Overview
Employment during college contributes to student success when meaningful connections between learning in the classroom and learning on the job are made evident. ACC GROW (Guided Reflections on Work) is a Student Experience & Outcomes (SE&O) Career Services initiative adapted from the Iowa GROW® program. GROW provides structure for building a culture focused on competency development and helpful support for supervisors newer to work-academic conversations. SE&O employees train ACC supervisors in the GROW process and/or directly supervise or coach student-workers.
Through ACC GROW, students learn, apply, and strengthen real-world essential job skills, expand their digital fluency, and complete professional employment readiness training. Students who move through the entire process evolve professionally, increase their earning potential, and are better prepared to meet the demands of Central Texas employers.
Accomplishments
ACC GROW supervisor training and resources were created and 46 supervisors completed the training during spring 2023 (as of 3/31/23). As of this writing, 33 students have enrolled in the ACC GROW demonstration project and have been matched with employment under a trained ACC GROW supervisor and/or ACC GROW coach. In preparation for scaling ACC GROW, SE&O reorganized so that professional-technical employees and faculty career counselors can supervise and coach ACC GROW student-workers.
The ACC GROW project is on target to exceed all of its inaugural year objectives. The goal for the year was to hire 40 ACC GROW associates, and as of May 2023, over 70 students have applied and 38 have been hired, ahead of pace to exceed our target. In addition, 47 ACC GROW supervisors have completed training, allowing us to meet our goal of expanding outreach and readiness of ACC departments to take on ACC GROW associates.
ACC Works, a student-led peer-to-peer service helps identify employment opportunities for student-workers, and in collaboration, serves as one of the student on-ramps to ACC GROW. HR, ACC Works, and the ACC GROW strike team collaborated to create a new job description of ACC GROW associate to use when an existing job position is not readily available for participants.
ACC GROW associates may progress through three levels: I) mastering the National Association of Colleges & Employers (NACE) core employment competencies, II) acquisition of essential work-related digital fluency competencies, and III) job search preparation proactively designed to secure sustainable wages and level the playing-field. Participation in each level is incentivized by $20/hour base pay and corresponding increases. ACC GROW digital fluency competencies are incentivized via wages and/or badges that may be earned through ACC’s Digital Fluency & Innovation (DFI) Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) micro-credentials or through engagement in special projects.
Student Affairs provided initial seed money (~$110k) to launch ACC GROW. Creative and collaborative avenues with various departments for maximizing seed funds have been identified and are continuing to be developed.
Impact
The ACC GROW program provides meaningful high-impact employment for students while enrolled in college by creating a structured, consistent, on-campus employment experience for student-workers. ACC GROW supervisors and coaches proactively help student-workers make meaningful connections between learning in the classroom and learning on the job through simple structured conversations occurring twice each semester. This high-impact employment strategy enhances persistence and completion, improves equity and access, provides profession-building work experiences, and closes on-campus employment gaps. In addition, emphasis is placed on students identifying and achieving their personal and professional goals as well as enhancing the ability to effectively articulate their competencies to future employers.
Next Steps
- The ultimate objective is to scale the project to become a districtwide resource for interested student-workers.
- Pilot ACC GROW through additional student-worker circumstances and opportunities (off-campus, work-study, project-based, grant-funded, employer-funded, etc.).
- ACC GROW marketing launch and website; outreach planning with the Office of College Relations and Marketing (website draft expected summer 2023).
- Develop robust data collection system for efficacy analysis.
- Advocate for expanded on-campus student-workers and alumni-supported opportunities.
- Expand ACC GROW supervisory pool through continued training.
- SE&O will secure the Certified Neurodiverse Workplace (CNW) credential to ensure best practices in inclusiveness.
- Continue and expand funding opportunities.