January 28, 2025

A successful transition from postsecondary education into employment begins long before graduation — and throughout that journey, quality education-to-career coaching can be a game-changer for students.

But how do academic advisors, career services professionals, and other postsecondary leaders and practitioners determine what makes a coaching experience a quality one?

After convening an expert advisory group to identify essential practices for helping students connect their education to a career through quality education-to-career guidance, Strada recently released Principles for Education-to-Career Guidance. The principles are based on the premise that support for education and career should be integrated and intertwined throughout the student experience.

A new blog post from NASPA’s Elise Newkirk-Kotfila and Strada’s Melissa Leavitt highlights the principles as well as other resources related to holistic advising redesign.

“Grounding academic development, career exploration, and internal reflection within their labor market context puts students in an informed position to realize a strong return on their investment in education,” they write, “and ultimately to turn the lives they envision for themselves into reality.”

THE VALUE OF APPRENTICESHIPS

On the WorkingNation podcast, Work in Progress, Apprenticeships for America Executive Director John Colborn explains why apprenticeships are so valuable — and not just in the skilled trades, but in other in-demand industries. “An important feature of an apprenticeship is that there’s mentorship involved,” Colborn says. “You have somebody in the workplace who is helping connect you to all those unwritten rules that are part of everybody’s workplace.” Another benefit: At the end of the apprenticeship, you have a connection to the company — which often leads to a job. Listen here.

COMPLEXITIES OF NONDEGREE CREDENTIALS

Any generalization about nondegree credentials is “perilous,” note two experts from the Education and Employment Research Center at Rutgers University in a blog recently published in Work Shift. Unlike the credit-based higher education system, nondegree credentials are not standardized and have not been defined at a national level. They can be awarded by colleges, state and federal agencies, trade associations, or companies. Instruction can involve as little as a single day.​​ Read more.

HIGHER ED-INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIPS

The future of work depends on strong partnerships between businesses and higher education institutions in creating career-ready opportunities for students, and a recent Strada-supported report from the Business-Higher Education Forum offers an in-depth look at the state of collaboration today. Among the takeaways: Ninety percent of businesses say partnerships with colleges are a priority, but only 22 percent of higher education leaders report having a fully executed strategy. Read more.

GRANT: Today Strada announced eight recipients of a grant aimed at helping universities develop innovative guidance and career services.

SURVEY OPPORTUNITY: Colleges and universities are invited to participate in the State Opportunity Index survey and receive confidential and benchmarked results, free of cost.

NEW LOOK: Strada has a new look and brand image that better reflects our commitment to working and supporting our partners with focus, connection, curiosity, agility, and optimism.