DEFIANCE, Ohio — For the last four years, Defiance College has been working to make sure its students are fully prepared to enter the job market as an asset to their future employers.
Defiance College's "Jacket Days" is a three-day conference held for undergraduate students. Eighty speakers will participate in about 120 sessions to better prepare students for the job hunt after graduation.
The initiative began when employers told Defiance College officials that many recent college graduates don't have full competencies to hire.
"They have the academic skills, (but) they may not know how to tell us how they would apply those academic skills in the work setting," said Richanne Mankey, president of Defiance College. "Our students learn things like critical thinking, creative problem solving, ethical decision making and digital competencies because we want them to be value added from the day they walk into their workplace."
The conference is mandatory for undergraduates and offers credits to the students.
Along with holding mock interviews and working on oral and written communication, some students will get to take part in a mock reception and even a dinner party to work on conversation and networking skills.
"I know a lot of our students are used to eating dinner in front of the TV every night," said Jeremy Taylor, the college's vice president for enrollment management. "They don't know what it's like getting a plate in front of them and eight forks and seven knives and how to properly do that."
Upperclassmen who have gone through the conference multiple times before feel like the training along with their education will ensure them a successful career after college.
"I got my resume fixed from doing Jacket Days and the interviews prepared me for grad school interviews that I did well at," said senior Rontonio Scott.
Senior Sloane Livingston also talked about the value the conference provided.
"You get behind-the-scenes knowledge that you wouldn't get if we didn't have these one-on-one conversations with these people," Livingston said.
Since Jacket Days is in its fourth consecutive year, the senior class is the first group of students from Defiance College to hit the road running with all of the career readiness training.