eLearning - December 2008/January 2009 - (Page 13) Learners Need Guidance, According to Survey Guidance counselors play an increasingly important role in determining the future course of high school students at a time when student needs and college pursuits are growing, according to a survey recently conducted by Grand Canyon University (GCU). The survey found that the majority of a guidance counselor’s day is spent giving advice on scholarships, financial aid and admission requirements for college and tracking test scores, grades and credits. “Although self-conducted research is popular among prospective students, clearly they also seek the help of guidance counselors to help them reach their goals — so it’s an important group for us to monitor to see what kind of influence they have,” says Christel Mosby, senior vice president of marketing at Grand Canyon University. The 28-question survey also determined that 54 percent of respondents indicated that parents are not involved enough in their child’s education, and 9 percent are too involved and/or overbearing. For more information visit www.gcu.edu. New Jobs, Better Training in Louisiana Louisiana Economic Development (LED) is creating the Louisiana FastStart program, a turnkey workforce solution modeled after Georgia Quick Start (www.georgiaquickstart.org) that will provide customized employee recruitment, screening and training for new and expanding companies in Louisiana. The program is a major element of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s workforce development reform plan adopted in the recent legislative session. “One of the top concerns of the vast majority of our business development prospects is workforce availability and quality. With Louisiana FastStart, we are directly addressing one of the top needs of not only our recruitment prospects but our expanding companies as well,” says Gov. Jindal. LED recruited one of the top corporate training experts in the country, Jeff Lynn, to serve as executive director of the new program. Louisiana FastStart initially will complete several pilot projects before going into full production in late 2009. Eventually, the program will be made available to any manufacturing or researchand-development facility that commits to create at least 15 new jobs, or any service-related operation (e.g., headquarters, inbound call center) that commits to create at least 50 new jobs. FastStart will be provided at no cost to eligible employers. Important Events ASTD Techknowledge 2009 - Rio All Suite Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nev., Jan. 27-30. Info: http://tk09.astd.org/ New Learning Technologies - Ramada Orlando Celebration Hotel, Feb 18-20. Info: www.salt.org Impact 2009 - Renaissance Vinoy Resort & Golf Club, St. Petersburg, Fla., April 14-16, 2009. Info: http://impact2009.bersin.com/ Elearning! December 2008/January 2009 13 http://www.georgiaquickstart.org http://www.gcu.edu http://tk09.astd.org/ http://www.salt.org http://impact2009.bersin.com/
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