Faculty & Staff
Bring career readiness into the student experience. Faculty and staff play an important role in helping students connect their academic experiences to future opportunities. Many of you are already having career conversations, encouraging reflection, making referrals, and helping students build skills that prepare them for what’s next. We’re here to help make that work more intentional, connected, and scalable through resources, programs, and partnerships designed to support career readiness across the student experience.
How we can partner
Whether you’re looking for resources to use in the classroom, ways to connect students with career support, or opportunities for deeper collaboration, we’re here to help. Explore the options below to find the partnership opportunity that best fits your role and goals.
Integrate Vol Edge and career development into your curriculum
Vol Edge is the University of Tennessee’s career readiness experience, designed to help students connect experiences, develop career-ready skills, and articulate their value. Faculty can integrate Vol Edge into existing courses, assignments, experiences, and reflections without redesigning an entire course.
Explore classroom-ready resources, assignment ideas, syllabus language, and examples of how faculty across campus are incorporating career readiness into the student experience.
Request a classroom presentation
Our team offers classroom presentations designed to help students build career readiness skills and connect academic experiences to future opportunities. Presentations can be tailored to the needs of your course, department, or student population.
Whenever possible, please submit requests at least two weeks in advance.
Refer a student to career coaching
Sometimes a student needs additional support exploring options, making decisions, preparing application materials, or navigating the internship or job search process. Referring a student to career coaching connects them with a Career Coach who can provide individualized guidance and support.
Just as you might refer a student to academic coaching for help with academic success strategies, career coaching provides dedicated support for career exploration, planning, and professional development.
Become a Career Advocate
Students often turn to trusted faculty and staff members for guidance about careers, internships, graduate school, and life after graduation. The Career Advocates Program recognizes the important role you already play and provides practical tools, resources, and strategies to help you connect students with career development opportunities and support.
Whether you work directly with students in the classroom, through advising, or in a co-curricular setting, the program can help you more intentionally integrate career readiness into the student experience.
Apply to be a Faculty Fellow for career readiness
Faculty Fellows for Career Readiness serve as partners in advancing career readiness across the student experience. Fellows collaborate with the Center for Career Development & Academic Exploration to identify opportunities, develop resources, share effective practices, and help connect academic experiences to career competencies within and beyond the classroom.
This opportunity is ideal for faculty members who are passionate about student success and interested in helping strengthen the connection between academics, career readiness, and post-graduation outcomes.
Make career-readiness a team effort
Students are more likely to engage in career development when they encounter it in multiple places throughout their college experience. Whether you’re referring a student, inviting us into your classroom, or integrating career readiness into your work, we’re here to help.
Career Development & Academic Exploration
Center for Career Development & Academic Exploration
201 Student Union, 1502 Cumberland Ave, Knoxville, TN 37996
865-974-5435