Graduating seniors have the opportunity to be part of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) First-Destination Survey conducted by Wittenberg’s Career Services team. Wittenberg achieved a 97 percent career outcome rate, which is a five-percent increase from 2020, while still amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
The survey was conducted from May to November 2021 and it collected the post-graduate placements of all graduates from August 2020 to May 2021.
“Our office conducts the survey annually along with most schools across the United States,” said Brittany House Conrad, executive director for career engagement and professional development in Career Services at Wittenberg. “The survey is for all students who have graduated in the past year. We collect it to learn our graduates’ outcomes or what are graduates are doing upon graduation: employment, graduate school, service, military, etc. We then analyze the survey results to have a better understanding of our graduates.”
From the survey results, Career Services is able to learn trends, employers, graduate schools, types of jobs, and additional outcome-related information. The majority of the graduates from this past year obtained full-time employment. A number of students also went on to pursue graduate education. Given Wittenberg University’s commitment to civic engagement, it is unsurprising that a few graduates chose to complete a year of service upon graduation.
“For our 2020 graduates, we had a 92 percent placement rate which means 92 percent of the students whom we collected information from were placed into employment, graduate school, military service, service, or other opportunities within six months of graduation,” House Conrad added. “For 2021, we increased to 97 percent. Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we are pleased with these results.”
Collaboration with faculty and alumni were noted by House Conrad as essential to achieving high placement rates.
“Faculty advise students on opportunities, organize alumni speakers and panels, and offer other indispensable information,” House Conrad said. “We are also very fortunate to have great relationships with our alumni who share opportunities with us and talk with students about their experiences.”
According to the NACE website, the First-Destination Survey captures information regarding how new college graduates fare in their careers within six months of graduation. The annual initiative provides clear, concise, and consistent data on the outcomes associated with a college education on a national scale. Outcomes include: types of employment - full or part-time, contract, freelance, and so forth; additional education as in accepted to a graduate or professional school; those still seeking either employment or further education; and starting salary for those employed full time. The survey is also designed to provide trends data over time to inform the discussion about the value of higher education.
The Career Services team provides many forms of career coaching to students.
“I think our career coaching and our programming, like Career March Madness, make a huge difference in students’ successful placements,” House Conrad shared. “We are excited to offer more initiatives in the future. For example, we are working on developing new relationships with employers and internship sites, so we can help students secure even better placements.”
