Colleges and universities play a critical role in increasing diversity on campus and in the workplace
In today’s competitive economy, post-secondary education—whether a four- or two-year college degree or some sort of vocational or certification training—is pivotal to career success and financial security. What a student experiences upon entering higher ed can determine whether they graduate and how ready they are to pursue successful careers.
Colleges and universities play a key role in supporting the students throughout their education to ensure they stay in school. Their involvement is also vital in opening up career paths for their students once they graduate.
A commitment to improving the success rates of diverse and under-represented students
Unfortunately, many young people from diverse and low-income backgrounds, even if they’re able to enroll in a college or a technical school, are often challenged by financial, social, and family circumstances, to earn their degrees.
Everyone stands to lose when students leave before completing their degree. Colleges and universities lose revenue with low completion rates having a negative impact on their brand reputation and recruiting efforts. And too many students are left with debilitating loan debt without the educational credentials and the earning potential that goes with them.
Rodriguez Collaborative will work with you to maximize graduation rates through innovative strategies customized to address the specific challenges and opportunities of your diverse and underrepresented student populations. We will work to build measurably effective programs to address your particular pipeline challenge and help ensure that even the most marginalized students stay on track to earn their degrees.
The ultimate goal of every educational institution is to prepare their graduates for employment and career success. Today we see a tremendous opportunity to create programming that can help propel diverse students towards meaningful careers in high demand and growing industries. The timing is right. Employers are now working aggressively to increase diversity and underrepresented groups within their own ranks.
Committed to helping higher ed institutions capitalize on this opportunity, Rodriguez Collaborative will help colleges and universities establish strategic partnerships with targeted corporations and employers to open and secure career pathways for their graduates. We will help:
- Identify potential regional employer partnerships.
- Solicit and secure new sustainable employer partnerships.
- Align institutional classes/curriculum with employer in-demand skills/careers.
- Develop early engagement and retention strategies targeting diverse student cohorts.
- Work with campus recruitment team, academic advisors and career placement office to develop programming tailored for specific employer and institution partnership.
Collaboration is vital and well worth the effort
Building sustainable, strategic partnerships between higher ed and employers not only fuels the talent pipeline, it’s a win/win situation for all. Students, educational institutions, and employers all benefit from the synergy, collaboration and outcomes enabled by the partnership.
Students will be introduced to in demand career opportunities, have greater motivation to stay in school and graduate, acquire transferable competitive industry skills and increase their likelihood of securing job offers and employment upon graduation.
Educational institutions gain understanding of current and future employer hiring needs, help students establish career goals and pathways, support progression of diverse student cohorts, advance institutional goals with corporate support, and reinforce branding as an institution that helps its graduates get jobs.
Employers will have the opportunity to identify, nurture, and recruit diverse talent early in the educational pipeline and increase diversity hiring, retention and representation among its professional ranks.
