Nearly 400 Omaha Public School eighth-grade students at Bryan Middle School recently attended a Career Clusters workshop to learn how to research occupations through Careerlink.com. Organized by the school's guidance department, teaching staff and assisted by Careerlink.com's parent organization, the AIM Institute, Bryan Middle students used these sessions to prepare for high school class registration.

"We want our students to get ready for high school, post-secondary opportunities and beyond. The Career Clusters activity guides students through career activities to formulate and identify realistic career goals and lays a foundation for knowledge about future workforce outlooks," said Mildred Lemon, guidance counselor at Bryan Middle.

While using Careerlink.com's career resources, students:

• Took a simple career assessment to help them zero in on careers of most interest to them.
• Learned about the career clusters into which their career choices fit.
• Learned about the job-growth potential, salary and educational requirements for their career choices.
• Linked to Careerlink.com job postings pertaining to their career choices to view actual jobs and gain a better understanding of employers' expectations of skills and education levels.

The sessions were organized by Bryan's guidance counselors to help the students see the relationship between career preparation and high school coursework. Career Clusters presenters were Marie Hiykel, AIM TRiO Talent Search grant manager, and Audrey Black, AIM TRiO Talent Search site coordinator at Bryan Middle.

AIM has made this opportunity possible through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. AIM provides the grant management, program management, technology and support. The AIM Institute partners not only with Bryan Middle School in Omaha but also Wilson Junior High School in Council Bluffs to help students prepare for success in both high school and college.

For more information, please contact:

Marie Hiykel
AIM Educational Grants Manager
(402) 345-5025 ext. 136
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