More than 30 academic advisors throughout the University of Central Florida will be able to give career advice to students starting Tuesday.
The academic advisors from the College of Sciences, College of Health and Public Affairs, regional campuses and other locations completed the Career Development Facilitator (CDF) certification program and will pick up their certificates at a ceremony at the Teaching Academy in the College of Education Human Performance building on campus Tuesday morning.
The National Career Development Facilitator Program and the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE) partnered to create CDF in order to help professionals participate in a rigorous series of hands on activities to gain knowledge and skills to assist individuals in transitioning to a new career or finding work in their current area of study.
Career Development Facilitator Training is valued and offered in more than nine countries, including Bulgaria, Canada, China, as well here in the United States. UCF’s own Director of Undergraduate Services for the College of Sciences, Lee Anne Kirkpatrick, is responsible for bringing the program to campus. She wanted a professional development opportunity for her staff to gain specific strategies to enable academic advisors to methodically integrate career and academic advising.
“I applaud this group,” said Sharon Givens, the master trainer who trained this group. “They were exemplary in conceptualizing the core competencies and translating these competencies to improve their work. They recognize that it is all about the student. They now have a clear action plan of how they will use the Career Development Facilitator course to enhance the level of services to students.”
The academic advisors spent 120 hours completing coursework, projects and some service learning activities in 12 competencies. This course enabled participants to spend the last five months exploring the following topics: the globalization of careers, comparative job advantage, a systematic approach to career development and developing career counseling and coaching strategies/skills.
Other topics covered were: working with diverse students, ethical and legal issues related to career development, career assessments and career development models and theories.
Students at UCF have multiple opportunities to get academic and career advising from a variety of offices and colleges. Staff at Career Services, for example, helped about 30,000 students search and compete for jobs in 2013-14. One-on-one sessions and workshops cover topics such as resumes, interviewing and negotiating, and several hundred employers visit the campus annually to recruit students. The new training adds another layer of expertise available to students throughout the university.
List of UCF Participants
Lorine Cisch-Taylor
Dena Ford – COS
Lee Anne Kirkpatrick – COS
Brooks Pingston – COS
Chauntrice Riley-Stanford – COS
Ryan Sexton – COS
Tonya Walker – COS
Lourdes Acevedo – Division of Finance & Accounting
Layla Archer – COHPA
Amber Flowers – COHPA
Sonia Gonzalez-Smith – COHPA
Amy Love – COHPA
Gail Raymond – COHPA
Mariangelly Rente – COHPA
Margaret Dann – ASSA – Academic Services for Student Athletes
Meena Datta – CECS
Nina Leonard – CECS
Trisha Farmer – College of Arts & Humanities
Andrea Morlini – College of Arts & Humanities
Heather Murphy – College of Arts & Humanities
Beth Ganz – Transfer and Transition Services
Angela Neri – First Year Advising & Exploration
Emily Rank – First Year Advising & Exploration
Delia Garcia – College of Arts & Humanities
Kendra Gilbertson – College of Arts & Humanities
Ginny La Rue – Regional Campuses – UCF Daytona Beach
Kim Martinez – Regional Campuses – UCF Valencia Osceola
Kim Poppert – Regional Campuses – UCF Cocoa
Kelley Rasgaitis – School of Visual Arts & Design
Colleen Scott – Regional Campuses – UCF South Lake
Andrea Velez – Regional Campuses – UCF Sanford/Lake Mary