Arizona Community Colleges To Implement Career Planning System
A consortium of Arizona community colleges is deploying a Web-based career planning system to help students with planning for careers and future education.
Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) has selected Kuder. The Adel, Iowa-based company is developing the Maricopa Career Planning System, which will consist of Kuder Navigator, Kuder Journey, Kuder Administrative Database Management System, Kuder Link 2 College, and Kuder Connect 2 Business.
Kuder Navigator helps students evaluate their interests, recommends choices for education and careers, readies students for job hunting, and helps them with finding jobs. It keeps a record of community college achievements, and allows students to search for graduate schools and apprenticeships. Kuder Navigator also includes the Take Hold of Your Future curriculum, which helps students to decide what career to select.
Kuder Journey lets students create portfolios online and complete assessments. It also provides access for administrators to the Kuder Administrative Database Management System. The system allows college staffers to track student progress and look at work force patterns. The system helps colleges with reporting for grants and other types of funding, and provides tools for colleges to communicate with parents and students about upcoming events and scholarships.
Kuder Link 2 College, through its Kuder Career Planning System, provides the online platform for students to contact colleges to continue their education. It lets students find additional information about college degree programs, housing, financial aid, and admissions requirements. Kuder Link 2 College also provides the tools for students to schedule college visits and request college applications.
Kuder Connect 2 Business links businesses and students looking for a job, and provides students with a list of employers in their region with information about which ones offer internships, job shadowing, and more.
"Maricopa Community Colleges is excited to utilize the new Maricopa Career Planning System tool to increase student success and enhance service our colleges and skill centers deliver," said Randy Kimmens, director of workforce development for Maricopa Community Colleges. "Kuder was selected after a 21st Century Maricopa Coordinated Career Services team conducted extensive research nationally and gathered information regarding the types of career planning tools and technology that are available. The system will structure the opportunity for Maricopa Community Colleges to provide students with the support to make decisions about their careers and further their education."
Maricopa Community Colleges include a pair of skill centers, education centers, and 10 colleges in the Phoenix, AZ, area. The colleges are Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Chandler; Estrella Mountain Community College in Avondale; GateWay Community College in Phoenix; Glendale Community College in Glendale; Mesa Community College in Mesa; Paradise Valley Community College, Phoenix Community College, and South Mountain Community College in Phoenix; Rio Salado Community College in Tempe; and Scottsdale Community College in Scottsdale. The district enrolls approximately 170,000 students.
For more information, visit kuder.com.
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Tim Sohn is a 10-year veteran of the news business, having served in capacities from reporter to editor-in-chief of a variety of publications including Web sites, daily and weekly newspapers, consumer and trade magazines, and wire services. He can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @editortim.