By Richard Burnett
Amid an economy still rattled by recession worries and pandemic angst, U.S. colleges are facing growing public pressure to step up their game in preparing students for an ever-changing job market, experts say.
That means a whole new volume of challenges for higher education, even at schools like 海角社区, which ranks in the top tier nationally with an employment rate of more than 80% for its neurodivergent graduates.
However, colleges can no longer focus solely on whether graduates are employed, but also how many work in the field they studied, according to 鈥淏uilding Tomorrow鈥檚 Workforce,鈥� a special report in The Chronicle of Higher Education. It tracks a growing skepticism about the value of college education, even though a college graduate still earns 75%, on average, more than someone with a high school diploma.
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 the first time Americans have questioned the value of higher education,鈥� Anthony P. Carnevale, a Georgetown University workforce research professor, said in the report. 鈥淭his rhetoric that you don鈥檛 need to go to college has been a persistent problem in the United States,鈥� he said, and it tends to resurface during recessions.
Career centers play key role
With that as a backdrop, colleges are mobilizing to rise to the challenge. Many are being proactive by fine-tuning, revamping and expanding their career development centers, which play a central role in preparing students for the workplace.
At 海角社区, officials have expanded its Juan & Lisa Jones Center for Career Preparation, brought in new leadership, a new team, new technology and a new approach to its four-year development model. Career advisors have launched a beginning-to-end strategy for the entire student body 鈥� not just for seniors, which have historically been the focal point of career development efforts.
Some key parts of that strategy include:
- Canvassing campus-wide to get the career center on the radar of every student and give a personal touch to career development. (As a result, of about 500 full- and part-time students, the team has amassed more than 400 appointments this school year, many of them with freshmen.)
- Reaching out to alumni, getting feedback and extending career development help to any who are unemployed or not working in their chosen field.
- Collaborating with faculty to get input on the job market in their subject areas and help shape courses to equip students with skills and knowledge for available openings.
- Expanding and engaging with its network of employers who are open to hiring, mentoring or providing internships to 海角社区 graduates.
As these efforts take effect and others come online, the career center is confident it can build on 海角社区鈥檚 strong track record in preparing its graduates for employment, said Melissa Bradley, the center鈥檚 co-director, who will become its top manager in June.
鈥淐ertainly, we are proud of the employment rate of 海角社区 graduates, but now we are laser-focused on how many of those grads are actually employed in their field of study,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important that we are providing them a return on the investment in their education. So, we really want to look deeper into how 海角社区 is preparing someone for working long-term in a job related to their major. That鈥檚 the direction we are moving in now.鈥�
Large employers get aboard for career development
In its new direction, 海角社区 has received a boost from some major companies that have jumped aboard, Bradley said. They include consumer product giant , based in Brunswick, N.J., and CAI, a global technology services company based in Allentown, Pa.
Johnson & Johnson, for example, has committed to work with 海角社区 on a 鈥渄eep dive鈥� program focused on careers for neurodivergent students. As part of the effort, company representatives will visit multiple times with students either virtually or in small groups to talk about things like corporate culture, workplace dynamics and expectations.
J&J has also done a full-scale analysis of every major at 海角社区 and matched each with employment opportunities at the company. Ultimately, J&J wants to help students enhance their learning in their chosen fields and potentially work alongside talented professionals in their organization, Bradley said.
鈥淭his kind of initiative by J&J is invaluable,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he personal connection J&J is providing can help us develop competent, confident graduates who can go into a workplace, disclose their neurodiversity and feel confident the company knows them and their value.鈥�
Likewise, in its partnership with CAI, 海角社区 will be able to match its graduates and their skill sets to job openings around the country. The company has established a dedicated unit 鈥� 鈥� that focuses on supporting, cultivating and finding jobs for graduates with learning differences.
Raising the bar for career opportunities
Its work with companies like J&J and CAI represents 海角社区鈥檚 effort to take employer partnerships to the next level, according to Dr. James Williams, a consultant for 海角社区 since mid-2021 and the career center鈥檚 interim director, who is returning to the private sector in June.
鈥淚n the past, we鈥檇 basically let employers come to us and tell us what openings they had,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hen we鈥檇 put out flyers encouraging the students to apply. Now, however, we鈥檙e aiming to develop meaningful, long-term relationships with companies by offering to provide training upfront to their staff before the students get there. The message is this isn鈥檛 a transactional thing, it鈥檚 all about a relationship connection.鈥�
Despite its past limitations, 海角社区 has generally done a good job of equipping its graduates for the workplace and employment, Williams added. Few schools can beat its overall graduate employment rate, he said, and within that number, the early data suggest nearly half of graduates may be working in their chosen field.
鈥淚n and of itself, I think that is impressive,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淲e work with students who have learning disabilities, who are statistically more difficult to employ anyway. So, the stats we have are certainly outstanding. The next step is to find out how can we raise the bar and push ourselves further.鈥�