Florida Consortium of Metropolitan Research Universities institutions offer powerful tools and resources for students, recent college graduates, and employers
(Orlando, Miami, and Tampa, FL) – The Florida Consortium of Metropolitan Research Universities a collaborative partnership between Florida International University (FIU), University of Central Florida (UCF), and University of South Florida (USF) has resulted in a host of powerful resources that align to the state’s talent needs; including career fairs, workshops, labor market sessions, curriculum re-alignment, joint research programs, and community engagement events like the upcoming College to Career Employability Summit during the Florida Chamber of Commerce’ Future Florida of Forum. The forthcoming summit will be devoted to addressing the talent and workforce needs in the Sunshine State by connecting higher education to industry leaders.
Also noteworthy FIU, UCF and USF switched to a cloud-based Career Management System called Handshake. Russ Coughenour, Assistant Vice President of Career Services at the USF says “Handshake takes the guesswork out of using a major as a part of an overall recruitment strategy for an employer. However, I think the best part of all, is that it’s free for students and businesses to sign-up and use.” Employers can use Handshake’s robust search tools to identify and view resumes. They can also write one job or internship posting and quickly make it available to candidate’s at all three universities and more. “This ease of use and exposure to a wider base of talent is beneficial for businesses with large comprehensive human resources department or SME’s with limited recruiting budget” said Lynn Hansen, Executive Director of Career Services at UCF.
Florida continues to enjoy robust job growth across sectors and especially in the creation of small and medium enterprises (SME). According to the US Small Business Administration 42% or about 3 million employees in Florida are employed within SMEs. The collaborative partnership between these institutions provides unique opportunities to support Florida talent pipeline at scale. Together, FIU, UCF, and USF account for about half of college enrollment and over thirty thousand college graduates in the State University System of Florida. “Our joint efforts are designed to deliver high impact to the state given our large diverse student populations and footprint within large metropolitan cities” said Fernando Figueredo, Executive Director of the Career Services and Talent Development at FIU.
About Florida Consortium of Metropolitan Research Universities:
The Florida Consortium of Metropolitan Research Universities is the first of its kind collaboration in higher education. The Florida Consortium is comprised of Florida International, University of Central Florida, and University of South Florida, the state’s largest research universities that account for 167,000 students or 48% of the State University System of Florida enrollment. The Florida Consortium is focused on producing more career ready graduates with lower debt and adaptable skills that employer’s value. For more information visit www.floridaconsortium.com or connect with us on Twitter, or Facebook.
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Media Contacts:
La Toya Hodge
Assistant Director of Communications & Strategy
Florida Consortium of Metropolitan Research Universities
Office: 407-823-1870
latoya.hodge@ucf.edu