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CT State Community College Informed Consent Form

Posted in CT State.

  • Temp Last Modified: 2024-03-24

Welcome, the following information provides details regarding your treatment through CT State Mental Health & Wellness. Please read this document and sign it to acknowledge that you have read and understood it. If you have any questions or concerns, please ask your counselor. 

Services Provided

Services through CT State Mental Health & Wellness will be provided by licensed professionals or graduate counselors in training under their supervision. CT State Mental Health & Wellness provides confidential, short-term, goal-directed counseling through in-person sessions. In extenuating circumstances online counseling through a HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform may be necessary. Our goal is to create an inclusive environment to provide equitable mental health support and wellness that serves to empower our diverse students to overcome barriers to their academic success. If we determine that your counseling needs require resources beyond what we can provide, we will assist you with a referral to an appropriate mental health provider. We will also offer you referrals to any on-campus or off-campus resources that may provide additional support.  

Confidentiality

Counseling involves the disclosure of sensitive and personal information by students. Professional ethics and both federal and state laws protect the confidentiality of the information shared in counseling. Therefore, no acknowledgment of your status as a Mental Health & Wellness client will be made, nor will information about your actual counseling be released to any outside agency or individual without your written permission, except as may be required by law. Counseling files are NOT part of an academic record, and no one has access to them except the professional staff and graduate supervisees of CT State Mental Health & Wellness. There are exceptions, however, where a counselor is legally and/or ethically required to break confidentiality: 

  • Imminent danger of harm to self or others, the counselor is ethically bound to contact the appropriate authorities. 
  • If there is suspicion of current child abuse, elder abuse, or abuse of a disabled or incompetent person, counselors are required by law to report such abuse to the appropriate authorities. 
  • Under rare circumstances, your Mental Health & Wellness records may be subpoenaed by a court order and the counselor, and the institution are bound by law to comply with such requests. 

Counselor and Counselor/Client Relationship

Mental Health and Wellness Counselors at CT State Community College are trained and licensed in mental health services. The counselor provides short-term counseling and practices within their scope of expertise and adheres to their appropriate code of ethics. 

Your relationship with the counselor is a professional and therapeutic relationship. To preserve this relationship, it is important that the counselor not have any other type of relationship with you, as personal and business relationships negatively impact the effectiveness of the therapeutic relationship. 

Appointments and Cancellations

Mental Health & Wellness sessions are free to currently enrolled CT State Community College students. The maximum number of sessions per semester is five and 10 per academic year. Sessions are usually 45 minutes. If you arrive late, your time slot will not be extended. We require 24 hours’ notice for all cancellations and three cancellations per semester. Students will be warned after the second cancellation that they are at risk of termination of counseling services. Counselors do not provide scheduled telephone sessions or use email correspondence for counseling. Mental Health & Wellness staff will only use your provided ‘preferred method of communication’ administrative purposes.  

Counselors are not available after hours or on weekends, if there is an emergency you should contact one of the following: 

  • Crisis Text Line: Text START to 741-741 
  • Text STEVE to 741-741 for a culturally trained crisis counselor 

Client Rights and Responsibilities

Counseling is voluntary and results can be variable. A positive outcome depends on the effort expended by you as well as your counselor, using the rights and responsibilities below may help in making progress in the therapeutic setting: 

  • You have the right to know the credentials of your counselor and to receive counseling services that are safely and humanely administered with full respect for your dignity and personal integrity. 
  • You have the right to be treated in a manner which is ethical and free from abuse, discrimination, mistreatment, neglect, and exploitation, by staff that are sensitive to your cultural background. 
  • You have the right to ask for an evaluation of progress, as well as question the focus of your session. 
  • You have the right to withdraw from treatment or request a different counselor, but please discuss this with your counselor prior to decision. 
  • You have the right to be aware that you may remember or address unpleasant events, which may arouse strong feelings. Even the most successful counseling may be painful at times as you deal with emotionally difficult issues. 
  • You are responsible to keep your appointments and arrive on time. 
  • You are responsible for treating your counselor with dignity and mutual respect, as well as not putting your counselor in ethical situations. This may include, but is not limited to asking for money, transportation, or requesting that counselor speaks to faculty on their behalf. 
  • You are responsible for being an open and honest interactive client with your counselor. 
  • You are responsible to think through concerns you are addressing in counseling, which may include completing any therapeutic homework assignments. 
  • If you are having suicidal thoughts or are thinking of hurting yourself, please inform your counselor and call 988. 
  • You have the right to express any concerns or complaints about your counselor. These concerns can be brought to their clinical director Dr. Meredith Yuhas, meredith.yuhas@ctstate.edu. 

Electronic Communication

Students should be aware that confidentiality of electronic mail (e-mail), Teams Chat or messaging transmissions cannot be guaranteed. For this reason, the CT State Mental Health & Wellness discourages the sharing of compromising personal or clinical information through these mediums. In addition, students should be aware that staff may not always have immediate access to nor monitor their electronic communications daily. 

Telehealth Counseling

Telehealth Counseling will only be available if a student has an extenuating circumstance that prohibits them from attending in person, such as illness or lack of transportation.  In addition to the above components of Informed Consent, you must also adhere to the following: 

  • Both counselor and student must be in a private room with no one else near that can hear the session. 
  • Telehealth platform must be compliant with HIPAA, which is designed to protect your privacy and are not to be recorded. 
  • Student must provide counselor with address and phone number in case the counselor feels that the student is in imminent danger or there is an emergency. 
  • There are clinical limitations with telehealth counseling, as the counselor may have difficulty seeing facial expressions or body language. 
  • Student must have reliable internet connection for best transmission and your camera must be turned on. However, there still may be technical difficulties and a drop of transmission during the session, in that situation there must be a backup plan to either reschedule or connect via telephone. 

Consent to Treatment

By signing the Informed Consent, you voluntarily agree to receive Mental Health and Wellness services and you authorize the licensed professional to provide such care. Signing the Informed Consent indicates that you understand and agree that you will participate in the planning and treatment that you may receive. You have been provided with the opportunity to ask questions prior to entering the counseling relationship. You may withdraw from treatment at any time, but please discuss this with your therapist prior to termination. 

  • Hits: 10168

Retention and Outcomes

Posted in CT State.

  • Temp Last Modified: 2024-10-18

Fall 23-Spring 24 Retention Rate

  • Overall: 75%
  • Full-time: 85%
  • Part-time: 69%

 Graduation Rate (2020 Cohort)

  • Overall: 19%
  • Male: 19%
  • Female: 19%

Transfer Rate (2020 Cohort)

  • Overall: 13%
  • Male: 12%
  • Female: 13%

Outcomes Measures (2015 Cohort)

  • 4-year Award Rate: 19%
  • 6-year Award Rate: 23%
  • 8 year Award Rate: 25%
  • No award, Still Enrolled at CT State at 8 years: 4%
  • No award, Enrolled at another institution at 8 years: 18%
  • No award, status unknown at 8 years: 53%
  • Hits: 2702

Institutional Review Board

Posted in CT State.

  • Temp Last Modified: 2025-01-03

About the Institutional Review Board (IRB)

The CT State IRB is charged with the review of all proposed research studies to be performed by CT State administrators, faculty, staff, and students as well as requests from external researchers. All research studies or use of CT State resources must comply with IRB policies and procedures. IRB review will ensure that the rights and welfare of human subjects are protected, risks are minimized, the benefits of the research are identifiable, participation by human subjects is both informed and voluntary, and all research is conducted in a manner that is consistent with established ethical standards.

When is IRB review required? (The keyword is "external")

  • If you're an employee or student wishing to administer a survey at CT State for an external purpose (e.g., publication, conference presentation, graduate/doctoral research, etc.), you need IRB review.
  • If you're an external organization or researcher wishing to administer a survey at CT State, you need IRB review.

When is IRB review not required?

  • If you're an employee administering a survey at CT State as part of your official duties, you do not need IRB review.
  • If you're a faculty member administering a survey in your classroom for education or assessment purposes, you do not need IRB review.

Note: Surveys administered at two or more campuses must be approved by the President or their designee. Surveys administered at one campus only must be approved by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of that campus.

IRB Members

  • Michael Amico, Assistant Professor of Psychology, CT State Housatonic
  • Parth Desai, O.T.D., Goodwin University
  • Luz Londono Diaz, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Economics, CT State Manchester
  • Sohair Omar, Ed.D. Candidate, Campus Director of Institutional Research, CT State Naugatuck Valley (IRB Chair)
  • Francine Rosselli-Navarra, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, CT State Manchester
  • Joshua Searcy, Ed.D., Dean for the School of Social & Behavioral Sciences, CT State
  • Meredith Yuhas, Ph.D., Director of Mental Health and Wellness, CT State

Due Dates and Meeting Schedule

IRB applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

The CT State IRB meets monthly during the fall and spring semesters. Meeting dates may be adjusted due to holidays.

Forms

Please download and save these forms to your computer first and then type your answers. E-mail the completed forms to CTState-IRB@ct.edu, including the title of your research study in the subject.

CT State IRB Application

CT State IRB Assent Form Template

CT State IRB Data Security Guidelines

CT State IRB Employee Statement

CT State IRB Informed Consent Form Template

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  • Does my research proposal require IRB approval?

    If you wish to conduct research with human subjects at CT State, including students, administrators, faculty, or staff, you must apply for IRB approval before beginning your research. Federal regulations and CT State policies require IRB approval for research with human subjects.

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Human Research Protections provides guidance to help researchers determine if IRB approval will be required. Their decision charts can be found here.

  • What are CT State's research requirements?

    All research conducted at CT State must be carried out under the supervision of a CT State faculty (tenured or tenure track) or staff member and have the approval of the IRB. Researchers from other institutions seeking to conduct research at CT State must collaborate with a CT State sponsor who ensures that the research is conducted in accordance with the approval conditions of the CT State IRB and that all reports are submitted in a timely manner. Please note that CT State does not permit class (instructional) time to be used for research studies and students and employees should not feel compelled to participate in any research studies.

    Any individual conducting research at CT State must successfully complete the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Protecting Human Research Participants (PHRP), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Human Research Protection Foundational Training (specifically, Lesson 1), which is free, or other comparable training. Each researcher must provide their training certificate as part of CT State’s IRB Application.

  • What are CT State guidelines for student research courses?

    Human Research Protection Training

    Every student in a research course must complete the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Protecting Human Research Participants (PHRP), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Human Research Protection Foundational Training (specifically, Lesson 1), which is free, or other comparable training.

    Ethical Review of Student Research Proposals

    Firstly, student research proposals must:

    • meet the regulatory definition of minimal risk human subject research;
    • not have any federal funding sources;
    • not involve Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulated products;
    • not require parent permission for children/minors as subjects;
    • not target pregnant women; and
    • not involve prisoners.

    Otherwise, the student needs to apply to the CT State IRB. Also, if the student intends to present or publish their research externally, the student needs to apply to the CT State IRB.

    All student research proposals that meet the criteria above must be reviewed based on ethical principles and guidelines for research involving human subjects derived from the Belmont Report. Specifically, three basic principles are particularly relevant to the ethics of research involving human subjects: (i) respect for persons, (ii) beneficence, and (iii) justice. These principles are described in further detail below.

    • Respect for Persons. Respect for persons incorporates at least two ethical convictions: first, that individuals should be treated as autonomous agents and, second, that persons with diminished autonomy are entitled to protection. Respect for persons demands that human subjects enter into the research voluntarily and with adequate information via a consent form.
    • Beneficence. Persons are treated in an ethical manner not only by respecting their decisions and protecting them from harm, but also by making efforts to secure their well-being. Two general rules of beneficent actions are (i) do not harm and (ii) maximize possible benefits and minimize possible harms.
    • Justice. Who ought to receive the benefits of research and bear its burdens? This is a question of justice in the sense of “fairness in distribution” or “what is deserved.” An injustice occurs when some benefit to which a person is entitled is denied without good reason or when some burden is imposed unduly. There are several widely accepted formulations of just ways to distribute burdens and benefits; for example, (i) to each person an equal share, (ii) to each person according to individual need, (iii) to each person according to individual effort, (iv) to each person according to societal contribution, and (v) to each person according to merit.

    IT Policies, Data Privacy Guidelines, and Survey Guidelines

    The student investigator is responsible for all aspects of the research study including but not limited to the collection, transmission, storage, backup, and security of data. All student investigators must adhere to the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities (CSCU) IT policies and CSCU data privacy guidelines.  

    Also, please note that survey administration at CT State, if applicable, is subject to the approval of the CT State President or their designee for two or more campuses or the Campus Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for one campus. Also, student investigators must use CSCU approved and licensed applications to conduct surveys at CT State.

    Oversight and Monitoring

    The faculty member teaching the student research course is responsible for overseeing and monitoring student research studies involving human subjects. If any problems with human subjects or unexpected adverse events, including but not limited to a breach in data security, occur as a result of a student research study, you must immediately notify the CT State IRB at ctstate-irb@ct.edu and the CSCU Information Security Program Office (ISPO) at security@ct.edu.

    Record-Keeping

    Records must be retained for at least three years after completion of the research (See 45 CFR 46.115(b)) in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and/or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), as amended. Additionally, records must be accessible for inspection and copying at reasonable times and in a reasonable manner upon request. 

  • What are CT State's survey guidelines?

    Protocols for Conducting Surveys at CT State

    The data produced by a survey or any assessment is only useful if the tool is carefully constructed and applied to an appropriate sampling plan. Given these requirements, Institutional Effectiveness & Planning (IE&P) suggests the following guidelines for designing and administering surveys at CT State and reporting survey results:

    • IE&P Review: All surveys should be reviewed by IE&P to ensure that the data produced by them is reliable and relevant to the research question posed. IE&P will also ensure that surveyed populations are not subject to survey fatigue produced by too numerous or redundant requests for information and will be able to provide data if it is already available.
    • Survey Request: Please send your survey request to IE&P at least one semester in advance of survey administration including but not limited to the following information:
      • Survey name/title
      • Research objective/purpose (2-3 sentences) (Note: If you’re conducting a survey to comply with the terms and conditions of a grant agreement, kindly attach the grant documents.)
      • Sampling plan (target population, sample size, selection method, etc.)
      • Frequency of survey (one-time, annual, or every semester)
      • Proposed strategies to maximize survey response and completion rates (e.g., monetary or non-monetary incentives, follow-up/reminder e-mail messages, timing of contact, etc.)
      • Survey administration start and end dates (Note: Survey administration during mid-term and final exams are strongly discouraged.)
      • Contact information of principal investigator
    • IRB Review: Research on human subjects must be approved by the CT State Institutional Review Board (IRB). (Note: Research, conducted in established or commonly accepted educational settings, that specifically involves normal educational practices that are not likely to adversely impact students’ opportunity to learn required educational content or the assessment of educators who provide instruction is exempt from IRB review pursuant to 45 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 46 (specifically, §46.104 Exempt research).)
    • President/CEO Approval: Surveys administered at two or more campuses must be approved by the President or his/her designee. Surveys administered at one campus only must be approved by the CEO of that campus. Additionally, the collection and use of institutional data for any external purpose (e.g., publication, conference presentation, graduate/doctoral research, etc.) must be approved by the President or his/her designee.
    • Compliance with CT State IT Policies and Data Privacy Guidelines: The principal investigator is responsible for all aspects of the survey including but not limited to the collection, transmission, storage, backup, and security of data. All investigators must adhere to the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities (CSCU) IT policies and CSCU data privacy guidelines. Specifically, investigators must use CSCU approved and licensed applications to conduct surveys at CT State.
    • Inferential Statistics: Survey samples should be demographically representative of the population as a whole unless a particular subset has been targeted. A small, more representative sample is better than a large sample size. Data produced by a targeted survey should be applied only to that specific subset and should never be generalized to the larger population. Modeling, weighting, or other adjustments may be necessary to project the results from a sample to the larger population. IE&P will assist with these adjustments. The survey plan should strive for a sample size that allows for results with a 90% or higher level of confidence. This number expresses how certain you are that the sample accurately reflects the attitudes of the total population. Determining the sample size to achieve this level is based on the total population and the margin of error. This percentage tells you how much you can expect your survey results to reflect the views from the overall population. For example, a 60% “yes” response with a margin of error of 5% means that between 55% and 65% of the general population think that the answer is “yes.” The smaller the margin of error, the more confidence you may have in your results. (Note: Please use SurveyMonkey’s sample size and margin of error calculators.)
    • Survey Reporting Standards: Please present and share survey results according to the following standards:
      • Findings and interpretations should be presented honestly and objectively with full reporting of all relevant findings.
      • Individual respondents should never be identified or identifiable in reporting survey findings. All survey results should be presented in completely anonymous summaries, such as statistical tables and charts, and statistical tabulations should be presented by broad enough categories so that individual respondents cannot be singled out.
      • Statistical tables should be clearly labeled.
      • Charts, graphs, and other visuals should be constructed to avoid misleading representations.
      • The survey method should be fully disclosed and reported in sufficient detail to permit replication by another researcher, and all data should be fully documented and made available for independent examination so that consumers of survey results have adequate basis for judging the reliability and validity of the results reported.
      • All data collected on the usage or performance of any academic unit must be shared with that unit.

    Best Practices for Designing an Effective Survey

    Carefully construct questionnaires according to the following best practices from the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR), Qualtrics, and SurveyMonkey:

    • Know what you plan to do with your information once you get it; this will help guide your questions.
    • Provide an introduction to your survey to let respondents know who is conducting it and why and how the collected data will be used.
    • Do not ask too many questions. Respondents are less likely to complete long surveys.
    • Avoid double-barreled questions. Ask one question at a time. For example, ask “Which cereal is your favorite?” instead of “Which cereal do you think is the healthiest and most delicious?”
    • Ask direct questions. Use clear, precise, and unambiguous language. For example, ask “How often do you take risks?” instead of “How often are you particularly averse to risky situations?”
    • Do not use absolute words like “every,” “always,” and “all.” Allow for more nuanced opinions.
    • Avoid leading and biased questions. Specifically, do not embed your own opinion into questions. Also, some descriptive words and phrases may interject bias into your questions or point the respondent in the direction of a particular answer. Scrutinize adjectives and adverbs in your questions. If they’re not needed, take them out. For example, ask “How often do you feel Channel 6 News’ weather forecasting is accurate?” instead of “Channel 6 News' weather forecasting is heralded by many as being the most accurate forecasting in this area. In your opinion, how often do you feel Channel 6's weather forecasting is accurate?”
    • Use close-ended questions (multiple choice, checkboxes, etc.) for data validation. Also, make certain questions mandatory so that you don't get a lot of null values (blanks). Use only 1-2 open-ended questions. Otherwise, you'll get a wide variety of responses, which will be arduous to categorize/code.
    • Avoid binary responses such as true/false and yes/no. They produce less informative data compared to response scales which cover the whole range of possible reactions to a question. Commonly used likert scales include but are not limited to: (Note: Consider omitting the neutral response option because it provides an easy out for respondents who are less inclined to express their opinion.)
      • Frequency
        • Always
        • Often
        • Sometimes
        • Rarely
        • Never
      • Level of Agreement
        • Strongly Agree
        • Agree
        • Undecided
        • Disagree
        • Strongly Disagree
      • Level of Difficulty
        • Very Easy
        • Easy
        • Neutral
        • Difficult
        • Very Difficult
      • Level of Quality
        • Very Good
        • Good
        • Fair
        • Poor
        • Very Poor
      • Level of Satisfaction
        • Very satisfied
        • Satisfied
        • Neither
        • Dissatisfied
        • Very Dissatisfied
      • Likelihood
        • Extremely Likely
        • Likely
        • Neutral
        • Unlikely
        • Extremely unlikely
    • Use an easy-to-follow question order and format (e.g., the layout of a mail survey or a web survey on a mobile device). Some visually presented self-administered questionnaires require the respondent to make navigational decisions that can affect the flow of questions.
    • Collect 8-digit Banner ID (including leading zeros, e.g., 01234567) if you’d like to join socio-demographic, academic, financial, and/or other variables from Banner to your survey data. If it’s an anonymous survey, collect demographic information to determine whether or not the data may be generalized to the identified population. Below are federal racial/ethnic categories and commonly used age groups: (Note: Researchers may use more detailed categories that reflect the demographics of their target population.)
      • Ethnicity:
        • Hispanic or Latine
        • Not Hispanic or Latine
        • I prefer not to respond.
      • Race:
        • American Indian or Alaska Native
        • Asian
        • Black or African American
        • Multiple Races
        • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
        • White
        • Other (please specify)
        • I prefer not to respond.
      • Gender:
        • Female
        • Male
        • Non-Binary
        • I prefer not to respond.
      • Age Group:
        • Under 18 years old
        • 18-24
        • 25-34
        • 35-44
        • 45-54
        • 55-64
        • 65 or over
        • I prefer not to respond.
    • Clearly state pledges of confidentiality, which is not the same as anonymity. Confidentiality means that respondents can be identified but their identities are not revealed to anyone outside of the study. Anonymity means that there is no way (including Internet Protocol (IP) address) for anyone, including the researcher, to personally identify respondents.
    • Preview your survey and ask someone to test it.

    Contact Information

    If you are an external researcher or a CT State student or employee who wishes to conduct a survey at CT State for external purposes, please submit a CT State IRB application at CTState-IRB@ct.edu. For all other questions regarding survey administration at CT State, please contact JD Mathewson, Ph.D., Associate Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning, at jd.mathewson@ctstate.edu.

Contact Information

Should you have any questions regarding conducting research on human subjects at CT State, contact the CT State IRB at CTState-IRB@ct.edu.

  • Hits: 21752

Career Services

Posted in CT State.

  • Temp Last Modified: 2025-01-08

About Career Services

Career Exploration

Job Search Resources

Career Readiness

Welcome to CT State's Career Services department. 

Exciting News!

Handshake: Internships, Interviews, Careers, Events, ResourcesCT State Community College is thrilled to announce its new partnership with Handshake, a leading online platform designed to seamlessly connect our students and alumni with employers. Get ready to discover incredible job and internship opportunities through Handshake!

All students and employers will receive an invitation to create their Handshake accounts within the next four weeks. Stay tuned for more exciting updates!

Services Offered

Career Services departments can be found on most campuses. Services offered vary by campus. Please consult with your home campus on what may be available to you. The following is a representation of some of the services you may find:

  • Individual Career Advising
  • Resume and Cover Letter Reviews
  • Career Assessments (Focus 2)
  • Interviewing Skills
  • Support Building Your LinkedIn Profile
  • Job Search Skills and Techniques
  • Career-Related Events and Workshops
  • Career Exploration Guidance
  • Job Postings (On and Off-Campus)
  • Recruitment Events & Information Sessions

Find a Career Services Office

Career Exploration Resources

Focus2-Major Selection and Career Decision Making Starts Here

FOCUS-2 enables students to assess their values, skills and interests and explore career fields and major areas of study that are compatible with their assessment results.

To get started, use your school login credentials to access myCTState and you will find the link to FOCUS-2 in one of the tiles on the CT State portal landing page. Follow the instructions to create an account and begin exploring!

Accessing Focus 2 Career (Students) 
A guide for new users on initial login steps and how to set up and navigate your Focus 2 Career account

Focus 2 Video Tour
An in-depth overview of the updated Focus 2 Career platform, including its features like self-assessments, major and career matching and job readiness resources

LOGO

What Can I Do With This Major? is a website featuring 100 major profiles, which include information on common career paths, types of employers that tend to hire in the field, and strategies to maximize opportunities.

What Can I Do With This Major?

LOGO

The Occupational Information Network (O*NET) is a free online database that contains hundreds of job definitions to help students, job seekers, businesses, and workforce development professionals understand today's world of work. 

Discover your interests with the O*NET Interest Profiler and find more exploration options at My Next Move.

O*NET Online

CandidCareer+
Explore career-focused videos, job trends, resources and more.

Candid Career+

Other Resources

Job Search Resources

Job Search Platforms

Information Gathering

Career Readiness Resources and Tools

NACE (National Association of Colleges & Employers)

LOGO

NACE is the leading source of information on the employment of the college-educated, and forecasts hiring and trends in the job market; tracks starting salaries, recruiting and hiring practices, and student attitudes and outcomes; and identifies best practices and benchmarks.

NACE is the leading source of information on the employment of the college-educated, and

  • forecasts hiring and trends in the job market
  • tracks starting salaries, recruiting, and hiring practices
  • monitors student attitudes and outcomes
  • identifies best practices and benchmarks

Career Readiness For the New College Graduate
(NACE Competencies)

What is Career Readiness?

Career readiness is a foundation from which to demonstrate requisite core competencies that broadly prepare the college-educated for success in the workplace and lifelong career management. Career readiness provides a framework for addressing career-related goals and outcomes of curricular and extracurricular activities, regardless of the student’s field of study. For employers, career readiness plays an important role in sourcing talent, providing a means of identifying key skills and abilities across all job functions; similarly, career readiness offers employers a framework for developing talent through internship and other experiential education programs.

The Career Readiness Process

This career readiness mapping process was created by CT State Norwalk Career Services staff, but the steps for exploring and starting your career may be useful to all students.

Additional Information For:

  • Students

    Please contact your home campus Career Services staff members for more personalized assistance with your job search and career decision-making. They will direct you to more resources based on your specific area of interest or need. Resources might include links to relevant and useful websites, assessment tools to help you prepare for your career, sample resumes and cover letters, lists of professional organizations and associations, occupational outlook information, videos created by CT State faculty and more!

  • Employers

    CT State Career Services offers many ways to partner with your organization:

    • Post jobs and internship opportunities through our online job board platform Handshake
    • Schedule a recruitment table or an information session (virtual and in-person) to effectively promote your organization, publicize job opportunities and connect with talented students

    Build your brand on campus:

    • Conduct virtual career workshops for CT State students on topics that will help them as they start networking and searching for jobs
    • Engage in employer presentations, information tables, panel discussions and guest speaking opportunities (virtual and on-campus)
    • Connect with CT State clubs and organizations
    • Participate in career and networking events

    *Not all services are available on each campus. Please contact your local campus to learn more.

  • Faculty

    CT State’s Career Services department believes that all students are on a career path—whether they are heading straight into the workforce or hoping to transfer to a four-year degree program.

    As a faculty member, you play a crucial role in creating awareness about our services, events, and programs. Our hope is that all faculty will refer students to meet with a career services staff member and are grateful to faculty who regularly partner with us by integrating career readiness into classroom projects, allowing time for in-class presentations, and/or encouraging students to take advantage of all that we have to offer. Please contact us at our respective campuses listed below to refer a student, request an in-class presentation, or to collaborate on a career related program, alumni career panel, or guest speaker event.

  • Parents and Families

    Welcome family, parents, and guardians! You can help your CT State students start career planning by encouraging them to take advantage of the resources and services available to them in career services. We help with career exploration, resume writing, cover letter writing, interview skills, finding a job and more.

Mission Statement

CT State Career Services provides comprehensive programs, activities and services that assist you (students and alumni) in exploring career options, identifying opportunities and preparing to achieve your career aspirations. We also help you in building your personal brand and understanding how your skills and competencies can best fit in the world of work. The career services staff are committed to taking a collaborative approach when working with internal and external stakeholders/parties to ensure that you are connected to resources and experiences and receive the best support possible in pursuit of your educational and career goals.

*Focus2 Privacy Statement
CT State has provided you with access to Focus2. Your full name and e-mail address were shared with Focus2 in order to establish single sign-on access for your convenience; however, further engagement with Focus2 is voluntary. Please review the Focus2 Privacy Policy before using Focus2 services. See CT State’s Website Privacy Notice.

Privacy Standard Disclaimer for All Other Web Resources/External Links
External links to other sites outside of the ctstate.edu domain are being provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or approval by CT State Community College of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation, or organization or individual. CT State Community College bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.

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Career Readiness for the New College Graduate

Posted in CT State.

  • Temp Last Modified: 2024-06-05

This page has been adapted from information presented by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). Learn more about NACE’s career readiness competencies here.

Career readiness of college graduates is of critical importance in higher education, in the labor market, and in the public arena. Yet, up until now, “career readiness” has been undefined, making it difficult for leaders in higher education, workforce development, and public policy to work together effectively to ensure the career readiness of today’s graduates. In accordance with its mission to lead the community focused on the employment of the new college graduate, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), through a task force comprised of representatives from both the higher education and corporate sides, has developed a definition and identified competencies associated with career readiness for the new college graduate.

Definition

Career readiness is the attainment and demonstration of requisite competencies that broadly prepare college graduates for a successful transition into the workplace.

Competencies

Critical Thinking/Problem Solving: Exercise sound reasoning to analyze issues, make decisions, and overcome problems. The individual is able to obtain, interpret, and use knowledge, facts, and data in this process, and may demonstrate originality and inventiveness.

Oral/Written Communications: Articulate thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively in written and oral forms to persons inside and outside of the organization. The individual has public speaking skills; is able to express ideas to others; and can write/edit memos, letters, and complex technical reports clearly and effectively.

Teamwork/Collaboration: Build collaborative relationships with colleagues and customers representing diverse cultures, races, ages, genders, religions, lifestyles, and viewpoints. The individual is able to work within a team structure and can negotiate and manage conflict.

Digital Technology: Leverage existing digital technologies ethically and efficiently to solve problems, complete tasks, and accomplish goals. The individual demonstrates effective adaptability to new and emerging technologies.

Leadership: Leverage the strengths of others to achieve common goals, and use interpersonal skills to coach and develop others. The individual is able to assess and manage his/her emotions and those of others; use empathetic skills to guide and motivate; and organize, prioritize, and delegate work.

Professionalism/Work Ethic: Demonstrate personal accountability and effective work habits, e.g., punctuality, working productively with others, and time workload management, and understand the impact of non-verbal communication on professional work image. The individual demonstrates integrity and ethical behavior, acts responsibly with the interests of the larger community in mind, and is able to learn from his/her mistakes.

Career Management: Identify and articulate one’s skills, strengths, knowledge, and experiences relevant to the position desired and career goals and identify areas necessary for professional growth. The individual is able to navigate and explore job options, understands and can take the steps necessary to pursue opportunities, and understands how to self-advocate for opportunities in the workplace.

Global/Intercultural Fluency: Value, respect, and learn from diverse cultures, races, ages, genders, sexual orientations, and religions. The individual demonstrates openness, inclusiveness, sensitivity, and the ability to interact respectfully with all people and understand individuals’ differences.

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