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Building Movements Scaling proven ideas across the nation
Initiatives
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Transforming Institutions Bringing leaders together to redesign systems
College is a significant investment—and one that should be clearly aligned to the personal and professional goals of students to ensure they get the most out of their degree. We believe colleges should work closely with students to understand their goals, assess their abilities, and help align their majors with their long-term aspirations. From recruitment to onboarding to the first-year experience, we partner with institutions to design a student experience that creates a powerful sense of purpose.
Problem
If given the chance, more than one in three college graduates say they would choose a different major. Given the overwhelming number of choices and relatively little guidance provided by most colleges, it’s easy to understand why. Uninformed decisions about a course of study can lead students to “spin their wheels,” leading them to accumulate excess credits, extend their time to degree, or stop out altogether.
75%
of low-income or first-generation students who enroll in college leave without a job related to their studies or without entering graduate school
17%
percent of students who report having received "poor support making the transition to work" believe their education was worth the cost
65%
of students surveyed by Strada don't consider their college to be "excellent" or "very good" at connecting their education to meaningful careers
Strategies
First-Year Experience
Develop structures to connect students with resources that foster their academic and career goals.
Career Exploration
Make information on careers readily available to all students, empowering them to make informed decisions about programs of study that meets their skills, aptitudes, and aspirations.
Academic & Career Alignment
Create a clear connection between learning taking place in the classroom and the competencies associated with careers.
Adult Learner Engagement
Proactively communicate the value of a higher education degree to address the unique needs and goals of adults.
Journal of The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition
The Journal of The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition is a semiannual refereed journal providing current research on the first college year and other significant student transitions.
Guides on the Side: Taking the Stress Out of the College Major Decision-Making Process
Given that the Purpose First strategy from Complete College America (2019) implores institutions to provide focused pathways for informed major choice, Rollins College in Florida allows undergraduates to wait until the end of their second year to officially declare a major.
Creating an Impactful Career Development Course: Incorporating Social Justice with Career and Major Exploration for College Students
The University of Hawai‘i created an academic course directed towards students after their first year, with additional care taken to address transfer students’ needs.
Career Exploration in College: Students Are Frustrated
Students are frustrated about a lack of career exploration in college, and some universities seek a bigger role for professors as career mentors.
Social Cognitive Career Theory
Social cognitive career theory (SCCT) is a relatively new theory that is aimed at explaining three interrelated aspects of career development: (1) how basic academic and career interests develop, (2) how educational and career choices are made, and (3) how academic and career success is obtained.
How Colleges Can Increase Equity Through Employability Standards
Dr. Jane Gates, interim president at Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, shares more about the Employability Self-Assessment (ESA) Framework.
Schools Offer Certification for Employability Skills
Officials say programs at Murray State University and Bluegrass Community and Technical College offer a certification ensuring graduates have essential employability skills that employers say are often lacking.
EMPLOYERS PLAY KEY ROLE IN CAREER READINESS, COMPETENCY DEVELOPMENT
Employers play an important role in ensuring that college students are career ready and in developing the competencies that broadly prepare college graduates for this transition.
Advising Adult Learners During the Transition to College
This article focuses on recommendations for academic advisors to better support adult learners in their transitions to higher education and seeks to develop awareness among academic advisors of the challenges encountered by adult learners.
The Graduate Marketing Strategy that Tripled Leads
EAB is applying the principles of intent marketing to be more responsive to prospective students’ needs, and therefore drive better engagement and results.
Tennessee Reconnect
Tennessee Reconnect serves as a great example of providing relevant information to returning adult learners as they seek to gain new skills, advance in the workplace, and fulfill lifelong dreams of completing a degree or credential.
Alliance Highlights
Learn from CCA's Content Experts
CCA has connections to dozens of higher-ed professionals with experience shaping policy, perspective, and practice for the benefit of their states, institutions—and students.
