The traditional path to a job that provides financial security used to be: graduate high school, graduate college, get an internship, then land a job. But the way we work has changed - a high school diploma doesn’t guarantee a job, and a college degree doesn’t guarantee a career.
We’ve spoken before about the skills gap, and how this gap is making it harder for employers to hire qualified candidates. Although many college graduates possess the basic technical skills necessary to obtain an entry-level job in their chosen field, more than half over the age of 25 do not work in the industries for which they are qualified. Even more shocking - 1 in 7 earn less than the poverty threshold.
This is where The Global Tech Experience really makes a difference. The Experience effectively closes the skills gap by teaching the tech and intercultural skills necessary in today’s job market, helping students gain careers in their dream industries along the way. A major benefit of this program is that in addition to gaining 6 college credits, upon completing each Part of The Experience you will receive a certification badge for your LinkedIn profile and resume.
What are the benefits of digital badges?
In short: digital badges are a relatively new way to provide proof of technical knowledge to potential employers. They decentralize the ability to give recognition for the completion of tasks or skills gained, and prove technical ability prior to graduation from a degree program.
The ability to give formal recognition no longer needs to be the sole responsibility of degree-granting institutions or programs.
Because badges from The Global Tech Experience are obtained during a degree program, hiring managers can more easily identify desired skills through LinkedIn - shortening the amount of time a college student will spend searching for a job in their chosen field. The badges also prove that the student is committed to continuous learning and personal development.
How do badges help you land a job?
In 2014, a survey revealed that “70% of executives, business owners, CEOs and other senior-level staff from 400 companies believed college graduates were underprepared for the workforce,” lacking durable skills such as oral and written communication, teamwork and applying knowledge to real-world settings.
Digital badges - especially those gained through The Experience - show employers that the recipient has worked in a diverse team solving real-world problems. These badges prove the student had an internship-like experience and now possesses workplace knowledge.
And the impact on jobs? According to an IBM study, 76% of badge issuers found that digital badges motivates employees to develop current skills and 48% stated that badges help to identify verified talent. Another study noted that 86% of employers and students believed detailed digital records (which include experiential information such as what is gained by The Global Tech Experience) provided a positive depiction of a job candidate over traditional transcripts.
The bottom line
While a college degree is certainly an important aspect of any resume, many employers consider digital certificates or badges to hold nearly equal importance when considering job candidates. Adding digital badges to your resume or LinkedIn profile gives hiring managers the ability to see exactly which skills you have learned - and especially proves that you have mastered ‘soft’ skills that may not be as obviously shown through a college degree.
Ready to explore your digital badge options through The Global Tech Experience?
Don’t just take it from us, though:
“This course showed me that I am capable of the career I want to go into!! Finally a course that gave real insight on how a job in the marketing field would look and real-life skills. This course eased a lot of my worries and I am so glad that I saw it was available to take.”
“I have loved everything about this course. It has made me realize that this is what I truly enjoy and I have been debating about obtaining my master’s in data analytics.”
“I enjoyed the people within the course and the experiences that I got to have with them. This feeling isn’t common with remote learning.”
“I don’t think I truly considered the extent to which I would be working with individuals from different cultures until learning these new skills. I think it really hit me how interconnected corporate workplaces will be when I enter them after graduation and how understanding different cultural perspectives will come into play.”
The Global Tech Experience is offered in partnership with Podium Education, the leader in developing online experiences that empower universities to prepare students for high-growth careers in the digital economy.
The Experience is offered through Concordia University Irvine.
Contact the CUI Global Tech Experience Team at (949) 468-3190.