LIFE, Inc. - the Ultimate Career Guide for Young People

"Our goal is to get this program into every school in America." - Shaun Budnik

Welcome to a special Career Connections edition of Total Picture Radio, with Peter Clayton. A recent front page article in The Wall Street Journal showcases an innovative educational program sponsored by the Deloitte Foundation designed to assist middle and high school students create a pathway to a business career that maps to their personal interests and abilities. Called LIFE, Inc. - the Ultimate Career Guide for Young People the outreach program consists of a student journal, career and teachers' guide, and interactive web site. Today, we’re brining you an in-depth interview with two of the principal architects of the program: Shaun Budnik, president of the Deloitte foundation, and partner Deloitte LLP, and W. Stanton Smith, -- Stan is National Director of Next Generation Initiatives at Deloitte, LLP. 

The Deloitte Foundation initiative is expected to reach more than two million students within the first several years of implementation. The LIFE Inc, content was developed by New York Times best-selling author Neale S. Godfrey, who has written 16 books that deal with money, life skills, and values, and the interactive web site was created with Insala, a leading global provider of web based software for organizations implementing career development and talent management initiatives...

Press Release:

DELOITTE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES NATIONAL ROLLOUT OF ‘LIFE, INC.’ SCHOOLS INITIATIVE DESIGNED TO GUIDE PRE-COLLEGE AGE STUDENTS
IN CAREER PLANNING
The Deloitte Foundation aims to reach more than two million students over the next few years with an interactive web-based program featuring Virtual Role Models

WILTON, Conn., March 10, 2008 -- The Deloitte Foundation, a not-for-profit arm of Deloitte LLP, announces the national rollout of “LIFE, Inc. - the Ultimate Career Guide for Young People” an interactive educational program designed to assist middle and high school students create a pathway to an exciting business career that maps to their personal interests and abilities. The Deloitte Foundation initiative is expected to reach more than two million students within the first several years of implementation.

A package consisting of a student journal, career and teachers’ guide, and web site serve as the core of the LIFE, Inc. program. The career development and identification program initially will be donated by the Deloitte Foundation at no charge to targeted educational institutions, after-school programs and other non-profit organizations.
Among the national organizations that are developing plans for LIFE, Inc. curriculum are the Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), and the YWCA, with other major affiliations to be announced within the next few months.

The LIFE Inc, content was developed by New York Times best-selling author Neale S. Godfrey, who has written 16 books that deal with money, life skills, and values. A highlight of the program is its “Virtual Role Models,” experienced workers who provide a look back on their careers paths and development. VRMs, featured on the Web site and in the printed materials, are used to assist students with career research.

LIFE, Inc Research
Research commissioned on behalf of Deloitte LLP by Deloitte Services LP’s Next Generation Initiatives Group showed that young people are making career-related decisions earlier than ever, and that the ideal time for parents and teachers to have conversations with students about careers is as early as the sixth to ninth grade when they are considering the widest range of career options.

“We have learned that students are often skeptical about taking on business careers,” said Shaun Budnik, President of the Deloitte Foundation and partner Deloitte LLP.  “We feel it is important to show students a range of exciting career options and assist them in envisioning themselves in those careers through the use of positive Virtual Role Models. Our LIFE, Inc. program uses online components such as interactive games and personal assessment tools to reach a generation that is comfortable in the online world.”
The LIFE, Inc program materials were distributed to more than 37,000 Deloitte employees to use at home or in their communities.

For more information about this program, inquiries may be directed to: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Shaun Budnik

Shaun Budnik

Stan Smith

Stan holds a bachelor of science degree in economics from the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce, University of Pennsylvania. He also holds a master in business administration degree in finance from the Graduate School of Business, University of Texas at Austin.

About the Deloitte Foundation
The Deloitte Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that supports teaching, research, and curriculum innovation in accounting, business, and related fields within the U.S. The Foundation, founded in 1928, supports an array of national programs, which are relevant to a variety of professional services, and which benefit middle/high school students, undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty.  For more information, please visit the Deloitte Foundation web page at www.deloitte.com/us/df.

About Deloitte
As used in this document, “Deloitte” means Deloitte LLP.  Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries.

Disclosure: Total Picture Radio's founding sponsor is Deloitte, LLP.

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