PTC students now have two ways to boost their job chances

SEPTEMBER 25, 2019 | COLLEGE NEWS

One great aspect of being a Pinellas Technical College (PTC) student is that employers come to you! With access to Career Rocket, a web-based job board, students' skills, and accomplishments are placed in a cloud-based system accessible by employers.

"The push is for students to connect with employers," said Regina Caton, PTC Placement Coordinator. "We have 108 employers registered right now."

Career Rocket can be compared to Indeed or Monster.com, but the difference is that employers only see profiles from PTC students.  

Since the college formed the partnership with Career Rocket almost two years ago, employers such as the Tampa Bay Rays, the Florida Aquarium, hotels, automotive and HVAC shops, salons and so much more have signed on and scoured the site looking for employees.

"It's now beginning to take off because more employers are using it and becoming aware of it," said Caton, noting that she receives calls daily from businesses looking for work-ready students.

There's also a general employment section if you are looking for part-time work while completing your studies. 

If you have not created a profile on Career Rocket, click here. For businesses who are looking for skilled employees in their specific industry, email at catonr@pcsb.org.

As a placement coordinator, Caton's number one goal is to help find students employment; therefore, she recommends each student obtain a soft skills certification.

"It's starting to gain recognition in the workplace, and it looks really good on a resume."

Regina Caton, PTC Placement Coordinator 

Having a certification or degree is not enough in today's job market. A strong candidate must be able to get along with their co-workers, resolve conflict, and communicate both verbally and non-verbally.

"It's basically manners and common sense in the workplace," said Caton.

Although the certification is not mandatory, PTC is encouraging all students to complete the short course before graduating. Some instructors have already started incorporating the certification in their curriculum.

Caton is in the process of registering students from both campuses to take the four-part pre-assessment, which will take one to two hours, depending on your reading speed. Once the pre-assessment is complete, you are ready to take the test. That's it!

If an instructor has not yet incorporated the certification into their curriculum, Caton will help them get acquainted with the process so they can start setting aside classroom time for the course. The pre-assessment can also be completed from home.

The soft skills certification exam is timed at one hour and has 45 questions.