The Role of Sustainability in Career & Workforce Development

Our Panelists

Mieko A. OzekiSustainability

Projects Coordinator

Jen JonesFacilities

Coordinator

Kevin KirscheDirector of

Sustainability

Dedee DeLongpre Johnston

Director of Sustainability

Employment Perspective: The Millennial Generation

❖ According to the BLS, the average worker today stays at their job for 4.4 years.

❖ 91% of Millennials expected to stay at their jobs for less than 3 years.*

❖ This means students could hold 15-20 jobs over the course of your working lives.

*Source: Future Workplace “Multiple Generations @ Work” Getty Images

The Need for Career Training & Mentors

Career training must start early because getting students to decide what job they want — and teaching them how to thoroughly research that job, get internships and conduct a job search for a full-time position — is not a quick or easy task. This course would ask students to consider their skills and interests.

NY Times, Thomas Friedman (9/9/14)NY Times, Ben Carpenter (8/31/14)

What are the things that happen at a college or technical school that, more than anything else, produce “engaged” employees on a fulfilling career track? … Successful students had one or more teachers who were mentors and took a real interest in their aspirations, and they had an internship related to what they were learning in school.

Focus of this Panel: How can workforce development add value to our roles, to students, to our institutions?

Sustainability offices are in a unique position on campus. With the ability to work across departmental boundaries of campus on sustainability initiatives, our offices can provide professional development opportunities for students while meeting office objectives.

Workforce development --> Add value to OoS role

Focus of Talk: Creating Space to Develop the Whole Student - Personal, Professional, & Academic

● College develops Academic, we work co-curricularly to develop professional/personal

● We find our students ill-equipped to deal with the real work environment○ special snowflake syndrome○ lacking practical, translatable skills○ pie-in-the-sky ideals with no means to pull them together

● Personal and Professional development are inextricable● Led us to develop a holistic internship program● Key became about providing and creating space

○ Space to experiment○ Space to discuss○ Space to fail○ Space to grow

Program ProfileSchool Specs: Public, Liberal Arts, Masters institution with student population of 11,000

Internship Coordinating Office: Office of Sustainability, established 2011

Home Division: Business Affairs ?!?@*#&

Mission: “To generate and apply knowledge through holistic praxis to create sustainable solutions that transform society by rethinking, redesigning and restoring integrated systems.”

# Staff: 4 full-time, 3 part-time

Student and Internship Coordinator (FT)

Assistant Internship Coordinator (PT)

Internship Structure

● 15-20 interns● All students “report” to an advisor● 4-tiers:

Volunteer 3-5 hrs

Undergraduate 5-7 hrs

For credit 10 hrs*

Paid 12-15 hrs

Volunteer Rotation

Increasing responsibility and expectations

Managing a Project

Strategies for a Holistic InternPersonal Development Space● Empowerment● “Sustainabilibonding”

○ Field trips (dual)○ Social outings○ Facebook group○ One-on-ones○ Support

● Informal mentorship program● Open discussion at meetings● Allowing failure to happen● Being there to pick up the pieces

when failure does happen

Strategies for a Holistic Intern

Professional Development Space● Gradation of responsibility - tiered● We are not micromanagers● Exposure, both on campus and off● Real workplace skills - Workshops

○ Student lead ○ Staff lead ○ Guest lead

● Frequently relate to “real world”● Resume building● Networking - partners, field trips● Project management

What’s working, what’s not?

Assessment● Constant and evolving discussion of strengths and weaknesses

○ Office meetings○ One-on-ones

● Evaluations, both self and advisor ○ Midterm ○ End

● Exit Interviews

Student Feedback"Before I got to the Office of Sustainability, I really didn't have a channel or a means to focus my energy and my passions. I think the Office has really provided a platform for me to do that”

“As frustrating as it is sometimes, it's so much more rewarding because it's much more of a human experience, and you're not protected and insulated by these academic walls and boundaries. You're still very much in an academic institution, but it's much more alive and exploratory.”

"My horizons are broadening. I came in wanting to save the world and go move to Africa and live in a tent and think I was helping them. Now I see that in order to create sustainable development and sustainable change, it takes so much more than that.”

“I definitely have a brand new toolkit that I picked up here, and that's going to help me whether it's graduate school or a job. I feel like the options are endless now that I have the confidence and skillset to bring to the table."

“I’ve learned so much personally and professionally. When people ask me what I’m going to do after I graduate, I’m not worried, I know I can take everything I learned here to succeed.”

"I feel like everything is different now. The way I look at things, organize, and how I do things. I see things more in a complete working system.”

“The encouragement you guys are giving me turns into empowerment and made me feel like I can do anything. I went out and felt that I was pushing myself more.” http://vimeo.

com/98178894

Student Successes● Our 10 Graduating Students

○ 90% employed/school○ 66% in sustainability field

● Awards○ Udall Scholarship○ Student Employee of the Year○ Pat Kelly Social Activism Award○ Top Student in their Department

● Further Education○ Sustainable Development, Uppsala University,

Sweden○ Water Conflict Mgmt and Transformation

focus at Oregon State ● Employment

○ Sustainable landscaping○ Sustainability office○ International environmental consulting

agency

Focus of Talk: Welcome to the Real World

● Formal internship program○ Posted positions○ Accept unique proposals○ Partner positions

● Project-based○ Meet weekly as a staff○ Other meetings based on project (e.

g., Communications)○ Not in the office, answering phones,

etc.

● Paid○ Professional opportunity○ Professional expectations

Professional Skills and Training

● Begin with summer pre-work○ Concepts, tools, frameworks○ Fostering Sustainable Behavior

● Orientation○ Schedule and topics

● Learning contract○ Six-month 360 evaluation

● Project management○ Problem statement development○ Goal setting○ Timeline development

Getting them ready to fly

● Working with career services○ Job postings○ Social impact career workshop

● Convergence of skills and passions○ Mentoring

● Job references and recommendations○ Every day you come to work is an interview for your next job

Focus of Talk: Professional Portfolio Development- Content That Benefits Your Office & Your Intern

From former OoS intern Dexter Locke, Class of 2009:

I got a new job!!! I'll be working as a Research Assistant in a position jointly funded by the Parks Department and the Forest Service.

I can't help but think that your advice on portfolio building really made the difference. After a meeting with them, where I showed them my previous work, resume, letters of recommendation (thanks again!), and my transcript, they told me that my professionalism and organization seemed excellent. Based on that assessment they created this position for me. Again, I think the portfolio really made the whole thing happen. And without you, that wouldn't have been the case. My deepest gratitude is for you.

UVM’s Office of Sustainability❖ Public, land grant, doctoral

institution with medical school

❖ Enrollment: 12,856 students

❖ OoS established in 2008. Environmental Coordinator since 1995.

❖ Currently:➢ 2 full-time employees,

➢ 5 graduate assistants,

➢ 9 interns

❖ Interns are paid or work study positions.

2014-2015 Interns

Internship Program❖ Two sources of funding for

internships:➢ General Operations budget:

■ Sustainability Communications Intern

■ Sustainability Media Intern

➢ Student Green Fund:■ Clean Energy Fund Intern■ Clean Energy Fund Media

Intern

❖ Interns have work plans and Gantt charts

❖ Career training component.

CEF Comprehensive Renewable Energy Feasibility Study via Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/50873432

Work Plan Example

Gantt Chart Example

Internship Program Curriculum

❖ Project Development & Management:

➢ Mind mapping - project management, design thinking, systems thinking, stakeholder mapping

➢ Gantt charts- for laying out project timeline.

❖ Career Training/Career Development:

➢ Portfolio Development- Developing a body of work

➢ Personal Branding

❖ Financial Literacy:➢ Budgeting and saving

Body of Work: Finding the Thread That Ties Your Story Together by Pamela Slim

Developing a Body of Work: Professional Portfolio

❖ Personal development and self-reflection

❖ Career exploration

❖ Pitch yourself while networking

❖ A conversation piece

❖ Develop & Curate Your Professional Story

❖ Collect content for your Digital Brand

Portfolio Content (Download at bit.ly/portbrand)

❖ Resume*

❖ Reference list*

❖ Letters of references*

❖ Accomplishments

❖ Brochures

❖ Conferences, workshops, seminars attended

❖ Public speaking/presentations or performances

❖ Featured articles

❖ Honors, awards,

❖ Licenses or certificates for specific trainings

❖ Professional affiliations

❖ Writing samples

❖ Pictures of you in the field

❖ Examples of projects and reports

❖ Videos

BenefitsFor OoS:

❖ Creative final products.

❖ Learn new tools and/or get motivated to find new tools.

❖ Gain insight from student perspective on how an initiative or campaign is going on campus.

For Interns:

❖ Portfolio worthy materials.

❖ Learn new tools.

❖ Apply concepts learned in class to a work experience.

❖ Exposure to working in a professional setting.

Focus of Talk: Managing Internships While Enhancing Partnerships

❖ University of Georgia

Public, Land Grant, Research

❖ 34,536 students

❖ OoS established in 2010, Facilities Management Division

❖ Funded primarily through student green fees

❖ 3.5 full-time employees

❖ 21 interns currently (Fall 2014)

OoS Internship Program - An Overview

❖ 1st “intern” 2010

❖ 2011 - Internship Program

❖ To date: 132* interns from over 25 academic programs

❖ Paid, Unpaid & Credit

❖ Specific projects

❖ Work plan, mid-semester evaluations, survey

❖ Professional development, leadership training, opportunity to make a difference

Leveraging the Internship Program to Develop & Enhance Partnerships

UGArden - Campus Community Garden

Campus Kitchen

UGA Housing

Material Reuse Program

Social Sustainability Initiative

Oconee Rivers Water Trails

We’re building lasting relationships…achieving our goals.

For OoS:

❖ Expanded influence

❖ Enhanced capability

❖ Mentoring opportunities

For Interns:

❖ Professional development

❖ Applied knowledge and skills

❖ Tangible impact & experience

For Partners:

❖ Elevated visibility

❖ Increased impact

❖ Inspiration & transfer

CONTACT US

● Jen Jones, jejones2@cofc.edu

● Dedee DeLongpre Johnston, johnstdm@wfu.edu

● Mieko A. Ozeki, mozeki@uvm.edu

● Kevin Kirsche, kkirsche@uga.edu