Career development and providing support related to career exploration, experiential learning, and professional endeavors is not solely the job of those working at any of the three Career Services offices at VCU. We feel it is -- and rightfully should be -- the job of our collective campus community to bolster students’ experiences with considering career possibilities, pursuing opportunities, and making thoughtful decisions related to their professional development.
Our aim over the next three years is to find new ways to connect with and provide opportunities to students that have not yet engaged with our office or don’t do so regularly and those most in need of guidance and support as they navigate the college experience.
Develop Train the Trainer program for faculty and staff to empower them to have career-related conversations with students and to expand our reach across campus.
Create engaging programs with campus partners to connect with existing communities of students.
Design and implement a strategy to create a touchpoint with each undergraduate student during their first year at VCU.
Tailor individualized campaigns to educate students and encourage them to reflect and be proactive in their own career development.
Partner with alumni and employers to expose students to career options and industries and to provide opportunities for intentional engagement.
We want to be known as a hub for relevant career information and a source of knowledge and encouragement for students exploring career and majors, applying for jobs, internships, and graduate school, preparing for interviews, and making career decisions -- not just in-person, but also 24/7 online.
We are committed to offering more dynamic online content for our stakeholders and finding ways to be more accessible when students need access to our insight and resources. Lastly, we are imagining ways that technology could improve the student experience in our office space and with our events on campus, and are excited about streamlining to better connect and assess our impact.
Compile, develop, and provide digital resources to increase student and alumni career knowledge.
Engage students, alumni, and employers by utilizing social media platforms and updating web presence.
Research and benchmark current and possible vendors and technologies to ensure we are utilizing the most effective hardware and software available.
One of the important ways VCU Career Services supports our students and alumni is through creating and bolstering relationships and designing events and programs that provide ways for them to directly access and engage with employers interested in hiring Rams. Our goal is for VCU to become a prime, reliable source of talent for organizations along the Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia cooridor; and beyond.
Our hope is to work towards deepening our employer partnerships to create mutual investment, and to expand and advance opportunities for students at VCU. From workforce development to helping design the future of careers and organizations that don’t yet exist, we are energized by the possibilities of what more intentional engagement between our office and the employment community could mean for VCU students and graduates, the University, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and our region.
Establish baseline knowledge of employer engagement.
Expand structured experiential opportunities for students to engage in career and professional development.
Develop and launch an employer sponsorship program.
A common passion area for the VCU Career Services team is providing access to a diverse array of experiential learning opportunities that help students make well-informed career decisions, while also understanding that true accessibility means making this type of engagement financially feasible for students across socioeconomic backgrounds.
Our hope is to put in the research to both bring together funding options and sources that exist at VCU and well beyond in one place, as well as to develop a separate and sustainable funding program that our office can manage for the benefit of students.
Benchmark with other institutions who have funding opportunities within career services offices.
Inventory existing funding options within VCU, the local community, and national grants.
Develop a sustainable fund managed by Career Services to assist students in participation in experiential learning.
Create an ongoing administrative process for management of funding strategy for experiential learning.