Last month, the CCE collaborated with Campus Life on a new pilot workshop for supervisors of WashU student employees. The workshop gives campus supervisors access to strategies and resources that will elevate their student employment program as a high-impact practice. Sarah Sims, Assistant Director of Experiential Learning and Erin Mitchener, Assistant Director of Academic Partnerships provided an overview on the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) career readiness competencies while Mandy Curtis, Department Coordinator in Campus Life, demonstrated how she has integrated competencies for her department’s student employees.
When Curtis first began supervising Danforth University Center Student Associates (DUCSAs), she says trainings were time intensive and focused more on team building than transferable skills. Today, Campus Life has not only made changes in their monthly meeting topics but also uses NACE competencies as a guide to broaden the appeal and relevance of each meeting. Curtis says they also use the competencies as a framework for performance reviews. She says ultimately the shift has resulted in clearer expectations and objectives for both the student worker and supervisor.
During the workshop, supervisors were tasked with identifying at least one of the eight NACE competencies relevant to their student position(s) and developing ideas on how they could incorporate it in future development.
For those interested in learning more, the CCE offers resources to support on-campus employment supervisors and on-campus student employees.
