BTO 105
Career Planning & Re-Entry Readiness
Foundations CoreFoundations Core24 contact hours8 sessionsCost: No tuition. All materials are provided.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you… to give you an expected end.” — Jeremiah 29:11
This course brings the Foundations Core together into a personal re-entry career plan. You will discover your gifts and interests, explore careers, build a résumé and cover letter, learn your rights under fair-chance hiring laws, prepare for interviews, build a support network, and choose your Bridge to Opportunity certificate track.
Syllabus
Course Syllabus
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Course | BTO 105 · Career Planning & Re-Entry Readiness |
| Program | Bridge to Opportunity · Foundations Core (required) |
| Contact Hours | 24 hours · 8 weekly sessions of 3 hours |
| Format | Online to start; in-person once facility clearance is granted |
| Prerequisites | BTO 101–104 recommended. Taken last in the Foundations Core. |
| Cost | No tuition. All materials are provided. |
| Instructor | ________________________ |
| Meeting Time | ________________________ |
Course Description
This course brings the Foundations Core together into a personal re-entry career plan. You will discover your gifts and interests, explore careers, build a résumé and cover letter, learn your rights under fair-chance hiring laws, prepare for interviews, build a support network, and choose your Bridge to Opportunity certificate track.
Faith Integration
God has good plans for you (Jeremiah 29:11). Discovering your calling means recognizing the gifts God has placed in you, seeking wise counsel, and planning with prayer and trust in His timing. Work is not only a paycheck; it is a way to serve God and others (Colossians 3:23).
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Identify your gifts, interests, values, and transferable skills.
- Research careers and match them to your strengths and local opportunities.
- Write a professional résumé that presents your experience honestly, including time during incarceration.
- Write a cover letter and prepare a reference list.
- Explain your rights and employers' incentives under fair-chance hiring laws and programs.
- Answer common interview questions, including questions about your record, with confidence.
- Build a support network and identify re-entry resources for housing, transportation, and documents.
- Create a 90-day re-entry career plan and choose a certificate track.
Course Materials
- This student workbook
- Pen or pencil
- Your work from BTO 101–104 (résumé draft, introduction, budget, leadership plan)
Weekly Schedule
| Week | Module | Assignment Due |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Discovering Your Calling | My Gifts and Skills Profile |
| 2 | Exploring Careers and Certificate Pathways | Three Career Profiles |
| 3 | Building Your Résumé | Résumé Draft |
| 4 | Cover Letters, References, and Applications | Application Packet |
| 5 | Your Rights and Fair-Chance Hiring | Rights and Resources Sheet |
| 6 | Interview Preparation and Mock Interviews | Interview Prep Sheet |
| 7 | Networking, Support Systems, and Re-Entry Resources | My Support and Resource Plan |
| 8 | My 90-Day Re-Entry Career Plan | Final Project Submission |
How You Will Be Graded
| Component | Weight | What It Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Attendance & Participation | 15% | Being present, prepared, and engaged in discussion and group work (Participation Rubric) |
| Reflection Journal | 15% | Eight weekly entries connecting the lesson to your life and faith (Journal Rubric) |
| Module Assignments | 25% | Eight weekly assignments (Module Assignment Rubric) |
| Module Quizzes | 10% | Eight short quizzes, each given at the start of the next session (Module 8's is given with the final exam) |
| Final Exam | 10% | Given in the last session; covers all eight modules |
| Final Project | 25% | A practical project that brings the whole course together (Final Project Rubric) |
To pass this course: earn 70% or higher overall and attend at least 80% of sessions.
Classroom Covenant
- We begin and end each session in prayer. Participation in prayer is always welcome, never required.
- What is shared in class stays in class. We protect one another's stories.
- We speak with respect, listen without interrupting, and disagree with grace.
- We come prepared, do our own work, and ask for help when we need it.
- We follow all facility rules. Safety and security come first.
- We believe the best about one another and about what God can do.
Support & Accommodations
If reading, writing, vision, hearing, or any other need makes a part of this course harder, tell your instructor privately. Materials can be read aloud, enlarged, or completed orally. Missed sessions can be made up using the module pages. If you are transferred or released, your completed work stays on record and you can finish online.
Welcome
Welcome
This is the last course in the Foundations Core, and it points toward home. This companion walks beside you with a weekly reading, five devotions for the days between sessions, and a Quick Guide you can carry out the door: checklists, scripts, rights, and your first 90 days. Laws differ by state, so this is general information, not legal advice. Check the details with legal aid or your re-entry coordinator.
How to Use This Companion
- Read the weekly reading after each class session. It takes about 10 minutes.
- Reflect on the questions. These are for you; you do not have to turn them in.
- Meet with God through the five daily devotions between sessions.
- Keep the Quick Guide at the end to carry home after release.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.— Psalm 119:105 (KJV)
Course Modules
- 1.Discovering Your Calling
- 2.Exploring Careers and Certificate Pathways
- 3.Building Your Résumé
- 4.Cover Letters, References, and Applications
- 5.Your Rights and Fair-Chance Hiring
- 6.Interview Preparation and Mock Interviews
- 7.Networking, Support Systems, and Re-Entry Resources
- 8.My 90-Day Re-Entry Career Plan
Final Project, Rubrics & Final Exam
Course Materials
Materials for this course are coming soon.