English HW 5
BEAN, Inc.
Memo
To: President, WKU
From:
Subject: Professionalism Course Proposal
Introduction
In recent years observers have witnessed many issues that WKU students have had after graduation. Students have never learned what the correct protocol is when job searching. WKU is lacking a preparation class that prepares graduates for the workforce. Students receive a 6-month grace period before they have to start repaying student loans. During this period, students become highly stressed and sometimes unaware of what to do. Recent graduates are having issues finding a job within this grace period.
We propose the University should provide a mandatory professionalism class for students who graduate starting in 2019. This course would assist students with the pre-interview, during the interview, and what is expected after the interview. It could also teach undergraduates on how to dress and ways to deal with nervous ticks during the interviewing process. It is understood that WKU already offers a career services center, however, students need to understand the impact that a professionalism course would have on their futures.
Problem
Currently, there is no mandatory professionalism course available through WKU. Most students are rushing to graduate that they forget the importance of the job hunt and what employers are specifically looking for post-graduation. We understand that undergraduate students don’t particularly like to take classes that aren’t related to their major and aren’t mandatory. However, this class would be a hands-on experience to allow the student to have a jump start on their futures.
There are roughly 2,000 undergraduates per year. That means that these students are joining the workforce within the next couple of months if they don’t already have jobs prior to graduation. Are the students really prepared at this point? Some may have never had a job and are now going into interviews blind.
Proposed Solution
Offering a professionalism course to seniors would be so beneficial to their futures. It could show them how difficult it really is to get that “dream job” that they want. The course would also be a great way to show students how to prepare the perfect resume and the correct way to dress during the interview. We propose WKU offer a mandatory bi-term professionalism course for seniors preparing to graduate. The course would be 1 credit hour and it would be taken the last semester of their undergraduate degree.
A survey conducted by the Center for Career and Professional Development at WKU found that 42% of recent graduates felt underprepared for the workplace. This course would help lower this percentage and help graduates feel more prepared. Developing students’ professional and interpersonal skills are essential for reducing this percentage. Offering this course is the best way to serve our students’ needs.
Methods
To obtain information on whether implementing this would be beneficial to undergraduate students, we plan to use statistics of past universities that have offered the course and survey past WKU graduates. The surveys are direct and anonymous. Using past graduates is a great way to obtain information that is specific to WKU. We would be able to tell if students are ready for the job hunt without this course since it doesn’t exist currently. In addition, using statistics of other universities is also a great way to collect data because it has already been implemented there. After reviewing their methods WKU could use that data and make corrections before offering the course.
Procedures
Upon approval, the following steps will be taken:
STEP 1:
Recruit 1-2 instructors with expertise or knowledge specific to hiring practices.
STEP 2:
Locate an available classroom.
STEP 3:
Implement the class through Topnet.
STEP 4:
Begin mandatory registration for last semester seniors graduating in 2019.
Resources
The cost to implement the professionalism course are as follows:
Surveys for observations needed $1,000
Annual salary of the professors @ $50,000 each $100,000
Travel costs for recruits’ interviews $2,000
Grand Total $103,000
In addition to the costs of implementing this course there are other non-monetary resources that are needed. Classroom arrangements need to made to allow the class to meet somewhere on campus during the semester. Also, the instructor would need an office space to work on class preparations. Lastly, the cleaning staff would maintain cleanliness throughout the semester.
Conclusions/Recommendations
We recommend that WKU offer a mandatory bi-term professionalism course. By implementing this class students will graduate feeling more prepared for the workforce and will feel as if their investment was worthwhile. This class will also allow students to brush up on their professionalism skills such as, the interviewing process, effective communication, and would assist students in the job search process.
With this professionalism course the cost is minimal compared to the impact it will have on future students. The estimated cost ($103,000) accounts for salary, surveys, and travel. Our steps to implement this course are simplistic and require no changes to the current system. The only changes occurring is students’ post-graduate career opportunities.
By implementing this course, WKU is showing compassion for their students’ post-graduate career. At WKU “The spirit makes the master” therefore, this course would allow students to truly master the futures. Students expect to receive the best education possible and we believe WKU plays an important role in providing this. We look forward to discussing the detail of this proposal with you and answering any questions you may have.
Works Cited
Employment by the Numbers for 2015. (n.d.). Retrieved April 05, 2017, from
https://www.wku.edu/career/services/employment_by_the_numbers_2015.php
