California Partnership Academies 18th Annual Convention to Feature ''No Soft Skills? No Job!'' Workshop by The Job Journey.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Interactive Program to Help Educators of At-Risk Students Explore and Build Soft Skills Essential to Successful Job Interviews and Continued Employment

The Job Journey educational consultants will present an interactive workshop titled "No Soft Skills? No Job!" at the California Department of Education's California Partnership Academies (CPA) 18th Annual Convention February 28 at the San Francisco Hyatt Regency.

"We're excited to bring The Job Journey program back to CPA," says Human Resources Executive, Work-Life Coach, and Founder of The Job Journey Barbara Dwyer, who will co-present the workshop with International Educational Consultant Adair Mathers-Gasparian, and Vice President of Operations and Educational Consultant Erin Dwyer. "The Job Journey program started in Fairfield High School Partnership Academy, where I taught it for six years, " says Dwyer. "The Job Journey team applauds the CPA's mission of bringing schools and businesses together to provide integrated academic and career instruction to high school students. It is a perfect fit with our mission to turn young adults into young professionals."

The CPA model is a three-year program offered as a school-within-a-school to grades ten through twelve. The academy incorporates academic and career technical education, business partnerships, mentoring, and internships. There are currently 286 funded CPA programs throughout California.

Designed to help educators better prepare their students for entering the job market, The Job Journey workshop includes exercises that explore and build essential "soft skills," such as communication, team work, critical thinking, decision making, and problem solving. "Our approach comes from decades of experience in human resources and first-hand experience in what employers are looking for in a job interview," says Dwyer, who founded The Job Journey six years ago. The participants to date have included at-risk young adults, teen-agers in the foster care system, gang members, as well as other young people looking for their first jobs. Among the results that these students have achieved are becoming employed, setting career goals, finishing high school, and deciding to continue their education at the college level.

A human resources executive for 25 years, Dwyer developed The Job Journey after observing that most young applicants fail to pass the application process because they are unable to communicate and negotiate effectively when interviewing for entry-level positions.

The Job Journey (www.thejobjourney.org) is a Sacramento, California-based organization that helps prepare students who are entering the job market for the first time or re-entering the job market. The intense and highly interactive career preparation program is offered as a turnkey solution for schools and youth service programs, or as an independent-study package of DVDs with accompanying study materials. The Job Journey is produced by a uniquely qualified and highly motivated team of human relations, communications, and education professionals with a diverse and comprehensive skill set and a passion for their audience.

The California Partnership Academy (http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/hs/cpagen.asp) is a three-year program, grades 10-12, structured as a school-within-a-school. There are currently 286 funded programs throughout California. Academies incorporate many features of the high school reform movement that include creating a close family-like atmosphere, integrating academic and career technical education, and establishing viable business partnerships. Emphasis is also placed on student achievement and positive postsecondary outcomes. Academies have been carefully evaluated and shown to have positive impacts on school performance.