Hancock College launching new app linking students with job opportunities

SANTA MARIA, Calif. -- Allan Hancock College is launching a brand new app that aims to link its students with local job opportunities.

The Jobspeaker app will be free and provide both students and employers the ability to search for potential matches based on specific skills.

According to Associate Superintendent Nohemy Ornelas, the college has been conducting research on the app for over a year.

"We're excited to start the launch this month," said Ornelas. "The focus is really connecting employers with students through a skill and career-based platform, and what the platform will allow us to do is it will allow students to use the skills that they're learning in the classroom, and develop a profile to help build their resume, so when employers are seeking a specific skillset, they'll be able to look at the skills that students are obtaining through their coursework and begin to match those skills with the potential job opportunities, internship opportunities, and also some skill-based training opportunities."

There are currently about 200 local companies and businesses that are already on board with the new technology.

"We just rolled it out to our employers, so we're hoping to begin to connect our students with this information," said Ornelas. "Our next phase is to really begin to roll it out to the students so they can begin to use it."

Ornelas estimated the full launch with students will happen within four-to-six weeks.

"Students will be able to develop their profile and their profile will be based on work experience, and also skill and competencies that are obtained in the classroom with their coursework, so with that, they'll be able to build their profile and basically develop a resume around that skillset and skills that they've learned, as well as upload additional documents to support whatever they feel they have competencies in," Ornelas said. "It's an interactive platform, where employers will also be able to identify the specific skills that they're looking for and begin to match-up the students with those skillsets."

It will be applicable to all industries, including business, hospitality, manufacturing, technology and many more.

"This is a new opportunity and another way of engaging the community with the college, and most importantly, our students who are going to need job opportunities and internships," said Ornelas.

Job listings are already posted the Hancock's Jobspeaker website.