UEDA Summit 2012: Awards of Excellence - Backpacks to Briefcases (NC State University)
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Transcript of UEDA Summit 2012: Awards of Excellence - Backpacks to Briefcases (NC State University)
“Backpacks to Briefcases”
Presenters
• Elizabeth Brashear• NCSU, Career Development Center
• Thomas White• NCSU, Economic Development
• Darrell Kain• CAWDB, Business Services
Presentation Outline
• College Transition Challenges• Triangle Region and University
Economic Development• Program Implementation • Future Opportunities• Questions/Feedback
Participant Quote
"I cannot say how appreciative I am to have received this opportunity. For the first time in my life I can honestly say that I actually enjoy getting up and going to work. The prep classes you all provided worked wonders in helping me adjust to the corporate environment. Since this company stores data I have met some CEO's and CFO's of large companies such as Dole foods, TOMS shoes, NBA representatives, and so many more. I'm very pleased with my progression over the last few months. I cannot thank you guys enough and God Bless each one of you. Please continue to do the community justice, because if you have changed my life you can certainly change many more!”
Desmond Ford• NC A&T Graduate,• BS, Electronic
Technology• Intern and New Hire
at Freudenberg IT
Transition Challenges
Entry Level Positions
Many recent graduates (outside of STEM fields) take jobs that are not in their field of study: retail, customer service, and administrative
Transition Challenges
• Employment Statistics– Only 51% recent graduates employed full-
time– Only 39% working in field closely related to
degree– Only 22% rated first job as a “career type”
job– Graduates who have not participated in
Internships & Co-op struggle to gain experience
Weak Economy and Greater Competition
• Recent graduates are competing against experienced professionals for entry level positions– 46% of population has Bachelor’s or higher
• Record unemployment rates• Outside of STEM disciplines, decrease of
on-campus recruitment by companies
Career Readiness Curriculum
• Some debate whether this is a major role of a university. However some education providers are creating programs.– Recent “Bloomberg Business Week” article
notes some undergraduate programs require a resume to apply for entrance.
• The depth and effectiveness of programs vary across universities and within colleges.
The Triangle Region & University Job Creation
Technology Oriented Clusters
• Defense• Clean Tech Energy• Digital Media• Bio-pharmaceutical• Information
Technology• Photonics
Regional Centers of Excellence
• Research Triangle Park– GSK, IBM, Lenovo,
Sensus
• NCSU Centennial Campus– ABB
• Durham American Tobacco Campus– Gaming Companies
• Downtown Raleigh– Red Hat
University Role in Job Creation
• Recruiting companies to relocate because of university staff support and facilities– COT Nonwovens Institute– BTEC
• NCSU houses an incubator site for entrepreneurs • NCSU helps companies to expand by providing
technical expertise – Industrial Extension Service• NCSU organizes the largest technology career
fair on the East Coast.
Government Partnership
• Capital Area Workforce Development Board is a federally funded-non profit that provides services to businesses and job seekers.
• CAWDB has funding to pay for internships, facilities, and staff.
• CAWDB is a leading member of Triangle Worksource, a regional workforce development partnership
• On its committees are members from universities, technical colleges, and the public school systems
Creation of “Backpacks to Briefcases”
Overview
• Recruit recent college graduates who are unemployed/underemployed
• Provide short term internships– Provide a stipend of $12/hour for 3
months
• Provide job readiness & coaching for candidates
Process
• Identified internal funding source• Developed job readiness classes and
materials• Utilized existing staff and hired 1
coordinator• Advertised on Craig’s List and NCSU Career
Development Center• Hosted information sessions at NCSU in
January 2012
Recent Graduates
• 52 enrollments• 28 universities represented• 50% of participants from NC State
University• Various disciplines: Accounting,
Economics, Business, Computer Networking, Economics, Finance, Marketing, Political Science, and others
Job Readiness- “Jumpstart”
• 20 Hours of job readiness and communications workshops
• Individualized Career Coaching• Skill Assessment• Filmed Mock Interview• Business Book Presentation• Participation is a requirement before
internship or job referral
Innovative Recruiting
• Decided traditional job fair or resume submission was not appropriate
• Gave employers a few minutes to talk about their company and the types of openings available
• Near one to one ratio of company to candidate• Held informal unstructured networking session• Held timed networking in “speed dating” style
Success: Companies & Candidates
• 63 employers attended job fairs, 30 hired interns
• 52 candidates enrolled• 39 internships
established• 10 candidates hired full
time without internship• 94% placement rate
Success Stories
American Cancer Society Internships
• Obtained 3 interns• Recruited 8 new business
teams• Generated 83 leads from
Expo Participation• Recruited 74 new
volunteer referrals for events and programs
• Increased the number of community presentations within a 2 month period
Big Brothers, Big Sisters Internship
• The intern was responsible for helping create the plan and implement the strategy for a “100 Men in 100 Days” Recruitment Campaign
• In 2011, without administrative support, 123 men become mentors. In 2012, 200 men were recruited
• After the internship, the BTB intern was hired full time
Employer Quote
"This experience enabled our intern to have hands-on experience with novel microbiological and molecular techniques, as well as learning how to carry out bench research independently. The funding was crucial in enabling our intern to work 32 hours a week, a work-load that otherwise we could not have afforded to pay. We are thankful to this program for their funding and for their care in the development of their interns into true professionals“
– RTI Manager
RTI• 2,800 + employees• in 40 + countries • Independent,
nonprofit research and development organizations
Future Plans
Future Plans
• Increase the number of participants to 75 this year
• Starting a similar program with economically disadvantaged college students
• Investigating ways to “franchise” the model to areas with a similar demographic
Conclusion
• Questions
• Feedback