Several years ago, we began to receive requests for such training from people who had heard through the grapevine that our methods of helping people choose a career were extraordinarily effective, especially with clients who wanted to wake up in the morning looking forward to going to work. Since then, we have provided informal, one-on-one training, coaching and mentoring for professionals in related fields who want to be more effective in helping their clients make the best possible career decisions.

Rockport's mission is to give everyone, young and old, the knowledge, the tools, and the opportunity to make the best possible choices about life direction, career and education. Rockport is committed to people having the most successful, productive, and fulfilling lives possible. We are practical idealists with an extraordinary record. We believe our client satisfaction ratings are the highest anywhere! Rockport originated holistic career coaching more than twenty years ago with the encouragement and support of R. Buckminster Fuller. Our founder, Nicholas Lore, created an original methodology that leads to unparalleled results. We are confident that our career choice programs are the best in the world. A strong commitment to research and improvement ensures that we stay the best.

For most people, choosing a direction in life is a spin of the wheel of fortune. If you ask a group of intelligent, educated people how they picked their career direction, most will answer with some version of "It seemed like a good idea at the time" or "I just followed the path that opened in front of me."

It is no longer enough just to be successful. These days, people want to enjoy their work as well. They want to be enthusiastic, to look forward to each day. They want careers that express their talents fully. They want to do something that matters to them, something that they are proud of.

Most career and life-planning guidance relies on a foundation of notions that haven't changed significantly for more than 60 years. These theories assume that if you ask clients a few questions about their preferences, past experiences and needs, and then weave the results into a structure, presto! - the clients will somehow magically know their life's direction. It is obvious to anyone exposed to these outdated methods that they don't work.

We have spent many years investigating the fields of psychology, personal growth, learning, Eastern and Western philosophies, training and development, counseling, career counseling, Neurolinguistic programming, evolutionary psychology, human transformation, motivation, evolution, primatology, cultural and physical anthropology, brain-mind studies, computer technology, management, marketing, organizational development, personnel management, habit formation, human development, etc., to create methods, techniques and technology that are more effective than those used in traditional life/career/educational direction consulting. We train and coach Rockport Institute Associates toward mastery of everything we know that contributes to effectiveness in consulting with clients about choosing a career.

The training is for career coaches, counselors, psychologists, psychotherapists, human resources professionals and clergy, who want to be more effective in helping clients choose a career.

• You receive a complete training program with comprehensive exposure to our unique methods. Basic training includes approximately 20 hours of video instruction with Nicholas Lore. This series of videotapes is yours to keep. There is an enormous amount of information contained in this series of videos including tips on career coaching and interpretation of career testing of innate abilities and talents. Most people need to watch them two or more times and take extensive notes. During the period you are going through this video series, usually one to three months, you can schedule telephone conferences with Nicholas Lore to get your questions answered and discuss what you have seen. The two of you will work together to deepen your skills and understanding.

• You become an independent associate of Rockport Institute, a friend and ally, one of a limited number of individuals world-wide who are licensed, within contractual limitations, to use Rockport technology and purchase Rockport career testing materials. Since many people feel that the Rockport Career Testing Program is the most effective program of its kind anywhere, the training in interpreting and communicating test results to clients, alone, is of enormous value to anyone who seeks to help people make the best choices.

• Once the initial training phase is complete, you begin to use what you are learning with clients, while continuing with the telephone coaching process. Even though this training process is much more brief and concentrated than earning a Masters degree in career counseling, we believe that most people who fully apply themselves to learning our methods will be much more capable and effective than those who went through a traditional career counseling education. (Even a beginner at eating peas with a big kitchen spoon will beat a master of eating peas with a toothpick.)

• We are available for ongoing coaching/mentoring/advising, to help you improve and solve specific problems with your clients as long as you are an active affiliate.

• As the field of career coaching continues its rapid expansion, our commitment to constant improvement means you will continue to have access to our ongoing research and development.

• Five complete packages of the Rockport Career Testing Program including scoring and interpretation are included in the cost of becoming an associate.

You are free to develop your practice in any direction that fits your individual goals. The spectrum of people and organizations that could benefit is very broad:

• Adult career changers seeking increased career satisfaction. A large percentage of highly intelligent adults are less than totally satisfied with their current career track. They have come to a point in life where they realize that life is short and success is a hollow victory without enthusiasm for work and a high level of day-to-day satisfaction. They have come to the realization that it is important to make a new choice. Some of them have used career books or counselors to assist them, yet are still not clear about their future direction. Some want to make more of a contribution to others or do something more personally meaningful.

• Adult career changers seeking increased success. Many potential clients realize that their choice of career has adversely affected their income-earning potential. This segment of the professional working population is concerned with making a shift in direction to correct a mistake. Like most of us, they made career decisions during their college years or simply followed the path that opened most easily in front of them. They have come to a realization that their future is in their hands.

• Young adults choosing a career direction for the first time. This vast group of prospective clients grows every year as young people become more conscious that their parents and elder brothers and sisters are not excited about going to work in the morning.

• Students. Parents are more concerned than ever about helping their children plan for the best possible future. They usually don't know where to turn for effective assistance. They increasingly realize that the schools are little help. We here at Rockport have yet to hear of a school career-services department that is masterful in assisting students in making informed decisions about career direction. Every year more students and their parents realize that they need to seek outside assistance.

• Organizations. Companies, non-profits, governments and small businesses are in the process of a major transformation. They are increasingly recognizing that their profitability depends almost entirely on the quality and productivity of their employees. Today's organizations with a solid commitment to excellence realize that employee loyalty and high-level productivity are a result of several factors. Employees who work in jobs that closely fit their talents, provide a challenge, offer a path for career growth and provide recognition based on merit are much more productive than employees whose jobs lack one of these factors.

Not really, at least not in the conventional sense. Even though Rockport testing has been rigorously developed and has been validated over 20 years with thousands of clients, we use our testing methods in a way completely different from traditional testing. We consider our testing program to be an educational experience in which the client uses the results as a "mirror" to look into their own life and experience their innate abilities and talents. One of the first things we say to all clients is that they should not believe anything we say, or the results of any tests or advice. All of our work is intended to coach people to see things for themselves and to make their own choices, based on their own experience.

Different states and municipalities may have business or professional licensing requirements that could apply to career coaching or testing. Individuals have different abilities with regard to starting or expanding a professional coaching practice. We at Rockport do not make decisions on whom to accept based on anything other than our best judgment of an applicant's potential competence and integrity. You need to carefully consider these factors on your own. We are not offering some sort of business opportunity or franchise. This is a program for people who are already in a related field, although occasionally we can be talked into training someone who is gifted and who is changing to the field of career coaching. Our job is to train people to do it well and to provide a testing process that helps clients make better choices.

We ask everyone we train to sign an agreement that defines our relationship and specifies limitations. If you get to the point of seriously considering this program, please ask for a copy and read it carefully.

The fee is $4880 US, paid at the beginning of the program by check or credit card. (Coaches outside the U.S. pay for shipping materials.) This fee covers Mr. Lore's time spent training and mentoring. We used to charge $10,000 for this program. We reduced the fee so that it simply covers the cost of Mr. Lore's time. The way we make a continuing income from our relationship with Associates is by providing them with the Rockport Career Testing Program materials and scoring. They continue to have access to Mr. Lore and to our staff to help them improve their degree of mastery, at no additional charge.

If you have not already gone through the Rockport Career Testing program, we suggest that you do so now. It will give you a rich and deep sense of this part of our work. The Testing Program fee is $520.

We suggest that you get a copy of our book, The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success. You should be able to find it in almost any bookstore or through Amazon.com on the Internet.

If you have other questions, please do not hesitate to call us.