Career Experts Abby Kohut and Don Philabaum Get Behind University of Phoenix Approach to Helping Close America's Skills Gap

New Phoenix Career Services enhancements continue University of Phoenix's commitment to its students and alumni by helping prepare them to pursue their career goals

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University of Phoenix

Jan 29, 2013, 07:00 ET

PHOENIX, Jan. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- University of Phoenix® has brought career services into the 21^st century with Phoenix Career Services^SM, a comprehensive suite of services, tools and resources aimed at closing the skills gap in the American workforce. Career experts Abby Kohut and Don Philabaum will assist the University in explaining this revolutionary approach in an effort to provide information to Americans about the education and skills they need to find the job that fits them best and advance their careers. Unemployment continues to be a huge problem in the U.S. and while many Americans want to get back into the workforce, take their careers to the next level or start a new career, some simply do not have the skills, competencies or education required to fill the more than three million available jobs in America today.

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Abby Kohut, a human resources executive, recruiter and author of Absolutely Abby's 101 Job Search Secrets, has built her career around helping people get hired and succeed in their jobs. "There are jobs available in just about every industry and market across the U.S., but not everyone is on the same playing field when it comes to being qualified to fill those positions. That is where education comes into play," said Kohut. "An effective career plan starts even before a student has taken their first college course. University of Phoenix is leading the way in preparing their students for today's competitive job market by providing educational programs and career resources to their students every step of the way. With the right curriculum and career services, students can develop the skills employers are looking for throughout their academic journey."

Through Phoenix Career Services, University of Phoenix has worked with its large network of corporate and industry association relationships to develop a strategy that aims to close the skills gap. Phoenix Career Services, which includes innovative career interest and job market research tools as well as one-on-one interaction with advisors, helps prospective and current students make informed decisions regarding the degree program they choose by surveying their interests first and cross referencing them with job openings and employment activity in their specific geographic area.

"University of Phoenix is working to create a cultural repositioning, shifting the conversation to the natural link between a 'quality education' and 'a fulfilling and challenging career.' We want to show students the connection between their education and a meaningful career in a way that opens their eyes to possibilities they've never imagined," said Dr. Bill Pepicello, president of University of Phoenix. "One key innovation is expanding the career exploration and planning process to include the pre-enrollment phase, the student's academic journey and post-graduation. Phoenix Career Services helps students explore their career aspirations in the pre-enrollment process, then helps them create a personalized career plan upon enrollment to assist them developing, through their academic journey, the skills and competencies required to pursue their desired career."

Education to careers expert Don Philabaum, author of The Unemployed Grad and What Parents Can Do About It, added, "One of the biggest challenges prospective students and students face today is identifying the career and degree that fits their interests, skills and passions. Phoenix Career Services helps students by emphasizing career exploration prior to enrollment. Students who have a better idea regarding what career they want may focus more on completing their education and developing the skills needed by today's employers. "

University of Phoenix is committed to serving the best interests of its students and alumni; recent enhancements to Phoenix Career Services include:

Career Interest Profiler: Allows potential and existing students to identify their professional interests and related careers to better focus their career search.
Job Market Research Tool: Provides potential and existing students with current and recent job and labor market information, to understand the demand and salary information for their best-fit career. Labor market information helps students make informed choices about their career path by learning about the current local hiring demand, typical salary ranges and in-demand employers.
My Career Plan: A personalized roadmap that enhances how the University engages with students by enabling students to create a detailed plan for their academic journey. This plan includes a student's educational path with the University, to help the student understand how their coursework can prepare them to pursue their desired career, and inform them about what leading employers are seeking in their workforce.
Career Preparation Tools: Resume and cover letter development as well as interview preparation services are available to students and alumni. Also, students can learn from a collection of content and videos to help prepare for a career change or advancement opportunity.
Career Opportunities: A dynamic online source is available where students and alumni can access a wide variety of current career opportunities – from entry level to executive management – with leading companies across the U.S. Also, students and alumni may access PhoenixConnect®, an academic social network, and connect with a vast network to build connections and explore career opportunities.
Career Events: The University hosts career events for students and alumni across the U.S. for them to learn about existing career opportunities and engage with employers.
Career Coaches: Career coaching is planned for future release and will be available to students and alumni with a need for more specialized assistance with their education and career journey.

In addition, University of Phoenix understands that a successful student experience must not only be about their academic commitment, but also their financial commitment. While the University aligns students' professional aspirations with higher education, it also offers students the opportunity to have personal financial plans of how they are going to pay for their entire degree program, not just for a course or semester. The University's Financial Plan Tool is a new self-service tool designed to help prospective students estimate tuition and fees for their entire degree program and build a personal plan for how they will pay for it. The tool displays the estimated monthly payment for any loans built into the plan, so that the student understands the implications of his or her borrowing prior to enrolling. The Financial Plan Tool also has been integrated into the early part of the University's first-year course sequence in order for students to build their personal financial plan as part of the curriculum. Creating individualized financial plans before applying to the University allows students to be fully aware of their potential future financial commitments and make more informed decisions as to whether attending University of Phoenix is the right choice.

To learn more about Phoenix Career Services, visit www.phoenix.edu/careerservices, and for more information about University of Phoenix's efforts to help close the skills gap in the American workforce, visit www.phoenix.edu.

About University of Phoenix

University of Phoenix is constantly innovating to help students balance education and life in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, challenging courses and interactive learning can help students pursue personal and career aspirations without putting their lives on hold. As the flagship university of Apollo Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: APOL), University of Phoenix serves a diverse student population, offering associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs from campuses and learning centers across the U.S. as well as online throughout the world. For more information, visit http://www.phoenix.edu.

SOURCE University of Phoenix