THE VISION...

SuccessAHEAD!® is a program that teams experienced professionals with little or no technology skills with technology savvy students. The goal for the professional is to learn how to apply business skills and experience to a technology world and to use these new found technology-related skills to develop exciting new career possibilities. The goal for the students, our "younger kids" is to apply their technical knowledge to real-world projects and to learn more about the "real world" from "older kids", our experienced professionals. This is particularly important as workers continue to remain in the workforce creating "cross generational" work teams.

 

THE IDEA...

SuccessAHEAD!® stems from Fran Quittel's "Junior Ments" article which appeared in June 1998 in Computer Currents in her High Tech Careers column. Here, Quittel explored the exciting possibilities of cross-pollinating younger and older workers, to complement and capitalize on the strengths of each. The resulting program, SuccessAHEAD!® is a cross-mentoring program which pairs experienced workers whether working full time, retired, or in career transition, who possess business ideas and content with student and other high technology "younger kids" (YK's) mentors who have the latest technology experience but lack the in-depth content and business acumen which the "older kids" possess.

 

THE PLAN...

This cross mentoring program is exciting because it complements the strengths of each group while filling in the gaps each group needs to be more successful in the years ahead. "Younger" kids become technology teachers for experienced "older" kids who are eager to express their business acumen in today's technological terms and have fun while reshaping their lives in new, exciting ways. "Older kids" become business mentors to young people just getting out of school who want to know how the world of business works and what they need to do to get their first jobs. Career assessment tools - using work and volunteer activities, building an online resume, tips on online communication and research, plus plenty of interaction building community are all hallmarks of this fun, content-rich, life enhancing program.