Career & Placement Center Opens!

Today was a grand day for Vanessa Davis, Placement Director at TSTC Marshall! Her long awaited Career & Placement Center officially opened this afternoon with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by the TSTC Chancellor, Board of Regents, College Presidents, city/county dignitaries and our campus community. Ms. Davis, with a smile on her face, proclaimed, "This has been a long time coming!"

So what exactly is the Career & Placement Center?
The Center will be a resource for our students as they prepare to go out into the workplace and start their new careers. They'll learn skills like resume preparation, interviewing and career searching. Ms. Davis will also offer career counseling and will also serve as the bridge that connects our students to industry. Some of her future plans include starting a Placement discussion group for students looking for jobs. She's also working on an e-newsletter for industry to keep them up-to-date on what's happening at TSTC.

And why is this an important resource?
We know our students are NOT going to school JUST for the fun of it. The end goal is for them to get a job and be successful. Getting a good job, especially in today's economic uncertainy, requires more than just the technical skills they learn in the classroom. It requires knowing how to sell themselves - through their resume, e-portfolio, interview, etc. And it takes knowing where and how to search for a job. With these skills, along with their technical education, our students will be ready to make a good impression on potential employers when it comes time.
Job placement will also be paramount to the success of the new TSTC paradigm - shifting from being funding by the State based on contact hours to being funded based on success (student placement) and the value that TSTC adds to the Texas economy. So when we say, "your success is our success", we mean it literally! This new paradigm was recently approved for study by the Texas Legislature. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board will research the feasibility of a funding model based on returned value to be used in calculating formula funding for TSTC.

Another Service of the Career & Placement Center:
If you go to http://www.marshall.tstc.edu/ and click on "Employers Click Here" you'll see our online CSO (Career Service Office) that allows employers from across the State who are scouting technicians to post job openings and allows students throughout the TSTC System to view them. Students can upload their resumes for the employers to view and apply for jobs.

Where is the Center located?
The Career & Placement Center is located right inside the Visitor's Entry of the South Building in Room 248. For more information regarding placement or the services offered at the Career & Placement Center, contact Vanessa Davis at 903.923.3375 or e-mail her at vanessa.davis@marshall.tstc.edu.

Photos:
And finally, here are some photos from today's ribbon cutting ceremony taken by Multimedia student Alyssa Langford.