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New and Emerging Professionals- My Recap

This August marks my conclusion as part of the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP) New and Emerging Professionals Initiative (NEP). Last August, I became one of the inaugural 10 young professionals in the United States to be part of this initiative.  For those that are not familiar, the New and Emerging Professionals is a program of NAWDP for workforce development professionals age 35 and younger that are seeking to grow their leadership skills and contribute to the future of workforce development.
Since the deadline is looming close for the next group to apply, I wanted to write about my experience as a NEP member and tell those interested a little bit about my experience. For my readers out there wondering if this blog post was solicited by NAWDP, it was not. I am blogging on my own free will!
 
If you look at the NAWDP website for information on the New and Emerging Professionals, https://www.nawdp.org/Content/NavigationMenu/About/NewandEmergingProfessionals/default.htm, you will find that the words “leadership,” “collaboration,” and “networking” are used. This is completely true.
 
First, let me tell you about me. I am a workforce development professional that entered my 10th year in the industry this year. I entered the profession young and fresh and have spent my 10 years on the front line of adult job seeking services. I decided to apply last July because I was seeking more than my day to day. I was seeking to utilize my talents and skills while participating on the national level.  Although, I loved my work in the trenches, I was looking for a way to develop and grow my own career.  Every day on the front line of workforce development, professionals worry about the careers of others, but this was an opportunity to grow my own career.  
 
After completing the application process and being accepted into the program, I found myself somehow connected to nine other individuals from across the country. I did not know any of the other NEP members before this program. Our experiences and roles in workforce development varied. Some were front line professionals and some were in management. Some professionals worked with adults others with youth or specialized populations. Each brought something different to the table, both by experiential differences and by the regional differences from across the country.   Over the year, the NEP learned more about each other through conference calls, social media, participating in webinars, and especially meeting in person at the NAWDP annual conference.  We assisted each other with questions and information as each one of us made our way through the program. In the end, we learned that the greatest strength was in the group working together towards growing NAWDP and the industry of workforce development.
 
All of us completed a Capstone Project as part of the initiative. The projects were as diverse as the group of people in the cohort. Some of the topics of the Capstone Project were social media, virtual learning, workforce development topics, business service, ex-offenders, the homeless, and youth. My project, Career Paths in Workforce Development, examined the positions in workforce development and determined what skills, knowledge, experience, and education was needed for different positions in workforce development with the goal of mapping the career path.  This project I chose challenged me to be creative to find solutions to problems, network with other professionals, and engage in critical thinking as I analyzed language. For more information on the projects of the 2014-2015 NEP group, stay tuned to the NAWDP website.
 
 
Here I am at the tail end of my NEP year.  To summarize this year:
  • I learned that leadership comes from taking opportunity to engage in behaviors that bring a group together, offering assistance to others, and solve problems. Leadership is also about thinking critically about issues, posing thought provoking questions, and developing solutions to problems. 
  • I found that the power in collaboration is intense and sometimes it takes more than one person to get a job done. Whether it be the amount of strength needed to push that boulder up the hill or it is the talents of different people to complete a project, collaboration is always a best practice.
  • Networking is the key to your future. It gets you out of your bubble and changes perspective. It allows you to find inspiration in another person, learn about key issues, and find the information you need. This may help you with a current project, find your next position, or learn about opportunities where you can make an impact in the future.
 
 
I now find myself more engaged with NAWDP and see my participation in a national organization differently. I am ready for new challenges and opportunities, but the question out there for anyone else that is thinking about applying for the NEP is “ARE YOU READY?”
 
If anyone out there is interested in the NAWDP New and Emerging Professionals Initiative, you should contact the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals at http://www.nawdp.org/.  The next deadline is July 31, 2015. If anyone in reader land would like to hear more about my experience, some of the activities of the New and Emerging Professionals, or more about my project, please feel free to contact me. You may reach me by email at kcirincione@gmail.com. You can also leave a comment below. Thank you for reading. ~ Karen Cirincione

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