This Reality TV Is As Real As It Gets

Yes, another video web site is about to hit the Internet “airwaves.”  No, it won’t feature your buddies performing crazy stunts, someone droning on about their favorite political candidate, or clips of your Cousin Charlie’s summer vacation.  What it might do, however, is help you discover a new career and prepare you for that job that you’ve always wanted.

Beginning late summer/early fall the Inland Empire’s first “career-oriented” web site dedicated solely to preparing San Bernardino and Riverside County residents for careers in the I.E. will be launched.  CareerQuest TV (www.CareerQuest.TV), a collaborative effort of local government, education, and private industry partners, will introduce Inland Empire middle school, high school, and college students to career opportunities that exist right here in their own back yard.  Through a combination of video clips, current career data, and hyperlinked resources, CareerQuest TV will provide a comprehensive and appealing package of interactive information specifically designed to engage students — as well as those looking for new career 
paths — with potential long-term job prospects that exist locally.

Web site visitors “tuning in” to CareerQuest TV will be presented with career information in six different categories:  Business, Computers, Engineering, Education, Health Care, and Industrial.  Each category features three separate two- to three-minute video profiles (each profile is integrated within its own web page) where a spokesperson provides a brief overview of the career path that they have chosen, what they like about their occupation, and advice for viewers who may be interested in pursuing the same career.  Each video profile features a local individual who works for a company or organization that operates here in the Inland Empire.  Many of the people highlighted on the web site grew up in, were educated in, and currently reside in the I.E., as well.  

In addition to the primary video profiles, there are also a number of shorter video clips that relate directly to specific questions about the featured occupation.  Each video profile web page also provides text-based information such as a career matrix indicating the current demand for specific occupations (within the Inland Empire), a career description, salary information, education requirements, future outlook for the occupation, and employment-related resources and links.

The CareerQuest TV web site will also feature a “What’s New” page that will include current postings of Inland Empire area job fairs, career-related events, and other resources that may be beneficial to those looking to advance their career.  The web site’s Resources page will offer an extensive listing of local public and private educational institutions (as well as vocational schools), which are linked directly to the respective institutions for easy access to education and training information.

CareerQuest TV came about through the efforts of a work force development group known as the West End Work Force Opportunity Resource Collaborative (WE-WORC).  The group is comprised of representatives from the City of Rancho Cucamonga Redevelopment Agency, City of Ontario, County of San Bernardino, State of California Employment Development Department, Chaffey Community College, San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, Chaffey Joint Union High School District, and the Baldy View Regional Occupation Program.  WE-WORC is dedicated to helping reinforce, build, and create opportunities to strengthen the economic development and work force preparation in the region, and the CareerQuest TV project is just one of the efforts that have been undertaken by the group.

Originally proposed as the “Career Awareness/Promotion Concept” by a representative of the Rancho Cucamonga Redevelopment Agency, CareerQuest TV has been designed to encourage a stronger connection between students and companies in the Inland Empire.  The philosophy is based on the fact that that this "connection" can be realized through the introduction of career paths that directly relate to: 1.) The types of occupations that local companies provide; 2.) the demand for specific occupations within the Inland Empire (present and future); and 3.) the need to prepare a local work force to meet the requirements of companies and professional occupations that are continuing to be drawn to the Inland Empire. 

The primary focus of the original concept was to utilize two converging mediums (television and the Internet) to attract the attention of — and engage — students who may not be aware of the potential career opportunities that are available with local companies.  Another important element was figuring out how to get students excited about potential careers, and to communicate the importance of continuing their education (two-year, four-year, and vocational schools) to achieve their dreams.  By creating a web site that incorporates video elements and dynamic content, and by featuring real people, working in real careers, for real companies in the Inland Empire, it was anticipated that students would become more excited about, and be better able to relate to, the message that was being presented.  After some preliminary discussion, the WE-WORC group unanimously voted to move forward with the project, and CareerQuest TV 
was born.

Currently, the WE-WORC partners are preparing for an extensive rollout of CareerQuest TV, which will include presentations and communications directed at middle school and high school educators, career guidance counselors, students, and the general public.  Once the CareerQuest TV web site has been launched, additional career profiles will, most likely, be added to the initial offering of nearly two dozen.  Other features may also be added 
to the Career TV web site as
it evolves.

Preparing the Inland Empire's future work force to meet the employment needs of local companies is a fundamental pursuit for ensuring a strong local economy.  And connecting today’s students with “local” career paths that can provide long-term satisfaction and security is a key factor in retaining skilled, talented individuals who will contribute to the success and growth of the region for years to come.  CareerQuest TV is just one of the ways that work force developers are helping the next generation of workers to “tune in” to the exciting possibilities that exist in the Inland Empire .