The NCDW 2011 Campaign is On!

The year ahead promises to be a very exciting one for everyone involved in the 2011 NCDW Campaign. Read on to find out more about how you can get involved today!

NEW - Resources Hub on the NCDW Website

Late last year we advised you that the NCDW website would be undergoing a navigation refresh for 2011 to make it easier for you to locate and use the vast number of resources. We can now reveal the exciting news that our refreshed website has become the home of a unique new career “Resources Hub”. There are new resources to help Australians to get started with their career planning, including more links on the Must-Have Career Resources and special new Government Career Development Resources and an Industry Skills Council links pages, new Career Factsheets and more. We encourage you to take a new look at the simpler to use website – check out the Resources Hub and the Event Organisers section.

Remember that if your website links to any NCDW resources you’ll need to update the links from your website to specific pages on the NCDW website and that these resources have been developed for you to use – so download them and use them at your events.

NEW - NCDW Video Resource Helps Career Decision Making

We’re delighted to announce that following the huge success of the 2010 The NCDW Video Series – The High Five Messages of Career Development, in another Australian first, the team at NCDW has produced four new video resources to help make career decisions easier. This exciting new video series, called The NCDW Video Series – Career Development puts the YOU in your career, includes “School – what’s the point?”, “Making smart subject and course choices”, “Parents as career coaches”, and “Your career – make it happen!” Each video may be used as an independent resource or in conjunction with any or all of the other videos.

Presenters of the 2010 videos and NCDW ambassadors, Angela Bishop (entertainment reporter) and Mark Furze (actor/musician) are this time joined by new ambassador David Wirrpanda (professional football player/ founder of the David Wirrpanda Foundation) to deliver the videos’ highly relevant career planning information in a cool, upbeat and motivational style. The videos also include closed captions for the hearing impaired. From March 2011 all event organisers will receive a DVD including the videos as part of their 2011 Event Kit when they register their event. The videos will also be available on the AusCareerWeek YouTube channel.

NCDW on Facebook

One in four people on the internet have an account with Facebook which means in a population of over 22 million there would be roughly 5 million Australians on Facebook. Most teenagers are on Facebook and use it daily as a communication tool.

The AusCareerWeek Facebook is closely monitored by the NCDW Team and updated regularly with information, photos and links. It is designed to help students understand how career development assists them to develop knowledge, skills and attitudes which inform their decisions about school and post-school education, employment and training options.

How Do You Get Involved in the NCDW Campaign?

National Career Development Week 2011 invites all organisers of events with a career-related theme to register your events on our database at www.ncdw.com.au . Remember that whilst our celebration week will this year take place from 16 to 22 May 2011, you can register events being held at any time in the months ahead. We had over 900 events registered during 2010 and, from the feedback we’ve received, 2011 already promises to be even bigger and better. To get registered it’s as easy as completing the Events Registration Form on our website. Once registered, you’ll be able to use all the resources on the website to assist you to run a successful career development activity.

Survey on Career Needs of Young People

Urbis (one of the consultants on the DEEWR National Career Development Strategy Review) need career practitioners to complete an online survey for Element 2 of the Review - the career needs and wants of young people from the ages of 5 -24, their parents, career practitioners, teachers and employers.

All career practitioners who complete the survey will have the chance to win a $500 prize.

The survey will explore views on:

• Young peoples’ preparedness for work
• The type or work done by career practitioners
• Major gaps in young peoples’ skills and their readiness for work, as well as ways in which these gaps can be addressed
• Who plays a role in supporting the career development needs of young people.

The link to the Survey will be located on the NCDW Home Page in "Latest News" as soon as it is available.

Join the NCDW Community

Forward this newsletter to your colleagues, stakeholders, students, clients, family and friends. The NCDW website with online resources is an interactive, regularly updated, and ongoing valuable source of career development information. We also encourage you to check out the AusCareerWeek page on Facebook, take a look at our AusCareerWeek YouTube Channel and to follow NCDW on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Career_talking for your career tip of the day.