Position Summary The EOC Counselor provides individualized academic, career, and financial aid counseling to adults and youth age 19 and older who are low-income, first-generation, or both, and who want to enter or return to postsecondary education. The Counselor carries a caseload of about 500 participants a year, from intake and eligibility through enrollment and 90-day follow-up. The Counselor's work drives the project's four federal objectives: 30% secondary-diploma completion, 72% college admission applications, 56% financial aid applications, and 62% postsecondary enrollment. The role treats degrees, Registered Apprenticeships, and Workforce Pell short-term credentials as equal options, and uses AI tools as a productivity aid, never as a substitute for counselor judgment. Essential Duties & Responsibilities Intake & Eligibility - Conduct intake and verify eligibility (age, low-income and/or first-generation status, postsecondary intent) within five business days of each application.
- Collect and review income documentation and first-generation self-attestations; issue selection notices or missing-document lists within ten business days.
- Store eligibility records in the secure participant management system under FERPA and 34 CFR 75.730-.732.
Needs Assessment & Individual Success Plans - Complete the seven-part needs assessment within 30 days of admission: educational history, career goals, academic readiness, financial aid profile, persistence-risk triage, distance-learning readiness, and skills profile.
- Build each participant's skills-first Individual Success Plan (ISP) and review it every 90 days and at case closure.
- Score persistence risk across five areas (academic readiness, FAFSA verification, transportation, child care, food/housing) and set service dosage to match.
- Capture each participant's skills profile using Open Skills Network Rich Skill Descriptors aligned with O*NET-SOC.
Academic, Career & Workforce Counseling - Deliver individualized academic, career, and personal counseling in person, by phone, and online.
- Show each participant a side-by-side cost, earnings, and debt comparison of at least one degree pathway and one apprenticeship pathway.
- Advise on Registered Apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships, and Workforce Pell short-term programs; screen for Workforce Pell eligibility.
- Coordinate WIOA Title I co-enrollment with CareerSource Broward for eligible participants.
- Deliver workforce-readiness coaching: rsums, interviews, and professional communication.
- Refer participants without a high school diploma to Atlantic Technical College, McFatter Technical College, or BCPS Adult & Community Education and follow them to completion.
Admissions & Financial Aid - Provide hands-on help with college, technical college, and apprenticeship applications, including fee waivers, transcripts, essays, and recommendation letters.
- Hold FAFSA appointments and staff seasonal FAFSA Completion Days (October-March) co-hosted with the Florida College Access Network.
- Support IRS data retrieval, Student Aid Report review, and verification; close every SAR and confirm award-letter receipt before case closure.
- Screen participants for Pell, Workforce Pell, and Florida Bright Futures.
- Deliver financial and economic literacy sessions on budgeting, credit, banking, and student loans.
Referrals & Partner Coordination - Refer participants to and track services from Top Score Tutors (10-session tutoring dosage), AI Guys AI-literacy training, CBI Hub online workshops, Career Bound Institute non-traditional career exposure, and college and apprenticeship partners.
- Close the loop on every referral from referral date to completion.
- Make same-day re-engagement contact with participants who miss a scheduled service; place a wellness-check call for repeated no-shows.
Enrollment & Persistence Support - Provide summer-melt advising, placement-test preparation referrals, and orientation support.
- Conduct 30-, 60-, and 90-day check-ins after enrollment or apprenticeship placement.
- Verify applications and enrollment using National Student Clearinghouse StudentTracker and partner confirmations.
Technology, Data & Records - Enter participant data daily in the participant management system; keep every file audit-ready for the Annual Performance Report.
- Use the counselor dashboard and AI productivity tools to draft case notes and track deadlines; review every AI-generated recommendation before it reaches a participant.
- Escalate any participant message showing housing, food, or mental-health risk to a human response immediately.
- Support the learner-wallet workflow: offer wallets at intake (opt-in) and issue AAD milestone credentials.
- Distribute mid-year and exit participant surveys for the Project Evaluator.
Team & Professional Duties - Attend the monthly Performance Review Meeting and staff meetings.
- Staff outreach, information sessions, and intake events with the Outreach & Recruitment Specialist.
- Perform other duties as assigned by the Project Director.
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