Virtual speaker series helps students explore career paths

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – Junior Achievement of Wisconsin has launched a virtual Career Speaker Series to help students learn about the industries and jobs available in Wisconsin.  Over 4,900 students across the state have been registered to access a free online video library where Wisconsin business people share their career stories, the education and skills required for success, and unique facts about the jobs available in their company.  

The goal of the virtual JA Career Speaker Series is to 1) provide students with a broadened career knowledge and 2) provide teachers with a free online resource that is easy to assign and easy to assess. With a selection of videos for each of the 16 career clusters established by the U.S. Department of Education, JA Career Speaker Series targets 7^th through 12^th graders. 

“As we work with companies to recruit JA volunteers around the state, we often hear that students don’t always know about jobs and careers that are available in Wisconsin,” said Michael Frohna, President of Junior Achievement of Wisconsin.  “The JA Career Speaker Series provides a way for students to hear first-hand from professionals about why they chose the career they have, what a typical workday looks like, and what students should focus on now to be successful in this career,” added Frohna.

Teachers can choose between two delivery models.  Students can be assigned to watch pre-recorded videos from the JA Career Speaker video library.  A second option is for a Career Speaker to join a classroom of students via zoom, Google Meet or whatever video conference tool the school uses. This option allows students the opportunity to ask questions directly of the expert.   

The videos feature professionals who talk frankly about their career path, emphasizing that it is OK to change your mind, that you can learn new skills from every job opportunity, and that it is important to have a passion for the work you do.  But the program is more than teens watching career videos. Students complete assignments that require them to reflect on what interested them about the speaker’s organization. Students are also required to complete online research of the speaker’s organization and career.  Using that information, students create one of four documents – a transcript of an interview from someone in the same career; a recruitment brochure for the speaker’s organization, an analysis of two of the careers they researched; or a narrative of what they think it would be like to work in the speaker’s career.

Sponsors of the 2020-21 JA Career Speaker Series include Kohl’s; American Family Insurance; BMO Harris Bank; Baird; HSA Bank, a division of Webster Bank; Manpower Group; WE Energies; Deloitte; Festival Foods; Froedtert; Johnson Controls; MGIC; Reinhart, Boerner, Van Duren S.C, Rockwell Automation; RSM; and WaterStone Bank.  

To register for the JA Career Speaker Series or to learn how to submit a career video, contact [email protected]. To become a sponsor or learn how to submit a JA Career Speaker Series video, contact Melissa Songco at [email protected].