Event: Career Development & the Working Poor

Posted on by DeniseMpls

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The purpose of the monthly RoundTables, sponsored by the Minnesota Career Development Association, is to discuss a selected career development topics to help us become better career practitioners. RoundTables also serve as a time to network with colleagues working in a variety of sectors related to employment, counseling and career services.  Note that you do not need to be a MCDA member to attend.  More about MCDA.

What: MCDA July RoundTable

When: Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Time: 6 – 7:30pm

Facilitator: Denise Felder

Where: University of Minnesota Law School, Room 471, 229 19th Ave South, Minneapolis MN 55455

Directions: www.law.umn.edu/contact/directions.html

Who: MCDA RoundTables are open to students and professionals working in career development.

Please RSVP to Liz Brenner at elizabethgrace1@gmail.com no later than Tuesday, July 13, 2010.  We will be serving food at our meeting, so please RSVP to ensure there is enough for everyone.  Also, if you have any food allergies or preferences, include that in your RSVP.

Topic: Career Development and the Working Poor

Workforce professionals often encourage clients to not only focus on immediate employment, but to make long-term career goals. Countless public and private initiatives promote career exploration for teens and adults, goal-setting, empowerment and career management. Yet the U.S. middle class is collapsing and the number of families experiencing poverty rose 22 percent in the past 10 years. In addition to the economic effect, low job satisfaction can be linked to increased stress, health concerns, depression, and other emotional and social issues.

This current economic downturn is only partially to blame. Even where there are a substantial number of living wage jobs available, large numbers of “underrepresented” people continue to experience chronic unemployment, precarious employment and low job satisfaction. Do workforce professionals need to develop new strategies for encouraging career development among the working poor — or should the entire concept be reevaluated?

Participants in this RoundTable will discuss:

  • Challenges facing Minnesota’s working poor
  • How common psychology and career development principles correlate with today’s job seekers
  • Best practices for engaging clients in their own career development

Resources to help facilitate discussion:

Please RSVP to Liz Brenner at elizabethgrace1@gmail.com no later than Tuesday, July 13, 2010.