financial aid to job outlook issues discussed
The Student Union Building hosted a College Information Night Oct. 13 with ten different workshops to choose from, along with free pizza and soft drinks.
Local colleges and various NIC programs were also on hand distributing free information.
Dean Bennett, director of student activities, said, “I guarantee your student will get as good an education as possible at NIC, and I’m not just saying that cause I’ve worked here 31 years.”
He was speaking for the Parent Survival Guide workshop and said that, although he has never raised any children of his own, he is asked to teach this course every year. His advice was simple.
“Start cutting the strings, then let them have their freedom,” he told the parents. “They learn to survive. That’s what it’s all about when they go to college. Students figure it out really fast.”
He suggested every new student fill out a scholarship fund upon entering college.
“It’s like a lotto ticket,” he said. “If you don’t buy it, you won’t get the money.”
He explained that getting the students to become more responsible is all a part of coming to college. It’s a national statistic, he said, that students who are involved in more than three activities are more apt to become part of a college family and, thus, stay and complete their courses.
“It’s becoming more and more important to having a college degree,” he said.
Alivia Body, regional economist who conducted the Idaho Department of Labor Job Outlook workshop spoke further on the topic.
“Sixty-one percent of jobs in Idaho will require a full secondary education by the year 2018.”
The job industry tells us where we’re at and where we’ve been; demographics tell us where we’re going,” she said. Right now, the most growth in this area in Kootenai County is over age 60, she explained.
“In order to stay competitive in the job field, you need to be a lifetime winner,” she said. “Explore and create new opportunities, and do your research.”
People always want that “pie in the sky” perfect job, she said, but often must settle for less in this struggling economy.
“There is opportunity here,” she said. “Employees all the time are looking to fill jobs. It’s just knowing your resources.”
She said the fastest growing industries right now are professional and technical, manufacturing and healthcare. Aerospace is up and coming and growing steadily fast, she added. She explained that they are prompting dislocated workers to go into the industrial fields.
Other workshops included Introduction to Financial Aid, Scholarship Search 101, How to Apply to Graduate School, How to Explore Career Options, College Success 101, Transfer 101: Getting a Good Start, Introduction to Idaho Career Information System (CIS) and All About Dual Credit.
For more information, contact idahogoes.org.
