The FourBlock Career Readiness Instructor is the lead, front-line team member and direct service instructor for the FourBlock Veteran Career Readiness Program. The Career Readiness Instructor will work directly with the FourBlock Regional Director, Career Readiness Coaches, and local employer partners to effectively deliver the FourBlock Veteran Career Readiness Program curriculum to a cohort of transitioning service members and veterans seeking new careers. Career Readiness Instructors are, in many ways, similar to an adjunct professor at a local college or university.
The mission of FourBlock is to support transitioning service members and veterans with finding their new purpose and reaching their career potential. The goal of our Veteran Career Readiness Program is to help transitioning service members and veterans build professional relationships and develop critical career management skills. This program is a semester-long course where we introduce a cohort of transitioning service members and veterans to a different organization every week to learn about various companies, industries and corporate cultures; understand and practice the technical competencies of a career search; and, most importantly, expand their networks by gaining access to and building relationships with veterans and veteran allies who work at these companies.
The core experience that we provide is when we bring together a course participant with an employer so that they may have a conversation about career opportunities, learn from one another, and begin to build a professional relationship. The purpose of each FourBlock session is to facilitate this type of conversation for every student and employer in attendance. The purpose of our curriculum is to prepare each participant for this moment and subsequent relationship-building conversations. After the course is finished, we stay connected with our students to ensure they have the tools and resources they need to begin a meaningful civilian career. We then encourage them to be active members of our community and to come back to the program to teach, mentor, and employ the next cohort of veterans.
Specific Responsibilities:
- Ensure students meet all program deliverables and learning objectives as outlined in the course syllabus; track student progress.
- Communicate regularly with Career Readiness Coaches to ensure students are receiving quality individual feedback on course curriculum deliverables. Work with students in need of additional individual support as identified by coaches.
- In collaboration with the Regional Director, provide planning and final class coordination for each session. This includes, but is not limited to: finalize a lesson plan and associated class presentation; communicate with the employer host to ensure all expectations and responsibilities are understood in accordance with the delivery of the week’s lesson plan; encourage coaches to participate in weekly session.
- Lead each weekly class, in-person (or virtually when necessary)*, to deliver and expand on the course curriculum, supervise employer participation, and provide instructional feedback to students.
- Take and submit attendance weekly and engage regularly with all students on the FourBlock Connect platform for a blended experience.
- Communicate with Regional Directors after each class to debrief lessons learned, identify students needing additional support, and conduct future class planning.
- Support our program alumni’s continued participation and attendance in classes.
Desired Experience and Attributes:
- A minimum three years of civilian work experience
- Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree preferred
- Exceptional writing and presentation skills
- Teaching or corporate training experience preferred
Commitment:
- One school year (two semesters – typically fall and spring)
- 5-7 hours per week for three months over the course of a semester. This includes a two-hour class (+networking time) each week for 8 to 12 weeks, plus lesson plan preparatory work, logistics coordination, program supervision, and time spent providing all students with quality feedback.
- Career Readiness Instructors are expected to take time prior to the course start date to familiarize themselves with course materials.
Measures of Success:
- Student surveys. After every class each student in attendance receives a survey by email to assess the value of the session as it pertains to the student’s transition and whether the student was able to make a professional connection with an employer at the class. Students also receive an end of course survey via emailed to gauge the quality of their overall program experience.
- Employer surveys. Host company representatives receive a survey to measure their experience with FourBlock students and the FourBlock team.
- Class attendance and the satisfactory completion of course deliverables.
- Employment follow-up. FourBlock staff will follow-up with each student to ensure they are on the path to beginning a new and meaningful career in the industry or company of their choosing.
Compensation:
- Compensation is based on average adjunct professor pay for a three-credit course.
To inquire about being a Veteran Career Readiness Instructor for FourBlock, please reach out to the appropriate regional director:
Gary Guzman | Virtual Programs | gguzman@fourblock.org
Angenetta Lambert | Central | alambert@fourblock.org
Roger Roley | Southeast | rroley@fourblock.org
Marina Rabinek | West | mrabinek@fourblock.org