‘Here to Career’ sets students apart in competitive workforce

Students employed on campus now have the opportunity to get meaningful work experience that sets them apart in today’s competitive workforce through the new “Here to Career” student employment program.

The career readiness initiative helps students make connections between their on-campus work experience and the skills they are developing to transition to a successful career.

Here to Career was created by supervisors and staff members from across the Division of Student Life who were interested in sharing best practices for student employment. Organizers say they were able to bring this program to scale, thanks to the hard work of the steering committees and the ongoing guidance and support of A. Scott Weber, vice president for student life. The program will receive future support and development through Student Engagement.

It is in its first full year of operation after going through a pilot stage last year.

“This is basically taking all student employment and making it experiential,” says Susan Davis-O’Rourke, experiential learning coordinator in Student Engagement. “Having supervisors and employers understand that by making just a few adjustments to what they’re already doing with their training, their onboarding and their one-on-ones can make the experience so much richer for a student by having them reflect on the skills they’re developing.”

During their on-campus employment, students in the program receive guidance from their supervisors in a variety of areas ranging from resume-writing to reflecting on the skills they’ve developed. Attention is focused heavily toward the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ (NACE) key competencies, which NACE says, “broadly prepares college graduates for a successful transition into the workplace.”

Phyllis Floro, director of student engagement, explains that one of the biggest strengths of Here to Career is its versatility. Students working in any kind of on-campus employment — whether it’s a traditional job or a work study position — are eligible for the program.

“We know that students want to work on campus, so I think there’s more investment in the student end of things than what people thought,” Floro says. “One of the things I think we also learned is the differences in how people looked at work study positions and non-work study positions. Work study positions were getting less responsibility and getting less of the jobs that were more fulfilling; that wasn’t happening in every department, but it was happening in a lot of departments.

“What’s been great is we’ve come together to say we’re going to have a common knowledge,” she says. “They’re all student employees, not work study students and non-work study students. (We don’t want to) put a label on them because there’s no reason to.”

“We don’t even distinguish between paid or unpaid, undergraduate or graduate,” adds Davis-O’Rourke. “Anyone who’s working on campus in any capacity can be a part of the program. My unpaid, not-for-credit interns are just as much a part of the program as our student assistants or graduate assistants.”

Here to Career also offers guidance for faculty and staff who supervise student employees, as well as mentoring experiences and professional development opportunities.

Mary Jo Butler, a general manager for Campus Dining & Shops, attests to the program’s versatility, noting it’s also applicable for jobs that aren’t directly related to students’ career pursuits. There are resume-worthy skills that can be learned through any job, she says.

“The job markets are tough; there’s no guarantee out there. Yes, you may have a degree in biochemical engineering,” Butler says, “but do you have the soft skills that are going to go with that well?”

Students agree that the focus on applicable skills, as well as special guidance from supervisors, are what make the program valuable.

“I think from being a part of the Here to Career program, (the supervisors) really do a good job at not only telling students what they need to learn, but how they can learn those skills — things like intercultural fluency, technology or communication,” says Joshua DeBell, a student engagement ambassador and business administration major. “I think a lot of these skills are directly applicable and really important to foster right now.”

Ama Fuwaa, a political science major, also works for Student Engagement and says the guidance she receives from someone like Davis-O’Rourke is crucial. Fuwaa says she’s struggled choosing a career path, but says she’s been able to seek advice from her supervisor.

“It was really hard to have that conversation with her, but she made it really easy and gave me direction like, ‘go talk to some people and see how they got to their point and their career,’” Fuwaa says.

But, Here to Career doesn’t just benefit students; in fact, a large component of the program is geared toward helping faculty and staff supervisors.

“What we were finding is that there were a lot of supervisors who were like, ‘am I doing this well,’” Floro says.

That need to support supervisors through the program became an important part of ensuring the program’s success. Every supervisor taking part in Here to Career must complete “Supervising Student Employees” training and receives clear guidelines on how to assist their student employees.

But the staff support component doesn’t end with training and reference material; through workshops and conversations with colleagues, supervisors learn from each other.

“Participating in the program is eye-opening,” Butler says. “Everyone benefits from the process of coming together, across disciplines and departments throughout the university, to share in conversation with a common goal. To be a part of this has been very enriching.” 

 More information on Here to Career can be found on the program’s website.