##Career Exploration Day App
###What is Bridges Career Academies and Workplace Connection? Bridges is a non-profit that "bridges the gap" between highschools, colleges, their students and the businesses in the Brainerd Lakes Area. The main goal is to educate and inform the students on career opportunities that are available in the community, as well as, across the country. High school students are spending outrageous amounts of money going on a whim in hopes that the career they've heard about is the right one for them.
###Okay, so what is "Career Exploration Day"? Career Exploration Day is their capstone even that happens once a year in March. 2500 students from across the Brainerd Lakes Area converge onto the Central Lakes College campus in Brainerd, MN for a 1-day event of career exploration. The students are free once at the college to learn and explore on their own.
This may sound like a career "fair" where businesses pile in behind tables or booths and hand out flyers to get employees, but it's waaaaay different. The day is filled with tons of literal hands-on experiences in each "Cluster" with employers manning their areas. They serve as ambassadors for their crafts and their careers and not for their business. It's all about the kids and all about the career opportunties that pass by most students.
A "Cluster" is what each business is broken down into (which are color coordinated. The 7 Clusters are:
- Orange - Construction & Trades, Marine & Small Engines, Automotive & Heavy Equipment, Welding, Manufacturing, Engineering & Aviation
- Blue - Public Safety
- Yellow - Hospitality & Recreation, Business & Finance
- Green - Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources
- Purple - Communication, Art & Design, Computers & IT
- Black - Liberal Arts
- Red - Health Sciences
###What does the App fix? Every year Bridges spends thousands of dollars on printing of career data gathered by MN DEED and Bureau of Labor, business data, maps, logistical data(bus schedule for arrival/departure)and the giveaways. The data is then hand-stuffed into plastic bags and given to the kids as they enter the college. Over the course of the day this information and bags find their way onto the floors, in the garbages or lost somewhere. The information is not making it out of the college with the students which causes a drop in the career education that could help them later down the road.
The goal of the app is to automate every part of that.