Career Readiness & Experiential Learning Services
MISSION
Career Readiness & Experiential Learning Services (CRELS) serves SPC students, alumni, and surrounding community members by providing career readiness education/resources, career-guiding experiential learning programming, and strategies to navigate the hiring process. CRELS does this by providing personalized and holistic career guidance to students, supporting faculty and staff that also provide career guidance to students, collaborating with employer/community partners, and leveraging the use of technology to provide on-demand virtual services.
VISION
SPC alumni will have the highest rate of employment and economic upward mobility than any other college in the nation.
GOALS
- Increase student career readiness through Experiential Learning
- Increase partnerships to provide a diverse internship experience for all SPC students
- Enrich Experiential Learning opportunities through engaging SPC faculty/staff with the AlamoEXPERIENCE Model
Department Services
- Access career advising and resume assistance
- Explore internships, work-study jobs, and other experiential learning opportunities
- Learn how to build your Experience Transcript
- Optimize your Handshake & LinkedIn profiles for professional networking
Student Appointment* Link: https://calendly.com/froverjr-alamo/60min
*Certified Career Navigator housed at SWC, but has virtual appointments available for all students. Please check appointment confirmation for more details.
- Partner with our office to document experiential learning
- Request support on coordinating Experiential Learning activities
- Get help planning or validating experiential learning activities
- Request Career Service presentations for your student group.
Faculty/Staff Appointment Link: https://calendly.com/nmartinez324/spc-experiential-learning-planning
- Post jobs and internships on Handshake
- Register for career fairs and campus recruiting events
- Explore partnerships for student projects, guest speaking, and more
- Connect with faculty and programs aligned to your hiring needs
- Check out the Employer Partner Guide or use link below to schedule an appointment for a potential partner planning session.
Employer Services Appointment Link: https://calendly.com/nmartinez324/partner-planning-session
AlamoEXPERIENCE is our one-stop platform for career events, experiential learning activities, self-guided resources, and service requests.
👉 Visit our AlamoEXPERIENCE Page
For Students:
- Register for career workshops, fairs, and employer events
- Access self-guided documents for resumes, interviews, and career exploration
- Read career-focused blog posts and student success stories
- Participate in activities that count toward your Experience Transcript
For Faculty & Staff:
- Submit service requests to collaborate with CRELS
- Access Experiential Learning validation forms
- View documentation tools and planning resources
Experiential Learning TypesCo-Curricular Learning: Activities related to course curriculum; ex. Public Speakers, Panels Extra-Curricular: Activities that foster student involvement and strengthen the institution's culture; ex. Clubs, Student Organizations, Interest Groups, Sports Field Experience: Activities related to career application; ex. Internships, Practicums, Job Shadowing Service Learning/Community Service: Guided service to the community that is related to instruction; ex. Food Pantry, Habit for Humanity |
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Ideal Student Career Development Process
- identify how Career Coach and other self-assessment tools can assist with career exploration.
- identify which AlamoINSTITUTE they are interested in pursuing.
- develop a general resume for their intended field and explain how to leverage their college experience to enhance it.
- locate opportunities for student employment and experiential learning, and understand how to document those activities in their Experience Transcript.
- identify their top targeted job titles and explain strategies to conduct long-term career planning.
- demonstrate how to use the Occupational Outlook Handbook and other online tools to conduct detailed career research.
- compose SMART career goals and describe how campus engagement can help with accomplishing those goals.
- identify the NACE Career Competencies most employers are asking for.
- identified strategies to conduct research on potential employers and identified their top three targeted employers.
- conducted informational interviews with professionals in their intended field.
- developed a tailored resume targeted at particular job opportunities.
- participated in multiple experiential learning and networking opportunities to connect with professionals in their intended field.
- demonstrate ability to self-navigate the job application and hiring process.
- identify high impact practices and strategies for career advancement.
- demonstrate how to use their Experience Transcript to prepare resume and interviews.
- locate opportunities for upskilling through professional development and continuing education.
Online and On-Demand Student Career Services
- Career Exploration (Drop Down)
- Career Coach: utilizing the Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET, and Indeed to compile national and local data for job opportunities grouped by the 16 career clusters or the programs within each AlamoINSTITUTE.
- CLICK HERE for a guide through the process of using Career Coach.
- FOCUS 2: comprehensive self-guided career, major, and education planning system designed to guide you through the steps of the career planning process and provide action steps that support career development.
- CLICK HERE for a quick review of how to access and utilize this tool.
Career Progression Pathway Maps: review job profiles from Zippia for each program at SPC. Data includes salary, skills, education requirements, example resumes, and more!
Indeed Company Reviews: use Career Coach to see top employers in Bexar County posting positions in a job field you are interested in, then visit Indeed to see reviews on those companies.
What Can I Do With This Major? Learn about typical career areas and types of employers that hire people with each major, as well as strategies to make you a more marketable candidate. Accessible through UTSA’s Career Center webpage.
SMART Goals: Objectives for Your Career: Setting clear, specific goals for your professional development can help you determine each step of your career. In this article, we discuss what SMART goals are, explore how to set them and provide examples to help you develop your own.
- Handshake: research employers, reach out for questions, and apply to jobs/internships.
- Informational Interviews: questions to ask professionals in your intended field for career guidance or employer research.
- Professional Association Finder: search by industry or occupation to find professionals in your intended field to conduct informational interviews with.
- Network Target exercise to identify where to begin networking.
- Job Search Academy by Indeed: a free virtual program focusing on mastering the 5 key areas of the job search, so you feel confident every step of the way. On-demand workshops for the following topics:
- 7 Steps in a Successful Job Search
- Ready your Resume
- Ace the Interview
- Evaluating Job Opportunities & Negotiating Pay
- Strategies for Career Management
- Grow with Google HSI Career Readiness Program that is listed towards top of page has some great resume writing resources.
- Job Search Academy listed in the Job/Internship Application & Hiring Process section.
- Resume Builder & Reviewer on Indeed: good starting point for those needing to build a resume from scratch. Schedule with our department if needing help instead of using paid services through Indeed.
Experiential Learning Opportunities
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- AlamoEXPERIENCE Events Calendar: this is where all events and activities coordinated across SPC will be listed. Students are also encouraged to review student organizations that may relate to their academic or career goals.
- Alamo on the Job: From the classroom to career, Alamo on the Job Interns are matched off campus with top rated businesses within the San Antonio Region. The Alamo on the Job Interns will receive paid on the job training to succeed in their chosen field of study.
- Center of Excellence for Math: community outreach programs and student research project opportunities that encourage and offer different opportunities for students wanting to major in the STEM field.
- Center of Excellence for Science: funded student research opportunities and student instructional assistantships for outreach initiatives to the community.
- CIMA-LSAMP Program: undergraduate research, internship, scholarship, and networking opportunities for STEM students.
- Faculty-Student Mentoring Program: The SPC faculty-student relationship is an important part of your time here. A student working with a faculty mentor and their student academic advisor will achieve the goal of college completion, university transfer or career employment more successfully.
- Handshake: database of employer contacts, internships, job opportunities, and employer-organized events. Students who complete their profile in Handshake have a better chance of getting noticed by recruiters in their career field of interest. Recruiters are a great source of information regarding the company they work for and are eager to answer any questions about their organization.
- Office of Workplace Learning: if you qualify for the Federal Work-Study Program, then visit here to review paid internships within the non-profit and private sector.
- Project SURE: Are you looking for an opportunity to expand your STEM education and increase your work options for the future? Then please visit here for more details on participating in undergraduate research experiences!
- Student Engagement Grants: opportunity to get involved with a special initiative, meeting other students, and developing a network of professional contacts. Financial support is provided to each student and is only available to SPC students. Identify the extracurricular experience you are looking for.
- Study Abroad: offers students a transformative experience, fostering personal growth, cultural understanding, and global perspectives, all while gaining invaluable skills and memories that last a lifetime. Scholarships available!
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- Base 11 Digital: promotes pathways to STEM careers and entrepreneurship, especially for women and BIPOC who are often underrepresented in those fields. Join Base11 Digital to gain access to STEM mentors, innovation challenges with cash prizes, and the Boule Fellowship Program.
- HBCU National Center (HBCUNC): a collection of websites to search for internships within the heart of Washington, D.C. HBCUNC offers a grant program to pay for housing during the internship experience.
- Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities (HACU): review all the types of internships available through HACU's National Internship Program, and when you are there be sure to check the navigation pane on the left to review more information on applying to the program.
- Parker Dewey Micro-Internships: When you are launching your career, Micro-Internships provide a tremendous opportunity. Not only can you explore different career paths and work on interesting assignments, but you can also demonstrate your abilities to potential employers while building your professional portfolio and network all while being paid for your time.
- Pathways Program: federal internship and employment opportunities for current students, recent graduates and those with an advanced degree.
- Ready to Work: The Alamo Colleges District is a proud partner of Ready to Work, an educational and job placement program to help San Antonio residents improve their quality of life.
Contact Us
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Nathan Martinez Interim Director of Career Services |
MLK Center for Advocacy and Student Empowerment (CASE), Room 107 |
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Fernando Rover Jr. Certified Career Experience Navigator |
SWC Industrial Technology Center (ITC), Room A135 |
Hours of Operation
Hours of Operation for August & January:
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Regular Hours of Operation:
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Hours of Operation for June & July:
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