Class of 2017 Career Outcomes

By: Abbey Pober

Each year The Center for Cooperative Education and Career Development survey’s the graduating class to analyze and report on employment and graduate school status of students’ post-graduation. Responses are collected at the December, April, and August commencements, and again six months later from all graduates who reported they were still seeking employment at graduation. These efforts resulted in a 70% knowledge rate of day student career outcomes. Wentworth graduates obtain well-paying jobs in a wide range of fields and we are seeing a continuation of this trend from the class of 2017.

Of those that we do have data, 98% are in graduate school or are employed and their median salary is $60,000, slightly higher than the NACE reported national median and higher than the last few years of Wentworth’s graduates. More than half (56%) received offers of employment from one of their co-op employers and 36% accepted. We have a knowledge rate of 24% of CPCE graduates, down significantly from prior years. Of those that reported, 100% are employed or in school. The median salary of a CPCE graduate is $71,500. Of those that are employed, 96% of students report that their work is related to their academic major, up from last year’s 92%. This year, seven employers hired at least four members of the class of 2017.

Most our graduates continue to live in the Northeast with Massachusetts overwhelmingly having the most, followed by New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Outside of New England, many of our students are working in New York, California and Pennsylvania. Of those that we have data, 14% of our students are going on to graduate school. The majors that are sending the most to graduate school are: Architecture, Biomedical Engineering, and Civil Engineering. Most students are continuing their education at Wentworth. More than one is heading to Northeastern and Tufts University. Some of the unique schools to which an alumnus is attending are: Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, the Institute of Technology Eindhoven, and University of Southern California. Most our students are seeking an M. Arch followed by an M.S. Three are seeking an MBA, two are seeking a PhD, and one is seeking an MPS.

For the third year, the survey asked graduates from the College of Professional and Continuing Education about the impact their Wentworth education has had on their professional life. Of those that reported, 50% reported receiving a promotion and 43% reported receiving a salary increase. Seventy-seven percent reported that job opportunities are available to them now that were not prior to their degree, 72% reported that their job performance has improved, 77% reported that their technical knowledge and skills have improved and 73% report feeling more confident in the workplace. Using the learning outcomes of each of the day program’s majors, the survey asked questions to measure the effectiveness of the education at Wentworth. This data is reported on for each major and may be used for accreditation purposes.

The comprehensive report, including salary and employment data broken down by major can be found on our website.

Wentworth’s Partnership with ASPIRE

By: Chris McIntyre

Wentworth students have plenty of support when searching for their two required co-ops. Dedicated advisors are there to assist every step of the way through resume reviews, job searching, interviewing, and everything in between. But even with this support, securing a co-op is challenging. This is especially the case for students who have a great deal of stress, anxiety, or other factors that can impact their search.

Recently, CO-OPS + CAREERS began a partnership with MGH Aspire. Dubbed Aspire @ Wentworth, the joint venture between MGH Aspire and CO-OPS + CAREERS aims to give some students extra support through the co-op process.

Through over 25 years of serving the community, Aspire has cultivated relationships with some of the biggest and best names in Boston. This, combined with the in-depth knowledge of the advisors from CO-OPS + CAREERS, prepares Wentworth students for co-op and life after graduation.

What is Aspire @ Wentworth?

A student’s co-op is about more than getting the offer. It’s also about growing as a person and a professional. Aspire aims to develop the skills necessary for navigation of the workplace and social communication in a professional context. Aspire @ Wentworth creates a way for students to develop social skills and manage stress through the process.
Aspire provides a structured program that combines the usual support from their CO-OP + CAREER Advisor with coaching with in-depth reflective seminars. This means the students’ advisor will be available to help with things like resume writing and using WITworks.
But students also work closely with an Aspire job coach both before and during the co-op. The Aspire coach will meet with the student at the beginning of the program, getting to know the student and their strengths, needs, and goals. Sometimes the coach will even accompany the student to their interview to ensure the student is at ease and communication is clear.
Once the student is on co-op, an integral piece of Aspire @ Wentworth is the weekly seminars led by Aspire on Wentworth’s campus. Students use the meetings to discuss what happened that week at work with peers also enrolled in Aspire. Other topics covered include:

• Socializing on co-op/at work
• Organizational skills
• Time management
• Networking
• Managing anxiety and unexpected changes
• Prioritization

These seminars are crucial in developing lifelong skills to succeed in life as well as an outlet for students to meet and discuss shared experiences with peers. The common thread Aspire @ Wentworth focuses on is the 3Ss: Social Competency, Self-Awareness, and Stress Management.

Aspire @ Wentworth Goals

1. To help co-op students learn the social aspects needed to succeed in the workplace
2. To assist co-op students in identifying and managing their challenges while recognizing and developing their strengths
3. To empower co-op students to enhance their skill set and build their confidence to be independent in the workplace

Career readiness is a hallmark of Wentworth, and the Aspire program is another way CO-OPS + CAREERS prepares students for life after Wentworth.
For more information on Aspire @ Wentworth, contact coopsandcareers@wit.edu.

What Makes Wentworth Unique?

Decorative ImageBy: Robbin Beauchamp

Sure, all of our undergraduate day students are required to complete two co-ops to graduate. That requirement certainly makes a Wentworth graduate unique. The question is: how do we get our students prepared so they are successful?

First Year Seminar

All first year Wentworth students are required to complete First Year Seminar. This first semester class is designed to help our students’ transition to Wentworth by learning about time management, academic expectations, academic integrity, and how to register for classes.

Co-op Institute

It is strongly suggested that all second year students complete Co-op Institute, a seven-week hybrid class taught by the student’s dedicated CO-OP + CAREER Advisor. During this seminar, students learn how to write a resume and cover letter, conduct an effective co-op search and interview, learn how to use social media for networking, create an “elevator commercial”, how to be successful at the co-op and how to register for the co-op. Attending Co-op Institute has shown that students are better prepared for the co-op search and have better results.

WITwear

Better results includes invitations to interview. All students should dress professionally for this meeting and some students don’t have access to a business suit. Let’s face it, it is an item of clothing that will only be worn for interviews. Once hired, students on co-op wear business casual attire, so why invest in this garment? Our current students are part of the “sharing economy”. This is a generation that has made Uber, Lyft, Airbnb and Spotify hugely successful so why not share business clothing, too. CO-OPS + CAREERS created WITwear during the fall 2016 semester so our students could have access to professional clothing when they need it. Donations were made by faculty and staff and all garments that were not new have been dry cleaned and are dry cleaned between each user. WITwear is located in Tudbury Hall and open Monday-Thursday between 5:00-8:00pm.

Wentworth On The Road

One way for our students to meet employers is to have them visit the employer at their location. In May 2016, CO-OPS + CAREERS launched “Wentworth on the Road”, a program that allows our students to meet employers at their office, have a tour, meet with hiring supervisors and learn about the opportunities they have for co-op and post-graduation jobs. In our first year, three employers participated and this year, 10 are confirmed. The employers are located in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island and hire from all of our majors. We host this program during the first week of May so the visits are not during a time classes are in session. Students are not necessarily in the Boston area which is why the sites are throughout the region. Students are responsible for their own transportation and lodging if needed. Wentworth on the Road is a great way for our students to practice the networking skills they learn in Co-op Institute.

ASPIRE Partnership

For some students, networking is a challenge. Personal interactions can be difficult, as can situations that produce stress, such as interviewing. With co-op a requirement of graduation, CO-OPS + CAREERS has partnered with the Massachusetts General Hospital’s ASPIRE program to provide personal job coaches to students who need intensive assistance before and during the interviews and during co-op. ASPIRE meets with each student to help them assess the level of assistance they need and provide practice interviewing. The job coach can attend the interview with the student if the student would like. Once the student has begun their co-op, the student is required to attend a weekly seminar facilitated by their ASPIRE job coach and attended by other Wentworth students in the program. Students who are interested in this program need to discuss ASPIRE with their CO-OP + CAREER Advisor.

All of these programs are in place to ensure that Wentworth continues to graduate highly-sought-after students by employers. In the last two years, between 98-99% of our graduates were employed or going to graduate school within six months of graduation. Wentworth itself is unique as a college and our uniqueness has translated into exceptional career success for our students.