Historically Black Tuskegee University in Alabama is now offering an intensive training program that will certify faculty members as Certified Career Services Providers. In a higher education setting, the CCSP credential prepares faculty and staff to better mentor students as they guide them in connecting academic and co-curricular opportunities with their professional goals.
More than 30 faculty and staff — selected by university administrators and deans — form Tuskegee’s initial credentialed cohort. The credential, administered by the National Career Development Association, includes 120 hours of total training time. Upon their credentialing, current and future cohorts will be known as the university’s “REACH Faculty Career Advisers.”
CCSP training topics range from understanding the expectations and operating conditions of today’s labor market to counseling students on how to identify their career aptitudes and enhance their marketability to hiring managers. Throughout their academic journey, Tuskegee Univerity students will receive coaching and mentoring from REACH Faculty Career Advisers, with a holistic approach to how they select courses, pursue appropriate co-curricular activities and apply for applicable internships that will maximize opportunities for career success.
“Dating back to the philosophy of founding president Booker T. Washington, Tuskegee has maintained a legacy of preparing students for a vocation — not just awarding a degree,” said interim provost Carla Jackson Bell. “Through this training, our faculty and staff will help students translate and articulate their classroom experiences into tangible, transferable skills sought after by today’s highly competitive workforce.”
