2006.11.02: November 2, 2006: Headlines: Business: Recruitment: Business Week: The Peace Corps is a popular destination for business majors looking to make a difference in the world—and on their career journeys
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2006.11.02: November 2, 2006: Headlines: Business: Recruitment: Business Week: The Peace Corps is a popular destination for business majors looking to make a difference in the world—and on their career journeys
The Peace Corps is a popular destination for business majors looking to make a difference in the world—and on their career journeys
BusinessWeek.com recently named the organization the 38th-best place to launch a career—out of companies in all industries.
The Peace Corps is a popular destination for business majors looking to make a difference in the world—and on their career journeys
Peace Corps Slots in High Demand
The agency is a popular destination for business majors looking to make a difference in the world—and on their career journeys
[Excerpt]
Volunteerism is on the rise in the United States, and business majors are taking notice. One such avenue that recent graduates can take is joining the Peace Corps.
In fact, BusinessWeek.com recently named the organization the 38th-best place to launch a career—out of companies in all industries (see BusinessWeek.com, 9/18/06 "The Best Place to Launch a Career").
The Peace Corps—which was established in 1961—recruits in 12 regions across the country. Vinny Wickes is responsible for New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania—a position which he has held for about a year. Wickes, a University of Central Florida graduate, has a varied background. He served as a squad leader in tactical air assault in Vietnam for the U.S. Army. He also spent 25 years in staffing.
Wickes recently spoke to BusinessWeek.com reporter Julie Gordon about business-related opportunities for Peace Corps volunteers, recruiting tactics, and the benefits of joining. Following is an edited portion of their conversation:
What are the most popular types of programs that volunteers participate in?
Forty-three percent are teaching. And 16% are in business advising. There's a strong IT program component that is available today which seems to attract a lot of people. There is the agrarian side, but that only constitutes about 6%.
It has been reported that volunteerism is up in the U.S. Have you seen a rise in applications lately?
Yes, as a matter of fact this past year we've had a 30-year high.
Why are more people than ever looking into the Peace Corps? (See BusinessWeek.com, 8/8/06, "Forget Jell-O Shots. How About a Volunteer Vacation?".)
At this particular point in time they are looking at a career that's much more global and broader. In addition, I think we're seeing a lot more people who are just interested in spreading a peaceful message around the world. Consequently, I think the Peace Corps has a residual component where people have heard of the Peace Corps, know what it is we do, or at least have a general idea of what we do, and therefore that has helped in terms of guiding people to the Peace Corps.
How competitive is it to get in?
It is competitive. We have 7,810 people in the field right now serving in 75 countries. Each year, we turn over half of those positions, approximately 4,000 positions in a year.
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Headlines: November, 2006; Business; Recruitment
When this story was posted in February 2007, this was on the front page of PCOL:
Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
| Ron Tschetter in Morocco and Jordan On his first official trip since being confirmed as Peace Corps Director, Ron Tschetter (shown at left with PCV Tia Tucker) is on a ten day trip to Morocco and Jordan. Traveling with his wife (Both are RPCVs.), Tschetter met with volunteers in Morocco working in environment, youth development, health, and small business development. He began his trip to Jordan by meeting with His Majesty King Abdullah II and Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah and discussed expanding the program there in the near future. |
| Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace Corps Senator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments. |
| He served with honor One year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor. |
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| The Peace Corps is "fashionable" again The LA Times says that "the Peace Corps is booming again and "It's hard to know exactly what's behind the resurgence." PCOL Comment: Since the founding of the Peace Corps 45 years ago, Americans have answered Kennedy's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Over 182,000 have served. Another 200,000 have applied and been unable to serve because of lack of Congressional funding. The Peace Corps has never gone out of fashion. It's Congress that hasn't been keeping pace. |
| PCOL readership increases 100% Monthly readership on "Peace Corps Online" has increased in the past twelve months to 350,000 visitors - over eleven thousand every day - a 100% increase since this time last year. Thanks again, RPCVs and Friends of the Peace Corps, for making PCOL your source of information for the Peace Corps community. And thanks for supporting the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come. |
| History of the Peace Corps PCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help. |
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Story Source: Business Week
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Business; Recruitment
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