Understanding Essential Skills

Discover Your Major: Leveraging Steppingblocks at FIU

In this episode, we’re joined by Alexa Urra, Associate Director of Academic Support Services at Florida International University, who shares her in-depth experience integrating the Digital Career Counselor tool into FIU’s Discover Your Major course. Alexa walks us through her intentional, student-focused implementation strategy—from recognizing a curricular gap to evaluating potential solutions and collaborating with key campus partners to ensure the tool aligned with academic goals and student needs.

Scaling Career Readiness Resources at the University of South Carolina

We had the privilege of speaking with Vicki Hamby and Helen Powers, two leaders dedicated to supporting student career readiness at the University of South Carolina. They shared insights into their successful rollout of the Digital Career Counselor [https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/career_center/gamecock_gradstats/index.php] on their campus and the strategies that contributed to its success.  In this episode, we discuss:  * The importance of gathering feedback and suggestions from key stakeholders * Building buy in from both students and staff * Crafting intentional marketing strategies * Assessing the effectiveness of the rollout and marketing plan * Launching the campaign for incoming students and staff members

Marketing the Value of Higher Education: The Role of Data in Enrollment Marketing at NIU

For decades the role of enrollment marketing in Higher Education has been to demonstrate the unique value of their academic programs, promote their unique student experience, and tell the unique story of their institution. But with the rising costs of higher education, many prospective college students and their families are not simply considering which college has the best value, but they’re now considering if any college is worth attending. This means that enrollment marketing professionals have the added responsibility of communicating the value of higher education as a whole, not just the unique value of their own institution. We sat down with Sol Jensen, Vice President for Enrollment Management Marketing and Communications at Northern Illinois University, to discuss this changing landscape and the critical role that graduate outcomes data plays in navigating it. In this episode, we discuss:  * The changing landscape of enrollment management marketing and communications * The value of career outcomes in enrollment management and marketing and communications * How NIU has leveraged their Steppingblocks outcomes data to tell the story of NIU career outcomes and the value of an NIU degree * How colleges and universities can explore, prioritize, and showcase their graduate outcomes data to a multitude of audiences * The power of sharing access to graduate outcomes data across campus  For more on how you can leverage graduate outcomes data for Enrollment Management and Marketing and Communications, check out these resources from Steppingblocks:  eBook: Communicating the Value of Higher Education  [https://resources.steppingblocks.com/communicating-value] Handout: Best Practices for Leveraging Outcomes Data in Enrollment Marketing  [https://resources.steppingblocks.com/hubfs/Tell%20Your%20Story%20Best%20Practices%20for%20Leveraging%20Outcomes%20Data%20in%20Enrollment%20Marketing.pdf] Handout: Maximizing Graduate Insights for Admissions & Marketing [https://resources.steppingblocks.com/hubfs/Steppingblocks%20-%20Maximizing%20Graduate%20Insights%20for%20Admissions%20%26%20Marketing.pdf] Case Study: Leveraging Career Outcomes Data for Strategic Enrollment Marketing Planning at Northern Illinois University [/case-studies-and-interviews/niu-enrollment]

Building Connections through Data and Storytelling: the Role of Admissions & Marketing in Higher Education

Growing skepticism of higher education combined with an often overwhelming social media and technological landscape can make it challenging for college admissions and marketing professionals to cut through the noise and reach prospective students. In this episode, we sit down with Kyle Nolan, Director of Admission Marketing at Curry College, to discuss the role of admissions marketing in 2024.

Understanding Essential Skills

Most people have heard of “hard” or “technical” skills and their alleged opposite, “soft” skills. However, many career development practitioners and employers are shifting the focus to “essential” skills. In this age of rapidly evolving technology, employers want college graduates who have essential skills that can serve as a foundation for the makings of a great employee. These skills span industries and academic disciplines, and can help students future-proof their career success. Check out our conversation all about the critical need for essential skills with Suzanne Helbig, Associate Vice Provost, Division of Career Pathways at University of California, Irvine. In this conversation, we talk about:  * The meaning and value of essential skills * Common misconceptions about essential skills * How colleges and universities can help their students develop and articulate their essential skills * Why essential skills matter to employers * How data informs the narratives around essential skills