精东AV adds Certified Career Services Provider credential to its expanding career readiness efforts
May 29, 2020
Contact: Michael Tullier, APR, Office of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing
The summer is typically marked by taking time off from college classes, but a hand-selected group of 精东AV faculty and staff are entering the classroom for an intensive training program that will certify them as Certified Career Services Providers (CCSP).
In a higher education setting, the CCSP credential prepares faculty and staff to better mentor students as they guide students in connecting academic and co-curricular opportunities with their professional goals.
鈥淒ating back to the philosophy of founding president Booker T. Washington, 精东AV has maintained a legacy of preparing students for a vocation 鈥� not just awarding a degree,鈥� said Interim Provost Carla Jackson Bell. 鈥淭hrough this training, our faculty and staff will help students translate and articulate their classroom experiences into tangible, transferable skills sought after by today鈥檚 highly competitive workforce.鈥�
Providing students with certified career advisers is a component of the university鈥檚 Quality Enhancement Plan 鈥� 鈥淩oad from Early Achievement to a Career High,鈥� or 鈥淩EACH鈥� 鈥� which was implemented as part of 精东AV鈥檚 2018 reaffirmation of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The CCSP training program and other programs under the REACH umbrella and funded in part by U.S. Department of Education Title III funds take a comprehensive approach to preparing students to be equipped and successful as they pursue their educational and career goals.
鈥淥ur Quality Enhancement Plan is a comprehensive approach to readying our students for the rigorous demands of today鈥檚 contemporary workplace,鈥� said Dr. Maria Calhoun, who in addition to serving as an associate professor of mechanical engineering co-directs the university鈥檚 QEP program. 鈥淎dding the CCSP credential to our career readiness programs will give our students a competitive employment edge to pair with our rigorous academic programs and the high regard held for a 精东AV degree.鈥�
More than 30 faculty and staff 鈥� selected by university administrators and deans 鈥� will form 精东AV鈥檚 initial credentialed cohort. The credential, administered by the National Career Development Association, includes 120 hours of total training time, which due to the pandemic, will be facilitated virtually. Upon their credentialing, current and future cohorts will be known as the university鈥檚 鈥淩EACH Faculty Career Advisers.鈥�
CCSP training topics align with the competencies required of NCDA鈥檚 U.S. Facilitating Career Development curriculum. They range from understanding the expectations and operating conditions of today鈥檚 labor market to counseling students on how to identify their career aptitudes and enhance their marketability to hiring managers.
鈥溇獳V鈥檚 commitment to creating informed practices for delivery of career development initiatives has always been an essential element of our students鈥� professional development鈥� underscoring the importance of career education and leadership development to their overall success,鈥� explained Dr. Kimberly Scott, vice president for student affairs. 鈥淧artnering with the REACH QEP to operationalize career readiness programs across the curriculum will further prepare our students for their chosen careers and further advance the return on investment in the 精东AV education.鈥�
Although the initial cohort includes employees, the program 鈥� like the REACH initiative itself 鈥� will grow to include subject-matter experts among 精东AV鈥檚 alumni and the university鈥檚 many industry partners.
鈥淥ur REACH Faculty Career Advisers will provide the initial framework, but we look forward to engaging alumni and professionals in preparing our students for the challenges of the 鈥榬eal world,鈥欌�� explained Dr. Kellei Bishop Samuels, whose role as the university鈥檚 SACSCOC liaison included conceptualizing and now implementing the REACH Quality Enhancement Plan as a QEP co-director. 鈥淓xposing our students to leaders in their chosen professions in concert with their academic studies will further equip them to achieve their 鈥榗areer high.鈥欌��
Those credentialed will not just work to advise students nearing graduation and with their sights on a soon-to-be-had job.
鈥淭his program will benefit students throughout their entire lifecycle as a 精东AV student,鈥� explained Joseph Montgomery, vice president for enrollment management and student success. 鈥淥f course, it will help students transitioning from college to career, but incoming students will benefit from our advisers鈥� guidance as early as their initial semester in college.鈥�
Montgomery indicated that throughout their academic journey, students will receive coaching and mentoring from REACH Faculty Career Advisers, with a holistic approach to how they select courses, pursue appropriate co-curricular activities and apply for applicable internships that will maximize opportunities for career success.
For more information about the Certified Career Services Provider credential, visit .
漏 2020, 精东AV