Whether you’re a new student or looking for a job, Western’s got you covered with the merging of the Centre for New Students and The Career Centre.
“We will be able to help students with their transition into Western through to the end of their formal time on campus and beyond,” says Leslie Lumsden, Director of the new centre and formerly manager of The Career Centre @ Western.
“This change will enhance the student experience since both our areas aim to help students make life decisions,” adds Donna Moore, Associate Director of the new centre and formerly manager of the Centre for New Students.
Lumsden says the merger came about when thinking where to find synergies in joining with other colleagues.
“Both our services help students with decision making that is crucial to charting a successful path in life,” she says. “We do that directly through Summer Academic Orientation, career counselling, employment support, mature student advising, and programs for high achieving students.
We also help inform students’ decision making by providing a rich array of experiential learning, such as internships, service learning, leadership education and leadership opportunities.”
Both services will share space in Room 210 of the University Community Centre, where The Career Centre and Student Development Services were previously housed. There will also be a wing of this new department located in the new Western Student Services Building.
“As we explore the links between our programs, there will be enhancements to services to students,” says Lumsden, adding she’s excited about growing experiential and leadership programming.
“We are bringing together staff from across three units into one team,” she adds. “Experiential education makes learning come alive for students. They are able to take concepts and theories they learn from lectures and textbooks and apply them in a real-world context. It is learning in action.”
Students have the chance to “test-drive” a particular interest, job or employment sector, and see if they are a good fit. Other benefits include the development of practical skills and ‘soft’ skills, including teamwork, leadership, initiative, and communication.
Experiential learning is about creating opportunities to serve the community and reflect on the experience, and to enhance students’ formal education. Internships, co-ops and service learning are all a part of this type of learning.
Earlier this year, more than 100 students went to five locations around the world for a service learning experience. This included many students going to New Orleans to work with Habitat for Humanity.
Both the Centre for New Students and The Career Centre provide leadership education and leadership opportunities for students, for example, Career Leaders, Summer Academic Orientation Leaders, Off-campus Dons and Peer Mentors.
The Centre for New Students has been operating a popular Leadership Education Program, which has grown from 700 registrations in 2006 to about 3,000 this year.
“Students will have more leadership opportunities with the merger,” says Moore.
One of the largest audiences is the Summer Academic Orientation program, which assists students with initial steps including course selection, timetabling and registration. The strength of this program comes from the contributions of faculty, staff and student leaders. About 90 per cent of all new first-year students attend the program – some travelling from Europe, China and the Caribbean, Moore says.
Students are divided into groups by faculty and get a chance to meet their faculty advisers and other students in their programs. Their parents can attend a Parents’ Program to learn about financial aid and how they can help their students’ transitions to university.
“The merger means that we have a large audience of first-year students to tell the importance of career planning right from the beginning of the university experience,” says Lumsden, noting it is never too early to begin exploring career areas.
“There’s a new challenge . . . within the marketplace and the economy. There are still opportunities out there, but students need to be creative. And students should get involved in the Centre’s programs early on to avoid missing out on opportunities to be discovered.”
Using webCT, study groups will be launched through the Leadership and Mentorship Program and the Society of Off-Campus Students.
About 28,000 individuals have used the online career forum, CareerCentral, which has been operating since January 2008. It’s a database where students can go to find career or volunteer opportunities, apply for jobs and sign up for interviews and events.
About 2,500 organizations have posted jobs on the site, which has received about 41,000 applications, Lumsden says.
“Employers know that if they want to access Western students, we are the place to come. Often we’re the conduit to job opportunities,” she says.
Online services are also being expanded. By the fall, there will be full presentations on topics such the Basics of Resume Writing, the Basics of Cover Letter Writing and the Basics of Interviewing on the website.
A wide range of services is also offered – including job fairs, workshops, networking opportunities and career counselling. Two job fairs per year are hosted, including Western’s Career Fair in October, held in the new Campus Recreation Building, and the All-Campus Job Expo in February.
In addition, the centre also runs an entire Career Week in October. This year, the theme is entrepreneurial employment.
Many possibilities exist as the two centres come together
At the time of writing this article, a new name for the combined Centre had not been chosen. Check out the websites for updates!
www.registrar.uwo.ca/cfns and www.career.uwo.ca.