748-1959, ext. 3603. The First Step on the Road to a Career Choice To start the journey, please visit the Career Center soon. We're located on the LSCC campus in the Career Center, Room 109. Our telephone number is 323-3603. We are open to assist you on Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 4:30pm. To schedule an appointment in the evening or on our branch campuses in Clermont and Sumterville, please call (352) 323-3603. Summer hours (June 1 to August 15) may be subject to change. |
