The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) has focused on professionalizing its entire student workforce – made up of over 1,000 students each year in various roles. The student employees are now called “working learners” and their jobs are being reframed to better align with their career goals, emphasize key competencies, and foster their personal and professional development.
The On-Campus Student Employment Professionalization initiative is also working to improve training and support structures for faculty and staff who supervise working learners. And a full-time student employment specialist dedicated to supporting student supervisors and working learners was added to Career-Engaged Learning.
“Students are an integral part of the UTSA workforce. The changes we’re implementing and our work to provide awareness of transferable skills will enrich the employment experience for both students and their supervisors,” Ginnifer Cié Gee, UTSA associate vice provost for Career-Engaged Learning, told UTSA Today. “Students will benefit by connecting what they’re learning on the job to their future careers, and supervisors will benefit from increased support to help them grow as leaders.”
Read more about this reimagining here.
