Academic and Career Advisor

Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission•Fresno, CA

About The Position

The Academic and Career Advisor (ACA) is the critical link between the Fresno County All Youth One System (AYOS), the Fresno County Educational System, vocational training, college programs, local employers and thee at risk/basic skills deficient youth it serves. Utilizing leadership, advocacy and collaboration, the ACA implements an intensive youth program that addresses academic, career, leadership and personal development. ACAs must be fully knowledgeable on all Workforce Investment Act (WIA) programs, be able to work successfully in a team environment to support and facilitate academic and job placement activities. Assist in the fulfillment of the Agency’s vision, “For Those We Serve,” by empowering individuals who thrive as healthy, self-sufficient and contributing members of our communities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Counseling, Education, Social Services, Youth Services, or closely related field required. Five (5) years additional related experience in youth activities, community, and/or vocational organizations/programs from which the position would benefit may substitute required education.
One (1) year of directly related work experience in a closely related field or occupation.
Knowledge of Fresno County educational institutions including alternative educational programs, vocational training programs, community, State and U.C. college systems and demographics of Fresno County as it relates to the development of youth needs
Knowledge of Fresno County demographics with specific understanding and awareness of job skill requirements and the ability to analyze labor market information as it relates to the development of older youth needs.
Makes logical and judicious decisions and provides workable solutions to problems; weighs alternative decisions and reduces outcome risks.
Strong interpersonal skills; communicates effectively with individuals from diverse economic backgrounds, as well as with all types and levels of academic staff and/or employers; ability to use collaborative approaches to build support for objectives; build positive relationships within and outside the agency; involves others and disseminates information; seeks solutions where all parties can contribute and benefit; recognizes and respects diverse ideas; encourages and supports others.
Goal and result orientation; ability to meet time commitments and follow through to task/job completion; strong work ethic and capacity for responsibility.
Working knowledge of WIA funding Statues, regulations, policies and procedures as prescribed by Federal, State, and local policies and directives and as they relate to the duties and responsibilities of the position.
Works Efficiently: Allocates one’s own time efficiently; handles multiple demands and completing priorities; efficiently processes paperwork; manages meetings effectively.
Speaks Effectively: Speaks clearly and expresses self well in groups and in one-to-one conversations.
Prepares Written Communication: Conveys information clearly and effectively through both formal and informal documents; reviews and edits written work constructively.
Builds Relationships: Relates to people in an open, friendly, accepting manner; shows sincere interest in others and their concerns; initiates and develops relationships with others as key priority.
Fosters Teamwork: Builds effective teams committed to organizational goals; fosters collaboration among team members and among teams; uses teams to address relevant issues.
Shows Work Commitment: Sets high standards of performance; pursues aggressive goals and works hard to achieve them.
Commitment to Quality: Emphasizes the need to deliver quality products and/or services; defines standards for quality and evaluates products, processes, and/or services against those standards; manages quality.
Demonstrates Adaptability: Handles day-to-day work challenges confidently; is willing and able to adjust to multiple demands, shifting priorities, ambiguity, and rapid change; shows resilience in the face of constraints, frustrations, or adversity, demonstrates flexibility.
Develops Oneself: Learns from experience; actively pursues learning and self-development; seeks feedback and welcomes unsolicited feedback; modifies behavior in light of feedback.
Analyzes Issues: Gathers relevant information systematically; considers a broad range of issues or factors; grasps complexities and perceives relationships among problems or issues; seeks input from others; uses accurate logic in analyses.
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret common scientific and technical journals, financial reports, and legal documents.
Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers, regulatory agencies, or members of the academic community.
Ability to write speeches and articles for publication that conform to prescribe style and format.
Ability to effectively present information to educators, public groups, and/or boards of directors.
Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.
Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.
Ability to work well with youth/teens and diverse population, and with contracted service providers and representatives of partnering agencies.
Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and related business software.
Effective presentation, written and verbal communication skills.
Willing to work non-traditional hours and days to meet the needs of this position.
Pass required background investigation including medical examination and TB clearance, acceptable criminal record statement, Department of Justice fingerprint clearance, and child abuse index clearance.
Maintain a valid California driver’s license, reliable transportation, adequate auto insurance as required by State law, and insurability by agency carrier for those driving agency vehicles.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual in English and Spanish or other secondary language preferred based on the needs of the clients and the program.

Responsibilities

Provide academic enrichment programs to AYOS youth.
Is accountable for youth performance and is the agent of change between the youth and programs administered under the WIA AYOS.
Utilizing diagnostic academic assessments and personal counseling results; facilitate the development of and Individual Academic Plan (IAP) tailored specifically to each youth.
Meet with youth on a regular basis for tutoring, strategizing, counseling, and academic planning and the development of dropout prevention strategies if necessary.
Work with out of school youth to develop an academic plan that focuses on the youth returning to high school or entering an alternative educational program and/or postsecondary training as appropriate.
Monitor the youth’s progress towards their stated academic goals and make adjustments as needed to facilitate the best possible outcome for each individual youth.
Collaborate and establish relationships and share records with school faculty and counselors in order to assist youth clients in obtaining their high school diploma and/or GED as appropriate.
Provide resources to assist youth regarding college majors, admission requirements, entrance exams, financial aid, trade, vocational or technical schools and apprenticeship programs based on their IAP and Career direction.
Provide an environment of career education and exploration to AYOS youth.
Evaluate the youth’s abilities, interests, talents and personality characteristics in order to develop realistic career goals. Accomplished through counseling sessions, the Personal Profile Report, the Academic and Career Portfolio, career interest profiles and work importance assessments.
Interpret career assessments, career ladders, academic assessments, and personal counseling results; works with client to discuss and create and Individual Career Plan based on realistic and achievable goals.
Monitor the youth’s progress towards their stated career and training goals and make adjustments as needed to facilitate the best possible outcome for each individual youth.
Help older youth develop job search skills, such as resume writing and interviewing techniques and place them on work experience and internships to help them develop work readiness skills.
Utilizing the local LMI demand occupation list, career ladders, personal profile reports, career interest and work importance profiles, conduct in-depth consultative interviews with the older youth.
Provide a thorough explanation to older youth of the Central California Work Readiness Certificate emphasizing the value of the credential in relation to a successful job placement.
Work as a team with the Business Account Specialist, the older youth and the employer to determine the best fit for employment opportunities
Provide leadership and personal development opportunities that encourage responsibility and other positive social behaviors.
Provide leadership activities by meeting with youth individually, in small groups, or in workshops to foster both community leadership and personal development.
Facilitate ongoing leadership activities that expose youth to local and state governments, the judicial system and community involvement activities.
Prepare Supportive Service Self-Certification with youth input so that all possible issues are addressed in the IAP/ICP and supportive services summary. Proactively manage supportive services by ongoing evaluation of continued supportive services need. Ensure collection of receipts for youth payments and notes on each receipt the complete name of client who received payment for inclusion in ancillary payment reimbursement requests. Manage the submission of accurate youth timesheets according the FRWIB procedures and payment calendar.
Ensure that only current approved processes and forms are used in submission of payment requests. Participate proactively to resolve any payment/documentation related issues.
Make formal or informal presentations to provide information relative to the services available to youth under the WIA AYOS.
Proactive outreach and ongoing communication with local employers to develop employment opportunities for older youth.
Manage Work Experience process and all associated forms and documentation.
Monitor and manage the ongoing progress and exit of the client according to established performance requirements.
Motivate youth for full youth participation in all scheduled programs.
Provide case management services to AYOS participants, including but not limited to: service plan development and implementation; data entry into-Train (common case management system); service referrals and tracking; job placement assistance; follow-up and retention services and maintain youth files.
Ensure that only the most current processes and forms utilized.
Expand own knowledge of WIOA funding statues, regulations, policies and procedures as prescribed by Federal, State, and local policies and directives and as they relate to the duties and responsibilities of the position
Participate in focus groups and strategizing teams as needed for continuous quality improvement.
Build collaborative relationships internally and with other agencies staff in order to avoid duplication of services and provide the most appropriate youth services.
Responsible for managing youth exits to maximize client flow and youth performance outcomes.
Travels for agency business using reliable transportation.
Maintains regular attendance and punctuality.
Works evenings and weekends as required.
Performs other duties as assigned.