For some students entering university life, their careers are already crystalised in their minds. For others, the future can seem more of a mystery. That’s where the Careers, Co-curricular and Community Engagement Department team within the Division of Student Services and Development (DSSD) at UWI St Augustine come in. Their role – supporting students in finding their future niche – begins with their career assessment programme, targeted towards first-year students.
“It’s our first engagement with students,” says Ms Kathy-Ann Lewis, Manager of Careers, Co-curricular and Community Engagement, “apart from students, we would have engaged with in secondary schools. Once they enter the university, one of our first engagements with them is for them to take a career assessment.”
She adds, “There are four different assessments – we assess their interests, skills, personalities, and job preference.”
From this framework, the team can then provide students with a targeted list of careers that could be a good fit for them to pursue.
For students unsure of where they would like to end up once their degree programme is complete, the department offers a wide range of services from that initial point of contact, through the university life of a student, and after graduation.
The digital system utilised by the department also functions as a career portfolio for students.
“Once they set up their profiles, they can revisit their unique portfolio and continue taking assessments, exploring careers, and updating their resume based on their assessments,” says Ms Lewis. “As they move through the system, they can plan their career.”
The process of career planning is a vital one that Lewis and her team encourage students to begin early. While some may have a nebulous idea of getting their degree and then finding a job, she encourages students to focus on career exploration and planning, and begin thinking about life after university early on in their university life.
Career advising and mentoring can give students the support and wisdom of experienced voices. At the same time, informational interviews and job shadowing can provide hands-on experience of the realities of the world of work.
“The idea is that by the time they graduate, students will be clearer about their career path, what they want to do and how they intend to get there,” says Ms Lewis. Although we know this may change over time.
Part of the philosophy of the department is helping to create well-rounded individuals entering the workplace – what authors Dr Anna Rowe and Dr Karsten Zegwaard refer to as “T Professionals”.
“If you think about a capital ‘T’, there are the horizontal and vertical lines. The T Professional should have both depth, the vertical line, representing your disciplinary content knowledge. However, they also want the students with breadth – workplace skills and competencies,” says Lewis.
A healthy balance of both is necessary for the graduate entering the modern working world. The knowledge of your field of choice and skills like problem-solving, teamwork, critical thinking and communication are necessary when entering the 21st century workplace.
Ideally, the process should build on the foundation of students’ interests and what they wish to pursue, and give them the necessary tools to accomplish this. The assessment is based on a sound career inventory from the work of psychologist John Holland’s.
“About 95 percent of the feedback shows that, intrinsically, students already have an idea of where they want to be. The assessment brings it together for them, gives them a structure and framework, helps them to articulate their goals, and to plan ahead,” says Ms Lewis.
