1. Increasing Career Centre Value on Campus Jan Basso Co-operative Education & Career Development Wilfrid Laurier University

2. Vision  Each student is engaged in the career development process as an integral part of the Laurier experienceMission  To inspire and engage all students and alumni in the pursuit of their career aspirations by providing comprehensive and innovative career education, developing partnerships throughout Laurier, and facilitating the connection with employers and the broader community.

3.  Develop and deliver comprehensive and innovative programs and services through the efficient and effective use of people and resources.  Develop partnerships and relationships that will support the integration of career education into the Laurier experience.  Involve employers at each stage of the career planning and job search process by developing partnerships which provide value to both employers and students.

4.  Increase student awareness and understanding of the value of the career development process and our expertise through targeted marketing and active involvement in the student community.  Promote a productive and supportive work environment

5.  Connecting what you need done to reach your goals with what others need done to reach theirs ◦ Student recruitment ◦ Student retention ◦ High-impact learning strategies ◦ Satisfied students ◦ Employed graduates ◦ Successful and engaged alumni  By building internal relationships and partnerships

6.  The Career Centre becomes an integral part of your institution, a recognized partner with all other academic and non-academic units  Increased financial support  Protection of existing resources  Creation of a network to assist in marketing of services to students and alumni

7.  Expansion of programs through partnerships with other campus departments  Learning from and incorporating the expertise of others on your campus to improve service delivery  Generation of job opportunities for students on campus  Recognition as the professional service on campus for career development expertise

8.  Job satisfaction and development opportunities for staff  Visibility for your department to recruit quality staff in the future  Maximum visibility on campus  But above all…to assist students in their career development!

9. Focus Your Efforts  Establish vision, mission, goals  Set annual objectives for the department and individual staff members

10.  Become informed about career centre impact on institutional objectives  Identify obstacles that exist  Understand campus history and culture ◦ What initiatives in building connections have met with success or failure in the past? Why? ◦ How rigid or fluid is the hierarchy at your institution? ◦ Who exactly are the decision-makers? ◦ Who gets along with whom? ◦ What does your organization value?

11.  Determine student needs that are not being met  Determine where employment prospects are weak  Understand the needs of other departments  Meet with new people on campus  Assess what resources are available to you  Leverage your external connections

12.  The Career Centre Staff  Career Development Programs and Services  Information of Value

13.  Senior Administration  Faculty  Campus Departments  Students

14.  Developing effective relationships and partnerships, both internally and externally, is critical to your career centre’s success.  Connecting what you need done to reach your goals with what others need done to reach theirs is the key.  Never stop working at it!  Building relationships creates strength!

15. Jan Basso, Director Co-operative Education and Career Development Wilfrid Laurier University 75 University Avenue West Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3C5 (519) 884-0710, ext. 4137 jbasso@wlu.ca www.wlu.ca/career