News Release | August XX, 2013
Champlain College Communications Office – 802-865-6432
Internships and Networking Key to Champlain
Grads Finding Work in Their Chosen Field of Study
BURLINGTON, VT. – Ninety percent of 2012 Champlain
College graduates who answered the annual
Employment Survey report that they found
employment within 12 months of graduation, according
to the 2013 Champlain College Employment Report.
Employment data for 89 percent of the graduating class
was collected.
The annual survey, conducted by the Champlain College
Career Services Office, also shows that about half of the
seniors who graduated in May 2013 had landed a job by
graduation.
Helping to fuel those strong results, according to the
Career Services Office, was the fact that the majority of
respondents in both classes—including over two-thirds
of the respondents in the class of 2013—had worked at
a relevant internship or job related to their career goals
in the year before graduating. Students credited that
experience with helping to open the doors to interviews
and job offers.
Champlain College, a private college established in
1878, offers a wide range of majors and areas of study
in three divisions—Communications & Creative Media,
Education & Human Studies, and Information
Technology & Sciences—and the Robert P. Stiller School
of Business. In addition to its Burlington campus, the
College has full academic campus facilities in Montreal,
Canada, and Dublin, Ireland. Champlain also offers
undergraduate and graduate level online degrees for
adult learners.
For the 2012 Champlain graduates surveyed within a
year after graduation, the results were even stronger
when compared to national statistics. Eighty-six percent
of those responding secured employment that is
relevant to their major—well above the national
benchmark of 65 percent reported in the Rutgers
University John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce
Development’s May 2012 report “Chasing the American
Dream: Recent College Graduates and the Great
Recession.”
respondents indicated that in comparison to their peer
group from other colleges and universities, the careerfocused education they received at Champlain College
prepared them “well for success at work.” Over 30
percent also indicated they had already been promoted
from their original post-graduation job.
Opportunities Abound at Champlain
The employment indicators are significant, according to
Ian Mortimer, Champlain College’s Vice President for
Enrollment Management, because of the ongoing stiff
competition for jobs from seasoned professionals in a
tight job market. A Champlain graduate often attributes
his or her early employment success to the many
opportunities and strong educational foundation the
College provides through internships, networking
opportunities, up-to-date skills and social media
training, and ongoing career services support.
"We help our students find and delve into their passions
from day one on campus and that continues right
through their senior year. They leave Champlain well on
their way to taking their first steps on a lifelong career
path after graduation with the communication, critical
thinking, teamwork and technology skills to adapt and
be flexible in a changing workplace," Mortimer said.
"We tell our students that the keys to success are to stay
focused, be persistent, take advantage of every
Champlain opportunity and never give up on the
pursuit of their dream job," Mortimer said. "Champlain's
career counselors help students create a planned
approach to the job search and regularly follow up with
contacts and applications. Employers want to see
relevant experience and skills on a resume. It is
important for graduates to remember that their
professions and interests will change over time, so they
must maintain focus on developing transferable skills
and experience for a lifetime of strategic career
management."
For more information, visit www.champlain.edu
or call (802) 860-2700.
An overwhelming majority of responding 2012 alumni
credited their education at Champlain with preparing
them well for their current jobs. Eight out of 10
Champlain College, 163 South Willard St., Burlington, Vt., 05402 | www.champlain.edu