Workshops help employees make most of campus career opportunities
Staff can learn to take advantage of campus resources

By D. Lyn Hunter, Public Affairs

29 NOV 2000 | Staff looking to explore career opportunities on campus are invited to participate in a new, year-long workshop series, sponsored by the Office of Human Resources's Employee Development and Training unit.

Employees may attend any or all of the monthly two-hour workshops starting in December and running through Nov. 2001.

"Career development not only improves the pool of talent for the university, but also motivates staff, helping them to learn new things and engage their curiosity," said Pat Lavelle, manager of Employee Development and Training. "The Berkeley campus is a rich, diverse and textured community that is on the move and full of opportunities. By attending these workshops, staff will get a clearer sense of their career goals and ways to pursue them within the university community."

The series kicks off Thursday, Dec. 7 with a talk by Eunice Azzani, a well-known Bay Area career development expert who serves on the board of Lifeprint, formerly Alumnae Resources.

Her discussion will focus on career development, what's happening in the Bay Area and national workforce, what skills will be needed in tomorrow's workplace, and how to prepare for the challenges of the future.

This and all subsequent workshops run from 11:30 to 1:30 p.m. in 370 Dwinelle Hall. Participants may bring their own lunches. Visit http://hrweb.Berkeley.edu/ice/ home/ to enroll.

Future workshops - there are 11 in all - will cover such topics as assessing skills and abilities, informational interviewing and creating a personal career development plan.

Participants can also attend workshops on understanding Berkeley's work environment, exploring career opportunities on campus, or paths to career success, presented by a panel of long-time campus employees.

Subject matter will be presented by career professionals both on and off campus, including representatives from the University Health Service's Career Counseling Center and the Career Center.

This new workshop series is one of several efforts to improve campus recruitment and retention, one of the chancellor's top priorities in his recently announced work-force initiatives.

"Career development is a partnership between the individual and the institution," said Lavelle. "It is the university's job to provide the tools and the resources to enable staff to explore career options. It is the individual's responsibility to take advantage of these resources and act on opportunities."

The workshops also are a way for staff who feel isolated within their own jobs to learn about different areas of campus and to network with people from other departments and units, said Lavelle.

Those who attend the workshops should emerge with "a sense of renewal, a clearer idea of career options and resources available, and an increase of energy and purpose," she said.

Visit the Human Resources Web site at http://hrweb.Berkeley.edu/ PROGRAMS/carseries.htm for a complete listing of workshops and career development resources. To register for classes from this site, click the "ICE online system" link.