UNT Career Center COVID-19 Response

COVID-19 Response Timeframe: April -October 2020

Framework based on: https://www.jeffselingo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Good-Jobs-in-Bad-Times.FINAL_.pdf

Approach 1: Step Quickly

“Develop an immediate strategy for assisting those students graduating into [the current pandemic and economic climate]…Students need to demonstrate to employers how their skills might apply in a very different context from where they learned them”

Current Efforts Career Center staff created or shifted large amounts of content and trainings to create “online career center” -- the platform uConnect is shared in numerous colleges and UNT was rated one of the best responses among institutions using this platform.

Career Center staff created numerous videos covering a wide range of topics that students may access 24/7. · Created a resource page for COVID-19 career support.

Continued to offer robust career fair options for all students, including transitioning all events to a virtual environment via Handshake and Zoom.

Launched a mentor program, Mean Green Mentors, to help students with their job search and careers; have partnered with key stakeholders, such as the Alumni Office, CLASS and the Mayborn School of Journalism Established a relationship with Parker Dewey to provide paid, virtual micro-internships including web development, software applications, graphic design, content creation, home health, operations, marketing, HR, finance, and business development.

Established a relationship with Forage to offer virtual experiences with corporations that help students develop career-specific skills in technology, finance, engineering, design, consulting, and law, as well as those to develop job ready skills.

Created an alternatives to internships resource to make experiential learning more accessible.

Created a marketable skills blog series that has featured CLASS and CMHT. Collaborated with SGA to create the Professional Networking Series to address students’ needs and interests. To date, this series has highlighted public service, education, mental health services, front-line apparel and services, and retail.

Staff assigned to individual colleges are updating faculty and students on “target occupations,” and industries that are unique to the DFW area and marketed to UNT students through the Handshake system.

Our website and Handshake allow for students to get personalized notifications of events and opportunities that most closely align with their field of study or an affinity group.

While the industries where jobs are concentrated in the Metroplex have shifted, current data on job and internship postings indicates a strong rebound in job postings between August and the end of October.

We added Tech Checks to the list of our services to provide Zoom and other technology support as students prepare for interviews, career fairs, or other career related needs.

Future Efforts Continue a marketable skills blog series to feature College of Science, College of Education, CVAD and Music, and others are in production.

Continue to update and create new web content including expanding our resources for our online students.

Continue to update and add to video content library to provide content on-demand.

Approach 2: Step In “Step in aggressively to plan for the academic programs that will be the lifeblood of their institution and drive enrollment for the long term‌Studying the shifting habits of consumers and businesses in recent months as well as hiring reports can provide important clues to institutions about emerging career fields.â€? - Focused on The Readiness Economy, The Remote Economy, The Logistics Economy, The Automated Economy

Current Efforts Highlight remote positions on Handshake, in blogs, and with our students in 1:1 meetings, group advising sessions, classroom presentations, and workshops.

The Career Center staff have increased their competencies and knowledge of the changing economy to support students while developing tools to assist students to communicate those skills in the evolving economy.

Held Industry Panels/Dinners with the following industries represented: Healthcare, Biotech, Gaming, Logistics, Journalism, Risk Management & Insurance, Public Service, Environmental/Sustainability, Library Sciences and Arts & Design.

Future Efforts Continue to strategically recruit employers from all four economies while listening for other growth industries.

Collect annual hiring outcomes and upcoming recruiting needs each year from our corporate partners Revise/Remodel the Industry Panels to offer more variety in all four economies and offer them virtually and in person when possible, partnering with the coinciding academic department.

Survey our current employers to get a better understanding of any skill shifts that have happened in their sector post-COVID-19.

Staff will continue to monitor job and internship postings each industry to evaluate shifts in hiring trends among industries and occupational sectors.

Staff within colleges will continue to communicate these trends and shifts to faculty and students.

Approach 3: Step Around “Colleges will need to step around the herd of institutions they’ve been part of for much of their history to carve a more distinctive path to what’s next for their students…“Short-term credentials should provide specific skills as well as foundational skills, such as problem solving, creativity, and critical thinking.

Current Efforts Partnered with CMHT to support the use of Forage and Parker Dewey to help students meet their internship requirements and develop both foundational and career-related skills.

The Career Center tracks micro-credentials such as problem solving and critical thinking as a part of its internship evaluation process and that tie back to Career Connect.

Formed Black & Latinx Student Outreach Committee to educate students, staff, faculty, and employers on diversity, and increase student awareness and engagement in key areas.

Career Center staff members have actively consulted with instructors of record for internship courses in several colleges to coordinate on revisions of internship policies within the colleges.

Career Center staff have communicated with faculty in several colleges of changing patterns of internship employment, such as remote work.

Future Efforts Student employment is creating a Two Track Eagle Internship program in which Work Study Students will become Eagle Interns and aside from their day-to-day tasks, will be able to choose from Certification Programs in Professional Development or Technology Development.

Professional Development Piece will include topics such as leadership, conflict resolution, Managing up, Office Politics Technology Track will be able to gain certifications in Microsoft Certifications, Project Management, Graphic Arts/Website Development Offer non-credit career development and professional development course virtually for low cost to the community and alumni through an online portal and provide a credential of completion.

Approach 4: Step Up ““Colleges need to step up by infusing their curriculum with more job experience through internships, co-ops, and job shadowing…“Higher education will need to follow the entertainment industry in meeting the needs of consumers: on demand and always on.”

Current Efforts Developed over 50 career videos* that were created by Career Center staff, faculty, students and employers with the UNT student’s needs in mind.

Identified gaps in experiential opportunities by working with our faculty, Career Center staff, and students to identify the industries of biomedical, healthcare, hospitality, as well the helping professions as our primary targets for future Take Flight programming. We have expanded Take Flight programming to be virtually as well as to include informational interviewing, job shadowing, and mentorship to create a greater access to opportunities for our students.

Numerous Career Center staff are teaching professional development courses in various colleges, and in some instances, have helped to develop the curriculum within the course, including infusing opportunities to gain more job experience.

Developed a scholarship program for students that accept unpaid internships to receive a small stipend to help encourage/support students that seek those opportunities.

Created a central resource on our website that outlines the internship requirements for each college to ensure that students knew what they needed and who to contact.

Launched Mean Green Mentors mentoring platform to all current students. To date, 9,586 students have actively engaged with the platform. * Topics include: Virtual Professionalism 101, The New Normal: A Job Hunting Workshop, and A Job Search Guide in Challenging Times

Future Efforts Expand the funds through gifts and donations to serve more students seeking unpaid internships.

Assist College of Engineering in the development of a Cooperative Education program.

Launch the Mean Green Mentors Bridges program, to connect students to experiential projects that are offered and supported by alumni, employers, and possibly others.

Add a chat/chatbot feature to the Career Center website to answer student questions 24/7 with a human and/or a bot.