The University of North Florida has a new requirement for incoming students: to have some form of experiential, hands-on learning before graduation, including an internship, research project or leadership opportunity.
“We want to produce a career-ready workforce,” said Scott Curry, senior director, industry engagement. “It’s part of our strategy to grow from 17,000 to 25,000 students by the end of the decade.
To help make that happen, UNF has created Soaring Together, a play on the university’s mascot, the Ospreys. The goal of the initiative is to make it easier for businesses to form partnerships with the Jacksonville school, giving them special access to academic and athletic events — and the students.
UNF launched the initiative with five companies: Pivot CPAs, W.W. Gay electrical contractors, Corporate Traffic Logistics, Stellar, a design-build company, and Miller Electric contractors. The companies can choose a partnership tier, ranging from $900 a semester to $15,000 a year, with a commitment of one to three years. The companies that buy the upper tiers have $1,000 of their investment supports Student Success Scholarships.
“We give them a menu of opportunities to engage,” Curry said. “It’s like an all-season pass. To make hiring easier. We do 27 recruiting events a year across the university — nursing, engineering, STEM, business, arts and science.”
In addition to career fairs and speaking engagements, UNF offers the companies brand-building opportunities and direct involvement in student career development through resume reviews, interview days and mentorship.
Employer of the Day gives a company exclusive access for a day, with their logo featured all over the campus. Last year, Curry said, 106 companies took part.
“We want kids to be on their way to class and see the opportunities they have with a UNF degree. They can have a casual conversation with a potential employer. They can ask, ‘What do you do?’ What is a career with you like? It’s a real boon for undecided students.”
Networking Nights is a business casual, cocktail-type event where students and employers can chat.
“It’s less stressful and low cost,” Curry said.
Once a year, the school hosts an Employer Summit, a day of speakers and workshops to hear the latest trends, share their successes and learn about upcoming programs.
“It’s how we kick off the new recruiting season. We want to help them reach their recruitment and engagement goals,” Curry said. “It’s a fun day, and shows employers how they can make the most of being on campus.”
Last year, 1,200 businesses visited the campus, including Corporate Traffic, which has hired 38 UNF alums over the years.
The logistics company has been working with UNF for 15 years.
“This partnership has been key to our recruitment efforts, and we look forward to future growth and opportunities,” said Tina-Marie Zolezzi, director of human capital management. Curry said that in a survey, 90.2% of employers who came on campus think they will make a hire. And about 70% of graduates stay in the Jacksonville area, and 80% stay in Florida. “That’s a fantastic measure of employer success and speaks to the quality of students we graduate,” Curry said. “They are career-ready.”
Curry said that higher education is being reinvented.
“Students are rightfully wanting to know what they can do with a degree. We want to show how we are a benefit to students and their families. To show real outcomes that are a path to success.
“And employers are already doing us a favor by hiring our students. Soaring Together will open the door wider for our industry partners and provide new ways to collaborate.”