The UCLA Career Center Statement of Purpose
Colleges and universities across the country emulate
the UCLA Career Center, long considered the flagship of UC career
centers. The staff has earned an enviable reputation among college
career practitioners and employers, and is routinely contacted by the
media for accurate career and employment information. Contributions to
the profession include the Center’s highly regarded graduate
internships, and the staff’s research, publications, and leadership in
professional associations.
Career Center programs, products, and services,
exclusively for University of California students and alumni, are
designed to support the institution’s academic charter. The
Center’s mission is to promote the career development and related life
planning skills of UCLA students and alumni, and to provide access to
experiential learning and employment opportunities so students may
explore career choices and nurture career goals.
The Career Center engages in active outreach to
students, alumni, employers, and faculty. Guided by the philosophy
that career development is a lifelong process of exploration and
decision-making, the staff delivers programs and services designed to
enrich the total development of students and alumni. Among these
activities are:
• Advising/intake services to assess client needs and direct them to appropriate resources;
• Individual and group counseling to assist
students in determining their career related values, interests, skills,
and career management issues, to relate those factors to the world of
work, graduate or professional school preparation, and to provide
support for difficult transitions;
• Library (with Internet access) and Web-based
resources to help students research occupational fields and
professional/graduate education options, identify employment prospects,
and prepare for the job search;
• Workshops to assist in the acquisition of job search skills, educational planning and other career development tools;
• Internships, part-time job listings and other
experiential learning opportunities to explore career interests and/or
to help finance students' schooling;
• Credential services to assist those seeking
faculty or administrative positions in academia, and Letters of
Reference services for those applying to professional schools;
• Full-time job listings, career fairs and
campus interview facilities to assist in identifying employment
opportunities and to facilitate networking activities;
• Special events designed to increase students'
knowledge of selected career fields and opportunities, and graduate or
professional schools;
• Analysis of student career development needs,
projected labor markets and employment outcomes for faculty members,
department heads and other University administrators;
• Systems, programs, facilities, & consultation for employers to assist them with their recruitment efforts.
The Career Center is dedicated to
offering UCLA students and alumni opportunities to make thoughtful and
deliberate career choices.
Statement of Purpose is reviewed and adopted annually by Center staff
September, 2006