Work has been central to the Berry student experience since the institution’s founding, but recent efforts by the Center for Personal and Professional Development have further optimized the learning outcomes rooted in the historic program (now called LifeWorks).
These enhancements are meant to ensure that all job opportunities available to the 95% of students who choose to work on campus during their time at Berry emphasize skills that add value – for the student, the college and future employers.
“Anyone who knows Berry knows there is a wide variance of jobs here – from the dairy to the Academic Success Center, the president’s office to grounds crew, and everything in between,” explained Dr. Marc Hunsaker, who serves as Berry’s dean of personal and professional development. “Providing consistency was key so that even though the jobs are very different the caliber of work is consistent, as are the expectations placed on students.”
Over the past three years, a cross-campus team led by CPPD has addressed operational improvements to LifeWorks systems; implemented new training to better equip faculty/staff supervisors for their roles as mentors and managers; and recalibrated at least 900 different positions across 180 departments.
Last summer, all campus jobs were reclassified into four categories: entry, intermediate, advanced and pre-professional, each with specific requirements and career readiness outcomes. Progression through the program brings increased levels of responsibility and compensation.
“We asked, ‘How can we shape the way a student moves through the LifeWorks Program and ensure that professional development is happening consistently?’” Hunsaker stated. “We really focused on the moments of hiring and promotion because those are great opportunities to allow students to practice telling their stories by requiring job interviews and updated resumes.”
Student evaluations and promotions are based on a set of career competencies adapted from research conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, including leadership, communication, teamwork and critical thinking. Hunsaker noted that these “fairly broad buckets” provide uniform language for student work supervisors to use when evaluating job performance.
“A good school is going to make sure you grow intellectually, but at Berry, we strive to be a great school because we also promise to promote students’ personal and professional development,” he emphasized. “And we are not going to leave that growth to chance. We tell students we’re going to help them every step of the way, from first semester to last. The LifeWorks Program is a key part of delivering on that promise.”
