There’s truth to "practice makes perfect," and you can see it in action at Johnson & Wales. Academics call it experiential education — or taking skills beyond the classroom — and JWU has been doing it for more than 100 years.

But what does it look like in action? At JWU, where you learn by doing, it means a team of students presenting their research on improving customer experience to top industry executives like TD Garden. Or accelerating plant-based product innovation at the North Carolina Innovation Lab.

_{KIANA ALMESTICA '20 GOT ON HER PATH TO BEING A VETERINARIAN THROUGH AN INTERNSHIP WITH THE WARWICK ANIMAL HOSPITAL}

It could mean competing in cybersecurity games designed to help employers find vetted talent, or speaking to filmmakers about their process while helping to run a film festival. It could even mean building a financial portfolio by investing real money through JWU’s Wildcat Investment Value Fund.

Johnson & Wales' consistent result of taking skills beyond the classroom is our students’ success. An impressive 77.6% of Wildcats who complete paid internships receive job offers from their internships employers! Dedicated staff at JWU's Experiential Education & Career Services (EE&CS) help empower Wildcats to identify and pursue internships, secure employment and navigate lifelong career direction.

Wildcats can benefit from internship opportunities, directed experiential education, one-on-one advising and workshops from career professionals, a career management course for juniors, career planning tools and resources, online job postings and networking opportunities with employers and industry professionals.

_{JWU SEEM STUDENTS PRESENT THEIR DIRECTED EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION RESEARCH TO TD GARDEN EXECUTIVES}

If experiential education opportunities are the recipe, then student success is the result. Just about every college is talking about experiential education; that’s because it works. Each year the National Survey of College Internships (NSCI) and the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) release popular reports showing the national averages for student surveys of experiential education and career services, and those are compared to JWU’s own Student Assessment Internship Survey. Here are the latest results:

How Ex Ed Benefits Wildcats 

1. Student Satisfaction

97.3% of Wildcats indicated that their experiential education & career advisor was readily available throughout their internship experience.

92.1% of JWU students were satisfied with their internship experience, compared to 75.6% of national students.

2. Student Success

95.4% of JWU graduates secure full or part-time employment, are enrolled/accepted in a program of study to continue their education, are performing voluntary service or enlist in military service within six months of graduation. This stat, called the Career Outcomes Rate, is 11.3% higher than the national average.

_{WILDCAT WILLIE POSES WITH JWU STUDENTS AT A CAREER EXPO}

89.2% of JWU students completing their Career Management course showed improved confidence in their career planning skills.

75.8% of JWU's Class of 2021 were employed within six months of graduation – a hefty 15.6% higher than the national average at the same point during the pandemic.

3. Career Preparedness

_{A WILDCAT ATTENDING AN EE&CS CAREER FAIR INDICATES THAT THEY'RE READY FOR A JOB}

95.3% of JWU students indicated that they felt more prepared for their career as a result of internship, compared to 4 out of 5 students on the NSCI report stating career confidence as a result of their internship. 

4. Paid Internships

74.7% of JWU students participated in a paid internship in 2021-2022. This number compares to 60.2% nationally according to the NSCI 2021 Report, and to 60% as reported by NACE.

5. Student Engagement

74.5% of Providence and Charlotte undergraduate students, based on Fall 2021 enrollment, engaged with EE&CS through one-on-one and small group advising sessions, workshops, employer visits, career fairs and more.

_{CAREER FAIRS ARE JUST ONE OF THE WAYS JWU STUDENTS ARE CONNECTED WITH FUTURE CAREERS}

While not a direct comparison, the NACE report indicates that 58% of recent graduates visited their career center at some point during their undergraduate experience.

Wildcats and Continuing Education

JWU students slipped below the national average in just one area — by a mere 1.6%. 20% of Wildcats planned on continuing their education compared to 21.6% nationwide. This rate is because JWU’s employment rate is so much higher than the national average — students are already at their dream jobs!

Wildcats who did continue their education tended to enroll in prestigious schools, from Cornell University and Columbia University to University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Boston University. And they will always be held in JWU’s heart, able to network with our 125,000+ alumni across the globe.

What’s Next for JWU Career Services?

The office is continuing to evolve along with the industries around us. Tomorrow’s jobs may not even exist yet, so JWU continues to build partnerships and connections that will strengthen future students’ success in emerging fields.

_{A WILDCAT SHAKES HANDS WITH A POTENTIAL EMPLOYER AT AN EE&CS CAREER FAIR}

Have you connected with us yet?

Contact Providence Campus Career Services at careerservices.pvd@jwu.edu or Charlotte Career Services at careerservices.clt@jwu.edu to see how they can help you plan for success.

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