Prioritizing Career Readiness

Preparing students for the future workplace

CONTRIBUTED BY WILMINGTON UNIVERSITY

EMPLOYERS EXPECT new college graduates to hit the ground running in an increasingly competitive marketplace. How can colleges and universities better equip their graduates to meet this challenge? By ensuring career readiness through a multi-pronged approach.

Using market research in curricular development

Higher education institutions can assess emerging fields of study, new methodologies and technologies, and evolving industry standards to inform program development and make curricular updates. These steps help ensure that program and course offerings stay current and relevant and provide graduates with skills that match industry demand.

Offering programs led by active practitioners

Students benefit from the rich experiences of their instructors, and those who are active in their fields can impart the tried-and-true strategies that have contributed to their career success. Practitioner-educators can also assist students in growing their professional networks and developing the soft skills that are valued within their industry.

Providing a range of work-integrated learning opportunities

Experience is often the best teacher. Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) allows students to apply academic knowledge in context within a professional work environment while earning credits toward a degree program. WIL provides career exposure, builds students’ résumés, and often leads to full-time employment. The National Association of Colleges and Employers reports that, on average, companies offer 66% of their interns full-time employment, and 76% of paid interns who accept a job offer remain with that employer one year later.

As an institution dedicated to serving the needs of working adults, Wilmington University is committed to fostering career-readiness in its graduates

At Wilmington University, WIL is offered in the following formats:

• Cooperative education (commonly known as a “co-op”) is offered as multi-semester, structured programs that combine classroom-based education with practical work experience.

• Internships are paid, unpaid, or stipend-only opportunities that allow undergraduate students to function in typical “on-the-job” environments and earn free elective credits toward their degrees.

• Service learning integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection into a student’s academic program.

• Senior projects/capstones are result-based initiatives that students take on in the final year of their program. Students plan and produce culminating projects that benefit their chosen fields or markets.

Supporting student and industry success

As an institution dedicated to serving the needs of working adults, Wilmington University is committed to fostering career-readiness in its graduates—which is critical to student success and bolsters the success of local and national industry.

The University partners with more than 400 regional businesses to offer work-integrated learning opportunities to students and help employers find top-quality, reliable, and highly skilled employees.

Wilmington University’s respected faculty, comprising active practitioners and industry experts, designs programs that prepare graduates to tackle challenges in the global business and technology marketplace, banking and financial services sector, health care and education systems, and community organizations. n

Organizations that would like to partner with Wilmington University for WIL opportunities or employee education programs can find more information at wilmu.edu/WIL.