Seminar Assistant
Seminar Assistant - Restricted

To perform a variety of highly responsible clerical office/secretarial support functions related to educational development, personal enrichment, and staff development seminars and other specialized training services sponsored by the Santa Clara County Office of Education. Employees in this classification receive general to limited supervision within a framework of standard policies and procedures. This job class assists the program manager in the processing and maintenance of seminar-training program operations and records. This job class requires the successful coordination of a variety of tasks and clerical details from the initiation of a relevant procedure to its completion.

The job class of Seminar Assistant provides highly responsible clerical/secretarial functions to support the educational development, personal enrichment, and staff development needs of educational leaders, certificated personnel, and support staff. Positions allocated to this job class are designated as journey level. Incumbents demonstrate the ability to make independent decisions and perform seminar support assignments without the immediate review of the program manager.

The next higher job class of Seminar Specialist is distinguished by its work assignments that require detailed knowledge of County Office policies and procedures, seminar formats, scheduling factors, facility arrangement options, and audio-visual requirements. Positions allocated to the higher job class are designated as advanced journey level. Incumbents possess desktop publishing skills and demonstrate abilities to resolve problems, use independent judgment, and make decisions that relieve the program manager of administrative details.

• Assists in arranging for facilities and scheduling seminars; reserves necessary audio and presentation equipment; prepares and submits appropriate forms and documents

• Processes registrations for seminar and training program courses; enters, edits, and retrieves information into word-processing and data base files; mails registration confirmation materials, and processes course fees

• Provides seminar and training activities information by telephone, mail, and/or in person regarding courses offered, course content, fees, registration and withdrawal procedures, program policy, course changes, and continuing education units

• Prepares and distributes course brochures, fliers, and announcements to publicize seminar-training programs and activities

• Develops and prepares seminar/training workshop packets including class rosters, evaluation forms, name tags, certificates, badge holders, registration forms

• Establishes and maintains accurate records; prepares reports related to program/course enrollment, instructors/presenters, attendance, program fees, course offerings, course calendar, course descriptions, mailing lists, financial information

• Maintains accurate budget records of expenditures related to seminar-training activities and operations entering expenditures into budget records and comparing against monthly computer printouts

• Calculates, verifies, and completes purchase requisitions, purchase orders, sub-purchase orders, and budget revisions related to assigned activities and operations; prepares and processes contracts for seminar instructors

• Receives and processes seminar evaluation forms as required; maintains and updates seminar mailing lists and mails course catalogues and assigned

• Uses word-processing, data base, and other office software programs to prepare a variety of correspondence, letters, forms, memorandums, and routine reports

• Performs related duties as required.

Knowledge of:

• Modern office methods and procedures, and equipment

• Correct English usage, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and punctuation

• Microcomputer operations and office software programs for spreadsheet, database, word processing and graphics packaging functions

• The principles of customer service and support

Ability to:

• Learn and apply specified seminar-training program, office communication standards, and other related policies, rules, and procedures

• Perform arithmetical calculations with speed and accuracy

• Establish and maintain efficient record keeping/filing systems and prepare reports

• Prepare and distribute seminar-training course fliers and announcements independently

• Effectively and tactfully communicate in both oral and written form and understand and carry out oral and written instructions.

• Keyboard/type accurately at a rate required for successful job performance

• Quickly identify problem areas or situations, determine problem causes, and take appropriate action to resolve problems identified

• Operate a variety of standard and specialized office machines and equipment including typewriter, microcomputer, copier, fax machine and other peripheral equipment. Effectively and tactfully communicate in both oral and written form

• Establish and maintain effective work relationships with those contacted in the performance of required duties.

Generally, the required knowledge and abilities will have been acquired through any combination of training and experience equivalent to high school graduation and two years of experience in human resources, public relations or special events coordinate. Skill in business English and computers information systems preferred.

Bargaining Unit: Office, Technical, and Business Services (OTBS) Unit
Date: 09/12/84 Personnel Commission Approval:
Revised: 07/10/85 07/05/00 Board Adoption:
May 22, 2003 (Added Restricted Class)