Develop a train-the-trainer program for faculty and staff to empower them to have career-related conversations with students and to expand our reach across campus.

• Research other programs.
• Draft the program, including delivery, content, learning outcomes, incentives, marketing and assessments.
• Launch the program, complete with assessments for participants to measure learning outcomes.
• Assess participant data and refine training.
• Host revised program.

Create engaging programs with campus partners to connect with existing communities of students.

• Meet with campus partners and student groups to assess student needs.
• Create programs to fulfill student needs based on liaison feedback.
• Measure outcomes through assessment of students.
• Offer a menu of services and program partnership options for campus colleagues and student organizations.

Design and implement a strategy to create a touchpoint with each undergraduate student during their first year at VCU.

• Present at all first-year and transfer New Student Orientation sessions.
• Create UNIV 101 modules with career content and train faculty to deliver.
• Work with faculty to deliver career information to key classes.
• Update career curriculum content on the website and engage faculty in using it.

Tailor individualized campaigns to educate students and encourage them to reflect and be proactive in their own career development.

• Determine student populations to target via CSI, FWS, appointments, program and employer data.
• Send messaging to targeted student populations.
• Increase visibility on campus with spontaneous, positive interactions to disrupt students’ typical patterns.
• Explore creating a career audit tool.
• Contribute career readiness language to REAL task force.

Partner with alumni and employers to expose students to career options and industries and to provide opportunities for intentional engagement.

• Create menu for alumni and employers to engage in multiple ways.
• Market VCULink to students during appointments and presentations to encourage alumni engagement.
• Market VCULink to alumni and employers (“friends of VCU”) and encourage them to flash-mentor students through the site.

Compile, develop and provide digital resources to increase student and alumni career knowledge.

• Convert/update existing documents, resources and information on the website.
• Partner with alumni relations to survey what career needs/resources alumni require.
• Benchmark peer and regional institutions to see what resources they offer/have available.
• Revamp and populate a Career Services YouTube channel with informational programs and presentations.
• Develop and implement online/webinar career workshop series.

Engage students, alumni and employers by utilizing social media platforms and updating web presence.

• Expand communications team by hiring one or more graduate assistants.
• Benchmark other career and higher ed-related podcasts to start developing ideas/content for ours.
• Gather and publish student and alumni success stories.
• Benchmark and research other offices, institutions and companies to ascertain what ADA-compliant chatbot programs and capabilities they use for 24/7 engagement.
• Partner with employers and alumni for social media campaigns and takeovers highlighting different types of careers and employers.

Research and benchmark current and possible vendors and technologies to ensure we are utilizing the most effective hardware and software available.

• Update conference room to include space or options for students and staff to use for training, classroom, interviews and Zoom.
• Establish a review board to review external vendors.
• Complete an annual review of technology inventory each fiscal year.
• Benchmark and inventory existing funding options, including HEETF and STF, within VCU and from private sponsors from the local community and nationally for technological advancements.
• Assess and benchmark check-in processes and technology to better direct students/traffic flow.

Establish baseline knowledge of employer engagement.

• Use Handshake to generate reports for the previous fiscal year that show employers who have engaged in events and career fairs on campus, employers who have posted opportunities, postings for which students have applied, and students who were hired into posted opportunities.
• Conduct outreach to local employers to collect qualitative data on their outreach, engagement and hiring experience with VCU.
• Enrich connections and grow a network of employer partners through in-person meetings and site visits.

Expand structured experiential opportunities for students to engage in career and professional development.

• Benchmark current experiential opportunities offered by VCU Career Services.
• Benchmark experiential opportunities offered by universities with similar characteristics as VCU.
• Assess opportunities based on necessary resources, and prioritize for implementation based on viability.
• Create industry site visits (Career Treks), panels and programs.
• Develop a budget to support initiatives prioritized for implementation.
• Identify and collaborate with employers and campus partners to set learning outcomes and implement offerings.

Develop and launch an employer sponsorship program.

• Benchmark employer sponsorship opportunities offered by universities with similar characteristics to VCU.
• Meet with the Office of Development and Alumni Relations team to gain an understanding of fundraising processes and compliance at VCU.
• Establish a task force to develop a framework for an employer sponsorship program.
• Collaborate with Student Financial Services to establish policies and procedures to accept sponsorships; partner with team members to engage with Student Financial Services.
• Develop communications and marketing plans and goals.
• Launch employer sponsorship program.

Benchmark with other institutions that have funding opportunities within career services offices. 

• Research funding strategies at other institutions, frequency of distribution, purpose of funds, terminology, method of advertising to students, who manages the fund (dedicated position, group of staff, etc.) and any items of note.

Inventory existing funding options within VCU, the local community, and national grants.

• Research additional funding opportunities available to VCU students, including distribution method, frequency of distribution, the purpose of funds, terminology, method of advertising and any other items of note.
• Develop a plan for all the information that is collected to be shared with the VCU community.

Develop a sustainable fund managed by Career Services to assist students participating in experiential learning. 

• Develop a funding goal amount that will sustainably run the program.
• Work with the Student Success leadership to create an account to store funds; partner with team members to engage with Student Financial Services.
• Meet with the Office of Development and Alumni Relations staff to discuss fundraising methodologies.

Create an ongoing administrative process for funding strategy management for experiential learning.

• Create a proposal for a staff member to manage all aspects of the fund. 
• Write out a plan for all logistics and processes for each constituent group.