projects

UNCF Career Pathways Initiative

How might our institutions provide intentional and sustainable pathways to build 21st century competencies and help our students find meaningful employment in their desired career field?

Overview

Since April 2018, the Lab has collaborated with UNCF to accelerate the development of programs that will strengthen the capacity of institutions to meet students’ career development needs now and in the future. The “ACCELERATE Cohort” is made up of 14 colleges and universities participating in UNCF’s Career Pathways Initiative. Leveraging human-centered design, the Lab facilitated the campus teams through a series of design sessions that explored employment outcomes for Black graduates, best practices in career development, and labor market data and applied insights to the iteration of pilot concepts. These sessions also focused on how to create a culture of innovation that is constantly iterating to meet student needs. As a result, our UNCF partners better understand the potential for their pilots to make a sustainable impact on how their colleges prepare students for their lives after graduation.

The Challenge

UNCF’s Career Pathways Initiative is a comprehensive effort to support 24 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and predominantly Black institutions (PBI) as they pursue institutional transformation to enhance career outcomes for Black graduates. The Lab is supporting a cohort of 14 institutions through an accelerated process to quickly design, test, and pilot programs that will be a part of an overarching institutional strategy to better prepare students for the rapidly-changing world of work that awaits them.

The Goal

Strengthen career placement outcomes for learners at each HBCU and PBI in the cohort (14 institutions total) with the goal of increasing the number of graduates who immediately transition to meaningful jobs in their chosen field.

Funded By

United Negro College Fund (UNCF)

Primary Audience

Undergraduate students attending 14 colleges and universities participating in the CPI Accelerate Cohort

Numbers of Learners Impacted

Initial Pilot Impact: ~600; At Scale Expected Impact: 27,000 across 14 institutions.

Pilots Launched May 2020

As of May 2020, we have supported seven universities in the launch of accelerated pilots on-campus. These projects, which vary in their focus, have given us a wealth of knowledge that continues to inform future programming and strategy. Our remaining pilots are still in development, with plans to launch in fall 2020 and spring 2021. We believe that these models complement any institutional strategy to reimagine how colleges and universities can best support students as they pursue meaningful careers.

Norfolk State University Learning Communities: Theme- and discipline-based residential communities that connect students to faculty mentors and career exploration opportunities in the first year

Xavier University First-Year Career Exploration: Career development and exploration activities integrated into the university’s first-year experience courses and advising philosophy

Tougaloo College Employer Relations Council: A cross-functional committee comprising of faculty, administrators, students, and employers designed to align student and employer expectations with curriculum development

Morehouse College Career Council: A cross-departmental committee collaborating to create an institutional strategy around career development and its relationship to the core curriculum

Rust College Peer Coaching Program: A peer-to-peer coaching experience where upperclassmen mentor freshmen, sophomores, and juniors on career development, including career exploration, resume development, and professionalism

University of West Alabama UWA 201 Course: A university seminar focused on educating students about the 21st century skills that they will need to be successful in science careers

Florida Memorial University’s Microcredentials Accelerating Nascent Employment (MANE) Program: A strategic push to incorporate industry certifications, badges, and microcredentials  into curricular offerings

CPI Accelerate Cohort

Learnings

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