Augustana’s newest office, CORE, standing for Careers, Opportunities, Research and Exploration, is attempting to prepare students for the professional workforce, an idea many students should take more seriously.
A recent New York Times article cited a poll conducted by After College that found that 83 percent of college seniors graduated without employment this spring. That same article also cited a survey by Millennial Branding that found that out of over 4,000 students, 61 percent of them found their college’s career services either “never” or “rarely” effective.
CORE provided a much needed rebranding and relocation from the corner of campus in Sorensen to Olin, with a staff that went from three to 13.
According to Money Magazine, the national average is 1.4 career development staff per 1,000 students, and Augustana’s ratio is now at 5.2.
Programs like this are needed. The Economic Policy institute reports that approximately 8.5 percent of college graduates between the ages of 21-24 are unemployed.
In addition, 16.8 percent of the graduates are underemployed, meaning they do not have a job that they need their degree for. This number is based on a year average between April 2013 and March 2014. clear that action can be taken.
Comparing this to 2007, when the unemployment rate for recent graduates was 5.5 percent, and the underemployment rate was 9.6 percent, it is clear that action can be taken.
To combat this, CORE introduced the self-proclaimed “revolutionary” idea of a Viking Score. Students earn points by completing different goals, such as attending a job fair, creating and updating a LinkedIn profile and attending preparatory workshops.
If a first-year started keeping score, then he or she should end their college career with a score of 100, and upon graduation, receive a professional preparation award. Each student will also have a file that the faculty will be able to access so that the any member may see your progress and provide assistance.
All of these services are completely optional, but one fact remains: Augustana is attempting to help students be prepared with more than just a degree. Now the question is will students take advantage of the program?
Along with the career development program, CORE also offers opportunities with research, international study, internships, research, vocational study and marketing experience.
The Observer will be running a CORE series in order to investigate the different divisions and opportunities provide to students, as well as track the program’s success. The first article will appear in the next issue.