Focus

The VOICES of the Staff Career Development team will explore career development resources that will better position staff to be more successful in their careers as they participate in and contribute to University of Michigan research, teaching, service, and patient care.

Objectives

• Generate ideas and foster systems to promote career development at U-M.
• Consider ways to help employees to build skills and advance their careers through discernable career paths.

Wins

• Received funding to provide comprehensive career services for all UM staff. An initial investment of $85,000 has been approved by EVP/CFO Tim Slottow, with continuing funding to support the program. A core advisory team has formed and is in collaboration with HRD and Michigan Marketing and Design, to work on the first stage developments for the program.
• Focus on learning addressing the issues around career development has enabled the team to become more aware and educated on building skills to develop a depth of knowledge of career and professional development.
• Team has expanded their skills and knowledge by taking advantage of professional development opportunities such as the workshops like the Basics of Survey Design, Facilitating Successful Focus Groups, Women of Color Task Force Conference and Intentional Systems Change.
• Conducted a benchmarking study of career development practices provided by other institutions.

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Groups that have sought Team input or provided data

• Career Family Navigator
  Contact: Dick Lederer, Compensation Manager, Staff HR Services
  • Outcome: Suggestions provided for the development of the Career Family Navigator website to make it more useful to staff for career planning purposes.
• eMploy (job website)
  Contact: Jan Mulcrone, Director of HR Services, UMHS Human Resources
  • Outcome: Feedback given for improvements to the functionality of the employment website.
• Integrative Portfolio Staff Pilot
  Contact: Karen Dickinson, former co-facilitator of Faculty/Staff Communication Team
  • Outcome: Karen Dickinson asked for volunteers from the team to engage in piloting the Integrative e-Portfolio Staff Initiative. The portfolio process seeks to engage staff with peers to talk about strengths and transfer/maintain knowledge through stories, and sharing of skills and experiences.
• FIGS (Fostering Innovations Grants) Grant
  Contact: Kelly, member of Program Management team, and advisor of the Rewards and Recognition Team
  • Outcome: Kelly discussed with the team a grant that was awarded to address needs of the Health System related to career development and retention.
• UM Career Services Web Site
  Contact: Dave Reid, Director of HR Communications
  • Outcome: Provided input for improvements to the Career Services for Staff website.
• Nursing Administration
  Contact: Marietta Von Buhler, Program Manager, Nursing Administration
  • Outcome: Benchmarked about recently developed Center for Professional Development and Mentoring for Nurses

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Work in Progress

• Researched career development resources at the University as well as other institutions and organization to aid in career web site benchmarking.
• Advising the Career Service for Staff core advisory committee on the future priorities for developing the newly funded Career Services website and program.
• Ongoing discussions of hot topics, such as:
  • Development of a communication plan on educating supervisors and managers about career development resources and practices
  • Employee promotions and the tuition support program
  • Reinstating the career development SPG
• Exploring career services currently offered by CEW

Findings

Here are some career related web links that our team has found useful

Career Services for Staff
Being revised in 2008, our team produced the business case that sparked the retrofitting of this HR site. Watch this space for upcoming changes!
www.hr.umich.edu/career

Center for the Education of Women
Career support workshops and counseling (not just for women!).
www.umich.edu/~cew/services/career.htm

HRD (Human Resource Development)
Offers a Personal Career Assessment Class and other professional development programs for UM Staff.
www.umich.edu/~hrd/programsandcourses/career.html

Nursing Career Development
Comprehensive career site for nurses.
www.nursingcareerdevelopment.com

Plant Academy
Professional development for jobs in the University’s physical plant and building trades. www.plantops.umich.edu/director/Academy

UMHS
Careers website for the UM Health System.
www.med.umich.edu/careers

U-M Student Affairs Career Center
Services for students and alumni.
www.careercenter.umich.edu

Washtenaw County Michigan Works!
Local branch of the state employment office.
www.michiganworks.org/pagecfm/140

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Network Team Members

Contact the Career Development Team
voices.career@umich.edu

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