Go to UConn, Get a Job - Class of '19 On It

For those of the opinion that the objective of higher education is to be a direct conduit to a post-graduation job, there’s good news from Connecticut’s flagship university.  And for those looking to the University of Connecticut to keep students in-state to start careers, and attract new talent to take root here, there are additional positives.

New figures from UConn show that 90 percent of graduates report being established in jobs, post-graduate academic programs, or other pursuits of their choosing within six months of graduating.  The University points out that includes a large number of Connecticut residents who stayed in the state to build their careers, according to a story published in UConn Today.

The figures, developed by an outside vendor for UConn’s Center for Career Development, also show a 6 percentage point gain in the past three years.

The center’s post-graduate survey of the 2019 graduating class found 90 percent of those students reported what is described as “favorable outcomes.”  More than 60 percent were employed, while almost 30 percent were in post-graduate programs and smaller segments were in the military or participating in volunteer service.

The data, known as the Undergraduate First Destination report, comes from surveys of members of the UConn Class of 2019, with the methodology based on national standards set by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

Expect additional data from UConn in the coming months.  The University announced earlier this year that it would – for the first time – be participating in the National Alumni Career Mobility Survey (NACM), which provides universities across the country with data on their graduates’ career paths at the five-year and 10-year mark after they receive their bachelor’s degrees. That on-line survey will look at career pathways, career satisfaction, economic mobility, civic engagement and educational satisfaction.

The results of the survey of 2019 graduates underscores the University’s focus on preparing students to be job-ready with internship assistance, career counseling, employment fairs, resume workshops, mentor networking, and many other services that the Center for Career Development offers, UConn officials noted.

The data also indicated that although about 68 percent of the recent alumni landing jobs in Connecticut were residents of the state before enrolling in UConn, nearly 26 percent of the graduates who came to UConn from other states also ended up staying in Connecticut for jobs. 

 “We place a strong emphasis on providing students with the necessary tools to articulate their value proposition in areas such as critical thinking, teamwork, leadership, ethical decision-making, and global perspective, to name a few,” said James Lowe, executive director of UConn’s Center for Career Development. “This, combined with our robust corporate partner relations focus, provides opportunities for students to actively engage with employers to explore meaningful career opportunities.”

Many of the state’s most prominent employers hired UConn graduates over the past six months, including United Technologies, Pratt & Whitney, Synchrony, Stanley Black & Decker, Aetna, Cigna, Deloitte, Travelers, and several others. The Center for Career Development hosted 90 employers for on-campus interviews during the academic year, and employers posted more than 22,000 jobs through the Center’s HuskyCareerLink site.

Programs at the Center for Career Development include regular events on topics ranging from internships to resume preparation, interviewing, networking, navigating career fairs, and many other areas. Students can take advantage of the services as early as their freshman year, helping set a foundation of skills on which they can build leading up to their search for internships and post-graduation employment.

Lowe said that in 2018-19, the center conducted about 600 career-related presentations, with about 10,000 students attending; had about 7,200 students participating in career fairs that drew over 1,000 employers; and held about 6,700 one-on-one career counseling sessions with students.

 “Our mission is to engage students as early in their academic careers as we can,” Lowe said. “Early engagement gives students the opportunity to intentionally plan and navigate their time at UConn so they are better prepared for what lies beyond graduation.”

 Photo by Tyler Keating/The Daily Campus