Get On The Bus: College Talent & Industry Tours
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Western Michigan University Western Michigan University
ScholarWorks at WMU ScholarWorks at WMU
Academic Leadership Academy Office of Faculty Development
2012
Get On The Bus: College Talent & Industry Tours Get On The Bus: College Talent & Industry Tours
Christopher Sell Western Michigan University, christopher.f.sell@wmich.edu
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WMU ScholarWorks Citation WMU ScholarWorks Citation Sell, Christopher, "Get On The Bus: College Talent & Industry Tours" (2012). Academic Leadership Academy. 25. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/acad_leadership/25
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Get On The Bus: College Talent & Industry Tours
Christopher Sell
Assistant Director, Career and Student Employment Services
Academic Leadership Academy: 2011-2012
Why an Industry Road Trip?
Employers and career services professionals are always looking
for ways to efficiently connect students to internships and job
opportunities early in their college careers. Streamlining the
early identification process for college students and employers
has become vital to higher education institutions and companies
in Michigan as they strive to retain talent in the state. College
and university educators are equally committed to helping
students learn the professional networking skills necessary for
achieving their career goals.
In order to address both outcomes, career services staff at
Western Michigan University (WMU) created a five-day
immersion program that allows engineering & applied sciences
students to participate in a state-wide industry road trip. Program
participants will visit companies, tour facilities, participate in case
studies, network with HR staff, and connect with university
alumni in industry. The initiative is designed to engage students
in the career development process and connect them to hiring
employers earlier in their college career.
Theoretical Models
Student Learning Outcomes
As a result of their participation in the 2012 Michigan Industry
Road Trip:
1.) Students will be able to effectively communicate their skills and
interests to prospective employers.
2.) Students will be able to demonstrate proper networking
etiquette when communicating with professionals and employer
representatives.
3.) Students will understand various methods for researching
companies and/or the skills and competencies needed for their
desired industry.
4.) Students will become more knowledgeable of potential career
pathways connected to their academic major.
5.) Students will learn how to successfully identify and pursue
internships, co-op, and/or full-time job opportunities.
6.) Students will increase their awareness of living and working
opportunities in the state of Michigan.
Assessment of Student Learning
After identifying six distinct student learning outcomes (SLOs),
plans for direct and indirect assessment were made. Staff
developed journal prompts to assess student learning related to
each outcome, and a rubric was created to aid in the evaluation of
students’ journal responses. Additionally, student participants
completed a brief quantitative survey geared toward the identified
SLOs prior to the trip and after the trip to indirectly measure gains
in students’ career preparedness after the five-day program.
Timeline & Logistics
Projected Budget: Approximately $12,000 (all expenses)
Site Visit Companies: Gentex Corporation, Stryker
Corporation, Chrysler, Autocam, and Consumers Energy
Target Cities: Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Detroit
Transportation: B & W Charter Bus
Participants: All students from the WMU College of Engineering
& Applied Sciences could apply (15 participated)
The Road Trip
During the 2012 MI Industry Road Trip we stayed at downtown
hotels in Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Detroit. We visited five
different companies, toured different urban housing developments,
engaged in two networking dinners, met with our local State
Representative, and participated in the LiveWorkDetroit! program
to see first-hand the exciting developments in downtown Detroit.
Student Testimonials
What Did Students Learn?
Quantitative Analysis
Students’ self-reported scores regarding career preparedness prior to the trip and after the trip.
Conclusions
Future Considerations
Contact information
Qualitative Analysis via Student Journal Entries
• The trip solidified the choice of major and career path.
• Helped students develop networking & communication skills
• Helped students realize the versatility of engineering degree.
• Motivated students to sustain/improve GPA, get involved &
take leadership positions in RSOs, and get more hands-on
experience through internships
• Taught students to take a more active approach to job
searching and take advantage of the available career
programs & services.
• Provided opportunities to relate classroom learning to
professional environment & projects.
• Continued collaboration with economic development groups
and regional organizations in target communities
• Create a road trip committee (faculty & staff)
• Faculty/staff nominations within student application process
• Road Trip Ambassador positions for past participants
• Continued focus on first and second-year students
• Workshop series for student participants prior to trip
• New and more measurable Student Learning Outcomes
American educational theorist David A. Kolb believes “learning is
the process whereby knowledge is created through the
transformation of experience” (1984, p. 38). His theory presents a
cyclical model of learning, consisting of four distinct stages.
Kolb’s (1984) model for experiential learning informed the
design and implementation of the program. Subsequently, the
Michigan Industry Road Trip was designed to be an immersion
program whereby students practiced their networking skills and
reflected on each day’s experience to improve their networking
skills & learn more about potential career pathways in industry.
Post-graduation destination data for WMU students was also
considered while designing the trip. Many college graduates are
leaving Michigan for dynamic urban cities in other parts of the
country (seem image above). Retaining many of the thousands of
students who graduate from a Michigan college or university is a
top economic development priority in Michigan. Therefore, we
partnered with economic development groups to create
opportunities for our participants to visit exciting Michigan cities
and explore the many options for living, working, and playing.
Christopher Sell
Assistant Director
Career and Student Employment Services
1401 Ellsworth Hall
Kalamazoo, MI 49008
Connect w/ me on LinkedIn!
T: 269.387.2745
E: christopher.f.sell@wmich.edu
Twitter: @WMUBronco_Chris
0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00
Communicate your skills and interests to an…
Research skills and knowledge needed for a career
Research employers that might have positions…
Find information about the industry related to…
Find internship/co-ops
Find job openings
Network with professionals
Dress appropriately for professional interactions
Interview for a job
Identify employment opportunities within the…
4.21
4.14
3.79
3.93
4.36
4.14
3.79
5.00
4.00
3.86
5.06
5.31
5.38
5.13
5.13
5.13
5.13
5.75
4.88
5.31
Pre-trip
Post-trip
(Above) Our group of students received a tour of downtown Kalamazoo on the first day of our trip.
They met with a Kalamazoo Chamber of Commerce staff member at Bronson Park to learn about
the location at which Abraham Lincoln gave his only speech in Michigan (August, 1856).
“After going on this trip, I have a much
better understanding of the various
industries and technology that is
involved in the day-to-day operations
for engineering. Because of this, I
believe I have become better at
researching companies by being able
to look for the qualities and skill sets
they look for in candidates.” ~ Mike H.,
Junior, Engr Management Technology
(Left) Students with senior leadership
& Bronco engineers at the Chrysler
Technical Center in Auburn Hills, MI.
“The trip has been an amazing experience for me to better understand what Michigan has to offer
as a state. Entering WMU I believed that it was inevitable I was going to work outside of Michigan.
After this trip, I find it hard to imagine leaving Michigan because of all the opportunities and growth I
have been exposed to this week.” ~ Karen H., Sophomore, Mechanical Engineering
References Available Upon Request
(Right) Our group stopped in Lansing for
a tour of our State Capitol Building. They
also met with Sean McCann, our local
State Representative, and discussed all
the opportunities for living and working in
Michigan post-graduation.
(Left) Students met with Consumers
Energy engineers and talent acquisition
staff while touring the J.H. Campbell
Generating Complex near West Olive,
MI, along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
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