The Office of Career Services will be hosting its first ever Take a Student to Work Program and we invite YOU to participate!
For those who may not know me, I am Ornella Brown, Career Advisor and Employer Relations in the Career Center. I am also a Clarkson alum, and I discovered my interest in Higher Education while working on campus as a student worker in various departments. I feel that my journey is a common one for those who end up working in the higher education industry. With this in mind, I sought out to create an opportunity for students who may be interested in learning more about working in higher ed, but don’t know where to start or who to ask – and who better to ask than all of the higher ed professionals right here at Clarkson!
The purpose of the Take a Student to Work program is to provide current students with the opportunity to shadow the array of career roles we have here at Clarkson that they may be interested in, and have not yet been exposed to in an internship, co-op or research experience setting. Studies have shown that Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) mentoring programs like these have shown numerous career and academic-related benefits such as increased confidence, improved knowledge about their chosen profession, stronger career focus and understanding. A study held by an Australian university found implications for academic and career development professionals in higher education seeking to better integrate theoretical knowledge with the realities of the workplace, thereby helping to prepare students more effectively for their careers.
With the help of administrators, staff and faculty at Clarkson, we can share our advice and experiences in Higher Education with interested students who may be looking to venture into this career field. This program will take place over a 2 week span, from April 5th – 20th. Those who participate will get to host a student in their department during the program, where you’d provide a short orientation-like experience for the participating student with the following goals in mind:
- Establishing a new mentorship relationship with their temporary supervisor in the field/department they are interested in
- Practicing & developing their ‘first day on the job’ professionalism & best practices skills
- Learning more about the day-to-day responsibilities and expectations in a particular administrative/staff role
- Receiving tips/advice from professionals in the field on how to be on track for a career in higher ed
To be respectful of differing schedules across departments, supervisors/mentors have the entire program to meet with their student at least 6 times total. This is a great opportunity to introduce students to offices they may not be familiar with and meet various staff members that may make up the workings of a department. As this is the first time hosting this program, each department will be limited to 1 student and we ask that the student have a main “supervisor” (mentor) during that time, but encouraged to meet & interact with all members of the team if possible. We will wrap up this program with a lunch for all who have participated as a thank you on April 20th 12-1:15 pm, save the date! To let us know you’d like to participate in this program, please complete this form by March 29th: Take a Student to Work Program: Staff Interest. Please feel free to share this email to members of your department I may have missed, or other staff members who may be interested.
Thank you for your time and participation. If you have any questions or concerns at all please do not hesitate to contact me with questions, I am happy to answer!
Kindly,
Ornella Brown
