| Students in high school, technical institutes, and
colleges invariably ask: "I really enjoy studying "X" -
What kind of job will it prepare me for?" or "What can I
do with this major?" The FOCUS system is designed to answer this
question. The system designers recognized that students, as well as
workers in career transition are expected to make critical decisions
about their education and training based on limited experience. The
FOCUS system was designed to provide the client with valid and reliable
information about education and training programs, and the occupations
and jobs to which the programs can lead. |
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The Model: |
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| The model used for associating study programs to
occupations is drawn from the published works and data provided by
the U.S. Department of Labor. The FOCUS occupational and educational
information is updated using the ongoing stream of data provided by
the U.S. Department of Labor, and the publications of professional
organizations such as The National Association of Colleges and Employers.
Information is also acquired from placement statistics provided by
participating institutions. |
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| The design of the interactive dialogue that enables
client to identify education and training programs of interest and
to then search for and analyze the linking occupations is based on
consultations with Professors Donald E. Super and Roger A. Myers formerly
of Columbia University Teachers College, and Professor David Tiedeman,
then of Harvard University. The results of their consultations were
first utilized in the IBM Education and Career Exploration System
(ECES), and the IBM Employee Development Planning System (EDPS). An
enhanced version of the interactive dialogue between the client and
the computer was incorporated into the FOCUS system to accommodate
our changing technology and to maximize user friendliness. |
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| The Information Tables |
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| More than 800 education and training programs are
classified into 28 general categories. The client can choose any one
of the 28 categories of interest and then progressively refine her/his
preferences and choice of specific study and training programs contained
within a general category. The client starts out by indicating her/his
thoughts about the level of education sought or aspired to, ranging
from high school to graduate or professional school. After that, the
client picks any two specific programs of interest within a general
category. The client is then presented with a list of occupations
typically entered by persons with the chosen education and training.
This process can be repeated as required by the client to help them
refine their goals. |
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| Career Analysis |
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| Occupations are drawn from the database containing
more than 1500 careers. The individual will be given the opportunity
to explore any occupation in depth - engage in an interactive career
analysis - and will have the opportunity to create a "basket of occupations"
that will integrate with the other five core assessments modules in
Focus.
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| Quick Facts: |
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| Age Range |
14 and above |
| Reading Level |
6th Grade |
| Completion Time |
4 to 6 minutes plus 3-5 minutes per occupation |
| Reports |
client and counselor |
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Assessments:
Education and Training