{"id":2408,"date":"2013-11-19T11:27:44","date_gmt":"2013-11-19T04:27:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theaccent.org\/?p=2408"},"modified":"2020-11-06T02:09:02","modified_gmt":"2020-11-05T19:09:02","slug":"free-skill-building-services-for-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/free-skill-building-services-for-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Free Skill-Building Services for Students"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Story and Photo by Devorah Feldman, Reporter<!--more--><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">ACC students now have free access to the LearningExpress Library and its companion Job &amp; Career Center database. The online education and career platforms can be found on ACC\u2019s Library Services website.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The programs allow students to hone their math and writing skills, search through job listings, and learn about the job interview process. They also provide practice exams for the GED, COMPASS, SAT, GMAT and other assessments.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI sometimes get asked about practice tests for things like the GED or college entrance exams,\u201d reference librarian Ann Mason of Cypress Creek and Round Rock campuses said. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cNow I can point students to LearningExpress.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Head librarian Sheila Henderson of Round Rock Campus believes \u00a0the program provides a flexible learning environment.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a wonderful program. I\u2019ve used it for years in the public library where I worked,\u201d Henderson said. \u201cThere are so many opportunities, and of course, it\u2019s self-paced. You get the pre-test and the post-test, so you can measure your progress.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 LearningExpress also offers help with job preparation, career advancement, and re-entry into the workforce. The Job &amp; Career Accelerator assists users in creating strong resumes, finding and applying for jobs, and developing workplace skills.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The database is provided through TexShare, a statewide resource-sharing consortium of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adrian Whatley, e-Resources Librarian at South Austin Campus, tracks usage statistics for the system and sees when new accounts are added.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI believe that the website&#8217;s usage will increase with student awareness and faculty recommendations,\u201d Whatley said. \u201cLearningExpress is unique among ACC Libraries&#8217; suite of databases in that it offers interactive digital practice tests.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Students who want to use LearningExpress will need to register online, but all services are free. Registration allows users to maintain a confidential home page showing test scores and progress, saved e-books and other selected content.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0ACC student Nancy Moreira learned about LearningExpress from librarian Sylvia Owens at Round Rock Campus. Moreira, who is contemplating a major in sonography or radiology, said that she is most interested in the system\u2019s career tools.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI want to learn more about job preparation and interview skills,\u201d she said. \u201cThis will be a great way to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Story and Photo by Devorah Feldman, Reporter<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4015,"featured_media":2479,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[206,369,377,572],"class_list":["post-2408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-devorah-feldman","tag-learning-express","tag-library","tag-student-services"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4015"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2408"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2408\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}