STATEMENT of PURPOSE
THE UCLA CAREER CENTER
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, the innovative Peer Advisors program, and the staff’s research,
publications, and leadership in professional associations.
Career
Center programs, products, and services, exclusively for UCLA students and
eligible University of California 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 internships 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/group counseling to help students determine their career
values, interests, skills, and career management issues, to relate those
factors to the work world or 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 efforts to recruit and
hire UCLA students and alumni.
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
October, 2008