Filtering by
population, especially at Arizona State University (ASU), one of the largest public universities in the states (“Most International Students: National Universities”, n.d.). In order to allow for these students to acclimate better to their new surroundings, immersion programs are offered to international students, where they are able to practice and develop their English, as well as learn more about the new culture(s) that surrounds them. This thesis poses the question of how, and in what ways, are immersion programs helping international students in terms of job- and career- readiness. At the conclusion of the thesis, it will recommend different changes that will positively benefit the students. The study focused on third- and fourth-year students at ASU, and the target group were students in the W. P. Carey School of Business. The methodology will be a mixed-methodology approach, starting with a quantitative survey. This survey asks initial questions, such as if a student has been part of an immersion program, in what ways those programs were helpful, and whether or not they had a post-graduate job opportunity in place. Next, a qualitative interview is conducted, where more clarifying questions are asked to deeply examine how students feel about the use, or the lack thereof, of such programs. Through these interviews, the researcher will pull a table of recurrent themes that were mentioned. The study found that the majority of international students at ASU were not part of an immersion program, and there was an overwhelming call for more resources to be put in place for immersion programs to assist students more to be career ready. At the conclusion of the study, three recommendations were made for immersion programs to improve on: placing more emphasis on career planning, a larger focus on interviewing and job preparation, and create more programs that promote more academic planning advising for students.
Supply & Demand, the phrase speaks to the tango between college graduates seeking employment & employers seeking talent. Recruiters desire candidates with employability skills to lead, but report significant skill gaps among applicants. This thesis aims to (1) define the skills gap evidenced by employers, (2) determine students’ career preparedness, and (3) identify strategies to bridge the gap among undergraduate students as they prepare to join the workforce. Qualtrics, an experience management, and survey platform, was used to reach and collect information from nearly 1,200 students in order to quantitatively assess their career development skills and needs. As part of this thesis, I have partnered with the T.W. Lewis Center for Personal Development, a center of Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University in an effort to test and provide effective solutions to bridge the employability skills gap. Through this collaboration, we have constructed a Career Development Workshop Series for students using the data collected from students. The workshop was built to teach students about professional skill topics that they desired to learn about, but could not find on or off-campus. The Lewis Center Career Development Workshop is a 5-part series with topics ranging from negotiation and job interviewing to strength-building. In each workshop, an expert is selected as the guest speaker to share their experience and insights with students as they prepare for their career journeys. Guest speakers include CEOs, entrepreneurs, business executives, and more. The series is intended to deepen students’ business acumen, so they can enter the workforce with a sustainable advantage and ultimately supported the professional and personal growth of over 100 students. The series serves as an example of ways our university can improve its career development offerings to students. In an increasingly competitive labor market, the research collected and solutions presented are designed to empower students in their careers.