-Ashley Thompson-
Pensacola Junior College’s Student Job Services (SJS) offers students an opportunity to explore and prepare for life outside of college. Any person who is currently enrolled or has ever attended PJC can use the services offered to find a job.
SJS offers assistance building a resume and posting a resume online for potential employers to view.
The website, pjc.edu/sjs, offers a lot of resources to students, ranging from a listing of current openings around the area as a job search handbook offering advice to job-seekers.
Whether a student has been laid off and needs another part-time job or is a freshman and wants to further explore their chosen field or just needs help choosing a field of study, SJS offers a wealth of information. In addition, to helping place students into part-time or full-time positions, one service offered is Cooperative Education, or Co-Op.
Cooperative Education is a program available for most fields of study that gives a student on the job training in an internship-like setting. Co-op is a paid work experience that earns credit towards a student’s degree.
In order to participate in Co-Op, a student must be enrolled for a minimum of six semester hours, must maintain a GPA of 2.5 or higher, must meet with a coordinator for an orientation session and must have completed at least 12 semester hours.
The Cooperative Education program differs from the other job services offered because it is a structured, more specified partnership between student and employer.
A former student, James Rachels, is now working as an electronic technician at Eglin Airforce Base. Rachels began working for Eglin as an intern in PJC’s Co-Op program and now has been offered a position.
“The [Co-Op] program has been great for me, I would never have gotten this job without being in the program,” said Rachels.
Gil Bixel, the director of Student Job Services says that the best advice he has to offer those who are looking for a job, is to start early.
“I like to see students when they first start out and at the end of their first year,” said Bixel. “Working with a new student and being able to watch them mature and be more confident and also leave with a job in hand.”
Bixel estimates a 15 percent increase in job inquiries from students this school year.
It has also become more difficult to recruit potential employers, especially for the recent job fair held at PJC, this means more job seekers competing for fewer jobs.
Pending board approval, SJS hopes to join with Career Connection to make an even more accessible and larger database for students to excel. To contact SJS, call 484-1654 or stop by room 510 in building five.