NMI-OICC offers training on Choices® Planner

The Northern Mariana Islands Occupational Information Coordinating Committee and the Northern Marianas College Career Center is informing the public of its upcoming training sessions on Choices Planner, a new education and career planning services.

The tentative training dates and sites are:

Rota: Tuesday, Dec. 13, NMC Rota Campus, 7:30am-3:30pm

Saipan: Wednesday, Dec. 14, NMC Saipan Campus, Friday, Dec. 16, NMC Saipan Campus, 8am-4:30pm

Tinian: Thursday, Dec. 15, Tinian Jr. & Sr. High School, 8am-4:30pm

Each training session will begin at 7:30am or 8am and will last about six to seven hours, excluding an hour-long lunch break. Participants will be using Internet-connected computers for the training throughout the training durations.

The purpose of this training is to familiarize participants with the program and to train them on how to use and implement the program at their respective organization. Schoolteachers, counselors, and administrators, career advisors, employment services providers, and other interested individuals are urged to participate in the training.

The Choices Planner program is an Internet-based career information delivery system that provides useful tools and updated information on education and career planning for students, parents, schoolteachers and counselors. The user-friendly interface helps users satisfy four key career guidance needs: career matching, career exploration, postsecondary planning, and portfolio development. Parents and teachers, by getting involved and motivating a child to consider a wide variety of career options, can help them map out a solid career and educational plan that may lead to a successful future career.

Ann Parker Upchurch from the Bridge Transitions Co. will conduct the training sessions. She has years of experience on “professional development and evaluation to build systemic structures that result in higher academic achievement.”

For more information about Choices Planner, go to www.access.bridge.com and enter the site ID (0104952) and Password (Marianas). All junior high up to college students in the CNMI, their parents, and school staff are authorized.

For more information about the training, contact the NMIOICC office at (670) 234-1457 by phone, (670) 234-0759 by fax, with attention to NMIOICC, or by email to nmioicc@nmicareers.org.