On February 2, Chris Smith, Director of Employer Relations, presented “Career Counseling and Placement: Clearing the Air” at the North Carolina Counseling Association Conference in Raleigh, NC.
The goal of the program was to help career counselors understand the context that leads administrators and deans to focus on placement. By understanding the context and the underlying goals such as accreditation and higher college rankings, career counselors can position their services in such a way that they can meet the developmental needs of their students, while still preparing them to take advantage of placement opportunities. A model was presented, showing that for students to acquire desirable internships and jobs, they must first develop the career exploration and management skills taught by career counselors.