At the NHTI Innovation Lab, it’s a win-win!

Students and local industry partners will both benefit from the problem-based learning approach of the new Innovation Lab located in the Learning Commons. If you haven’t heard of this approach before don’t worry. In its basic form it is a method of teaching in which students learn about a subject through the experience of solving real-world problems. 

Problem-based learning provides students a chance to work with local business leaders outside of the traditional classroom, placing their feet into the job world that awaits them after graduation. In collaboration with company representatives, semester-long microprojects can be created that will allow students to solve real life business problems while developing life skills such as teamwork and communication.

Microprojects are varied and designed to match each company’s needs. Development opportunities exist in fields such as social media, marketing, information technology, engineering, LEAN production, mathematics, and animation.

The NHTI Innovation Lab is truly a win-win:

• Local industry benefits from the free labor of bright young minds – win!
• Students benefit by building a résumé that includes real world experience – win!

Contact us today for more information- nhtiinnovationlab@ccsnh.edu

Career Focus: Exploring Professions

Choosing a career can feel completely overwhelming. Will you like your job? How much education do you need? How do you know if there will be jobs available when you graduate? 

A first step is to learn more about different career fields and identify which industries are growing in New Hampshire. 

(Video from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Many people worry about getting a job after they graduate. What if there are no jobs available? It's helpful to review the data collected by New Hampshire Employment Security to determine whether or not a field is growing. 

NHTI has degree and certificate programs in many of the fastest growing fields. These are some of the careers listed by New Hampshire Employment Security as Top Career Prospects: 

• Dental Assistants
• Registered Nurses 
• Social and Human Service Assistants 
• Software Developers, Applications

You can find out more about these programs on our website. 

A second step is to research different careers and find a profession that matches your personality and skills. 

There are many free tools that allow you to take personality and skills assessments: 

• Career Coach has an assessment tool to find out which careers match your interests. The detailed assessment contains sixty questions and will provide you with a list of possible occupations. You can also use Career Coach to research occupations and NHTI programs. 
  
• Another helpful tool is the Skills Matcher on CareerOneStop.org. This tool uses forty key skills to rate your abilities and match you to the right career. After completing the assessment you will be given a list of possible careers including information about salary, outlook, and level of education. This tool is particularly helpful for people who have been in the workforce and want to explore a new career choice. 
  

The NHTI Library’s collection also contains eBooks that can help: 

• What’s Your Type of Career? by Donna Dunning*
• 50 Best Jobs for Your Personality by J.Michael Farr and Laurence Shatkin*

Lastly, it is important to learn as much as you can about a future career. Here are some ideas to get you started:  

• Explore The Occupational Outlook Handbook.  This website/book is an invaluable and comprehensive resource. 
• Browse the NHTI Library’s Career Resource Collection. It contains more than 100 up-to-date books about various careers and fields. 
• Meet with an advisor in the NHTI Advising Center to discuss career opportunities and NHTI programs. 

*Current NHTI student login required. 

On the joy of discovering that a new issue of your favorite eMagazine is available

By Sarah Hebert

IT’S HERE!!! Remember the joy of receiving a new magazine in the mail when you were a kid? That’s how I feel when I see a new issue of Backpacker in the Flipster app. I immediately click download on my iPad and then wait impatiently as it climbs from 1% to 55% to 100% (which doesn’t take long at all . . . but in the anticipation of reading the article “Our Favorite Forests” on p.78 it seems like forever).

I enjoy using the app to flip through Backpacker’s pages and look for new places to visit. This month I was most taken by the photo of the Wekiva River on pp. 14-15. I especially enjoyed the careful wording in this sentence, “Black bears, otters, alligators, and sandhill cranes frequent the river and its surrounding wetlands, while striped bass and loggerhead turtles glide beneath your SUP or kayak (p. 15).” But do the alligators glide beneath the SUPs? That might be too close for comfort.  

I like that there are often articles in Backpacker about nearby trails and mountains. Last year I was surprised to find that a feature article had been written about a hiker from my hometown—JR Stockwell. And even if you’re not a hiker, there are still helpful articles on camping, paddling, exercise, and gear. Everyone in New Hampshire can benefit from the information in “Beat the Bite” on p.52. (I had no idea that you could buy bug repellent that was 100% DEET.) 

The best part? You can download articles from Backpacker and other eMagazines FOR FREE through the Library’s subscription. I have the Flipster app on my iPad and phone so that I can read articles whenever I have a bit of free time. My favorite eMagazines are Real Simple, National Geographic, The Week, and, of course, Backpacker.

Remote Resources to Help You Recharge

Feeling stressed and anxious may be the new norm making it more important than ever to find ways to take care of our bodies and our minds. With gyms and playgrounds closed, you may want to check out some of the Library’s electronic resources which can be accessed with your EasyLogin users name and password. 

Flipster, the online magazine subscription database can be found on the scrollbar on the Library home page. It features a great selection of titles such as Backpacker and Mindful for when your mind is full. With sixty titles to choose from, there is something for everyone.

If you are looking for something for the entire family, the Films on Demand database offers almost 40,000 titles! From Yoga for Kids and Adolescents, a segment on Goat Yoga (if you happen to have a goat or two), or Silent Meditation Practice, this is a great database to explore!

We also have a selection of electronic books both in the Library catalog or a search of eBooks. Everything You Need to Know About Yoga: An Introduction for Teens  and Integrated Yoga are just two of the many titles from which to choose.