As educators dedicated to supporting the academic and professional growth of UConn students, exploring innovative ways to enrich their learning experience is always a priority. Collaborating with employers and alumni in the classroom for a presentation, project, or visit can complement curriculum, help students stay directly informed of industry trends, advancements, and changing practices, share industry perspective on the area of study, and provide students an opportunity to strengthen their career competencies while building meaningful connections.
Whether for career advice, industry insight, a subject matter expert, or learning more about a specific organization, employers and alumni are ready and willing to share information with your students. Some examples of collaborations where the Center for Career Development connected UConn faculty with employers and alumni in the classroom have included:
- An analyst from a telecommunications company visited a classroom to enlighten students about their role within an organization, the required skills and emphasis on the use of Excel in analytics. This employer related their day-to-day activities on the job to the skills that the students were gaining from the course, while supporting a class project that requires students to analyze online data.
- Employees from a local research institution presented the latest developments in medicine and how it’s currently used in industry. They also shared perspectives on how to gain experience in this area of work if a student is interested.
- UConn alumni who work at a manufacturing company spoke to a class about how they transferred what they learned in the classroom to their current role.
- Two nonprofit organizations visited a CLAS class to provide guidance on the hiring process in the nonprofit industry, as well as which of the career competencies are sought out the most.
Career topics for the classroom are endless with guest presenters and the Center for Career Development can help connect you.
Faculty and staff, please fill out this form to request our support with finding an employer and/or alumni to visit your classroom. Members of the Center for Career Development will ensure that the employer understands your needs, then connect them directly with you for further clarification and details.
Employers, please complete the form below if you are interested in speaking to a class and if we receive a potential match, we will be in touch.
