Until the last decade, the traditional career path has remained relatively unchanged.
• Attend college for four years.
• Study a subject matter.
• Get a degree.
• Find a job.
In today’s workplace, requirements have evolved faster than ever. Companies require skills that students cannot always acquire in the classroom or through school work.
Now, businesses are placing higher values on workforce experiences and other life skills as they search for workers who aren’t just book-smart but have had hands-on, immersive experiences that can translate into workplace success.
In fact, a recent study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that an internship in the company’s industry is a top deciding factor, second to the candidate’s academic major. The same study by the NACE found that nearly 81% of employers prefer candidates who have industry experience.
Meanwhile, college students are increasingly expecting their alma mater to help provide the tools, techniques, and support needed to thrive in today’s workforce and workplace. In an April 2024 survey of college students, while 84% of those surveyed found their college education to be valuable, only 39% believed it to be highly valuable. In addition, 63% want their institutions to work with employers to create programs which focus on earning practical experience.
Entrare nel Denison Edge
The Columbus Region’s Denison Edge (an extension of the college’s Austin E. Knowlton Center for Career Exploration) is equipping college students and professionals with skill-building tools to succeed in the workplace through immersive career programs. Instead of the short-sighted vision of simply finding a job, students have the opportunity to complement their liberal arts education with Denison Edge programs, led by industry experts at the forefront of their fields – equipping them with valuable skills and insights for long-term success.
Denison Edge offers industry-focused programs in five key areas: Marketing/Communications, Finance, Analytics, Business, and Logistics. Upon completing a program, participants earn a digital badge that can be displayed on LinkedIn, resumes, and shared with their networks to showcase the valuable skills they’ve acquired.
By pairing introspection with specialized training, Denison Edge has created a reliable system to support Ohio’s workforce training. The program is producing candidates with the essential business skills that companies are looking for from the talented workforce our region offers.
Collaborazione con la comunità per un vantaggio reciproco
Steeped in the collaborative spirit that the Columbus Region is known for, the Denison Edge has strong connections throughout Central Ohio, including an advisory board of executives from Rick Coplin International, Warhol and Wall St., Deloitte Consulting, Culture Up, 1-800 Flowers.Com, ReadySkill, BHDP Architecture, Spyder Works, Pang Industrial and AGLX.
“Our location in Columbus, combined with Denison’s strong relationship with businesses and organizations, plays a pivotal role in advancing the Columbus talent pipeline,” said Elizabeth Skovron, Director of Marketing and Communications for Denison Edge and the Knowlton Center.
And the Edge is not alone. The Digital Flagship at OSU program is another university-wide initiative that provides students with the hard and soft skills necessary for today’s modern, mobile, technology-driven workforce. In fact, many of the Columbus Region’s 52 colleges and universities are replacing cookie-cutter programs with tools that help students design their own individualized career roadmap and meet the new workforce demands of industry, from manufacturing and robotics to logistics and automation.
The Columbus Region’s colleges and universities produce 22,000 annual graduates, and we have some of the most sophisticated workforce development programs in the U.S. Contact us today if you are an aspiring professional considering a move to the region, or a business looking for the right talent to power your next operation.
Originally Published: August 3, 2021, Last Updated: August 23, 2024