Transitioning from College to the Workplace with Dr. Krystal Rawls

For many students, college has been the main goal. But what happens after college graduation? Are students planning and preparing for their transition into the workforce? Dr. Krystal Rawls thinks there’s more that educators can be doing to help students be prepared for their first job. 

Dr. Rawls is the designer of the Workforce Integration Program at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Building on a foundation of theoretically sound and data-driven practices, Rawls endeavors to create transparency and equity in workforce development programming to develop a more diverse, digitally competent, and skilled class of worker. Dr. Rawls draws on her transdisciplinary background in Education, Psychology, and Business to inform her innovative approach to empowering students to take their place in the modern workforce.  Using labor market information to identify the skills needs of employers and curriculum data to evidence skills developed in the academic experience, Krystal creates community through skill-based language.  In her role as an analyst and faculty member, Krystal gets to indulge her passion for building opportunities and relationships that are beneficial to the student, educator/worker, as well as industry and community partners.  Dr. Rawls welcomes opportunities to create meaningful workforce partnerships and develop pathways for positive economic outcomes for all.

In this episode, we’re dishing out advice for both students and educators. We talk about the transition into that first “real-world job”, and how educators can use big and small means to get students ready for that next step. If you’re looking for tangible, applicable advice you can start using today, Dr. Rawls delivers. 

Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference to learn from educators like Dr. Rawls. Get all the details at https://certified.certiport.com/.   

Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog. 

Looking for more advice from Dr. Rawls? Listen to her previous episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0wGcCPbLY6zTXdNdAO3vLO.  

Connect with your fellow educators, like Dr. Rawls, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.

If you’re looking for additional learning opportunities, Dr. Rawls recommends the following books or resources:

1. Supporting Working-Class Students in Higher Education

2. Assessing and Validating Digital Skills: DRAW Detailed Discussion and Findings

3. High-Impact Practices and Gains in Student Learning: Evidence from Georgia, Montana, and Wisconsin

4. Honing Self-Awareness of Faculty and Future Business Leaders

5. “Psychological safety as an effective measurement in engineering classrooms” from the 2019 ASEE annual conference & exposition.

6. “Preparing culturally responsive teachers: Rethinking the curriculum” from the Journal of Teacher Education.