FULLERTON : Actor Has Message for Disadvantaged

Helping Fullerton College go boldly where no community college has gone before, George Takei, who portrayed Mr. Sulu in the original “Star Trek” television series, was at the school Monday recording a narration for an eight-part educational video.

The goal of the series, hosted by Takei, is to reach the educationally, physically and economically disadvantaged and motivate them to strive for a career in the 21st Century.

“Education is the latchkey to the world of the future,” said Takei, 58. “We always have to keep looking forward. . . . We have to get serious about the jobs of tomorrow.”

The series, titled “The Changing Culture of the Workplace,” was filmed in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland in 27-minute segments that will be offered to public television stations to air in mid-July. Copies of the videos will be distributed to community college career development departments.

Jay Goldstein, the project’s director and executive producer, said the videos feature interviews with employers and employees of industries such as software manufacturing, which are projected to grow rapidly in the next decade.

Some segments emphasize motivation, others concentrate on work values and attitudes, and the rest describe new careers and offer job search tips.

“The work force is changing culturally and technologically,” Goldstein said.

The series, he said, “will show those special populations, including single parents and people with disabilities, what jobs are coming in the next five years and what is needed to prepare for them.”

The jobs of the future, many of which have yet to be conceived, will call for creative people who are willing to learn skills such as high-tech computer engineering, said Ines Torres Beilke, Fullerton College professor and career counselor.

She said the series’ concept is based on her book, “Career Motivation and Self Concept: Get Your Life on Track.”

“The bottom line is that future employers will be looking for people who are flexible and willing to adjust to changes,” Beilke said.