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Letter from the Director
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Dear CCWT Community,
Each fall, campus is infused with the energy of new students moving into the residence halls, and 2025 is no different! Their smiling faces and joyful laughter are reminders of the reasons we do this work.
It's our mission to ensure students have access to opportunities and resources that will improve their career outcomes, and we do that by centering their voices in our research and program development. In fall 2024, we initiated the Work-integrated & Experiential Learning Lab (WELL) with three undergraduate interns and two graduate project assistants. Read below to learn more about the project and how YOU and YOUR students may be able to get involved!
In addition to the work we're doing right here at UW-Madison, we continue to partner with valued institutions throughout the United States. We received two new awards from ECMC Foundation and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation!
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Our team spent the summer presenting at conferences. Read below to learn about our sessions at NACE 25 in Philadelphia and the Society for Vocational Psychology (SVP) Biennial Conference in Switzerland.
We remain dedicated to fostering a dynamic network of scholars, practitioners, and students and hope to see you at our 2025 Fall Conference! Together, we will continue to advance knowledge, inspire change, and build a future where all learners thrive.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
Mindi Thompson, Ph.D., HSP
CCWT Executive Director
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2025 Fall Conference - Early Bird Extended - Register today!
Great news! We’ve extended early bird registration for CCWT’s Fall Conference—giving you more time to take advantage of discounted rates. Don’t miss this opportunity to join colleagues and thought leaders for a dynamic exploration of career readiness, equity, and workforce transformation.
Check out our conference program preview for a glimpse into the exciting sessions and speakers lined up. Whether you're attending for professional development, networking, or inspiration, this year’s program promises to deliver.
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Career Wellness in the Spotlight — and Back In Person at CCWT’s Fall Conference!
CCWT’s Tune In to Strive Out Career Wellness Program was recently featured in an Inside Higher Ed story by Ashley Mowreader, highlighting the growing demand among young people to be prepared to transition into meaningful work, financial stability, and well-being. Now, you can experience this impactful program firsthand!
Join us in person at CCWT’s Fall Conference for the return of the Tune In to Strive Out Institute. The half-day (9am-12pm) Institute will be offered during the second day of the Fall conference in person at UW-Madison’s iconic Memorial Union. If you are interested in becoming a certified facilitator through our Facilitator Institute or are interested in learning more about the career wellness needs of today’s college students, join us on Nov 7 for our TITSO Institute.
As an NCDA Select Continuing Education Provider™, CCWT offers 3 CE units toward any NCDA credential.
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New Workshop Alert: Teaching Transferable Skills & Work-Integrated Learning from Middle School to College
Looking to strengthen career readiness across the education pipeline? Don’t miss Professor Matthew Hora’s hands-on workshop from UW–Madison Continuing Studies: Teaching Transferable Skills and Work-Integrated Learning from Middle School to College.
This interactive session is designed for educators, career development professionals, and program leaders who want to embed career-connected learning into their curriculum. Learn practical strategies to help students identify and articulate transferable skills, and explore models for integrating real-world learning experiences at every stage of education.
📅 Date: 11/4 - 11/21/2025
📍 Location: Online
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Support Your Students’ Career Success – Enroll Them in CCWT’s Work-Integrated Experiential Learning Lab (WELL) Intern Cohort Program!
Help your students build the skills employers value most by signing them up for CCWT's FREE Intern Cohort Program. The program is designed to support undergraduate students who are completing internships on-or-off campus. CCWT’s experts will lead a virtual professional development seminar series designed to enhance career readiness skills, share supervisor and intern resources, and provide group and individualized support.
Please forward this opportunity to interns or supervisors who may be interested and don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.
This program offers:
- Interactive workshops co-designed by students
- 1-on-1 support and access to career-building tools
- Topics like goal-setting, growth mindset, networking, and community cultural wealth
- A supportive cohort experience to grow together
📅 Spots are limited—register today!
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ECMC Foundation Grant Supports New Project Aiming to Advance Work-Based Learning Experiences
A new three-year initiative led by CCWT Executive Director Dr. Mindi Thompson seeks to boost social and economic mobility by closing gaps in access to high-impact work-based learning (WBL) experiences. The project will develop a first-of-its-kind Career-Oriented Cultural Supports Mapping Tool and generate tailored insights for partner institutions. Through survey research, social network analysis, and stakeholder engagement, the team will illuminate how students’ networks shape their access to Work-Integrated Learning experiences and provide actionable strategies for institutions nationwide. If you are interested in partnering with us on this project or learning more, please email us at ccwt@wisc.edu.
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New Video Resource: Explore Community Cultural Wealth in Higher Ed
In a compelling video from Sage Research Methods, CCWT Project Assistant Kyoungjin Jang-Tucci shares her work on developing a scale to measure the community cultural wealth of college students. She discusses the practices that informed her approach, how the scale is implemented, and the challenges she encountered along the way. This is a must-watch for educators, researchers, and student support professionals interested in equity, inclusion, and student success.
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Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Supports Bridge Funding for STEM Equity Research at CCWT
CCWT is pleased to announce that the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has awarded bridge funding to support the Networks & Cultural Assets (NCA) Project. Led by Dr. Nidia Bañuelos, the project investigates the social networks and community cultural wealth of Latinx STEM students across eight University of Texas System campuses. Following the unexpected termination of NSF support, this bridge funding will allow the research team to complete data analysis, share findings with UT educators, and expand access to a strengths-based curriculum designed to help students build academic and career networks. We are grateful for the Foundation’s commitment to equity-focused research and its impact on underrepresented students in STEM.
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Explore a Landmark Report on Work-Based Learning
Strada Education Foundation has published Internships and Beyond, a landmark report based on the National Survey of Work-Based Learning—an instrument originally developed by CCWT. The report explores diverse models of work-based learning and highlights the importance of expanding access to high-quality, career-aligned experiences. It builds on CCWT’s commitment to equity and innovation, emphasizing how social capital and skill development shape student career outcomes. Read more...
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CCWT Executive Director Quoted in National Report on Workforce Development
We’re proud to share that Dr. Mindi Thompson, Executive Director of the Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions (CCWT), was featured in JUST Capital’s latest report, From Transactional to Transformational: Closing the Gap Between Worker Expectations and Experience for Internships and Apprenticeships. Developed in partnership with Strada Education Foundation, the report explores how companies can better align work-based learning programs with worker needs and business outcomes.
Dr. Thompson’s insights underscore the equity challenges faced by students in accessing meaningful internships: “Internships and WBL opportunities are prohibitive for students who don’t have familial or other financial resources to cover costs associated with completing them.”
Her contribution reinforces CCWT’s mission to advocate for inclusive, high-impact pathways from college to career. Read the full report here.
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CCWT Scholars Shine at International SVP Conference
The Center for Research on College to Workforce Transitions (CCWT) was proud to be prominently represented at the Society for Vocational Psychology (SVP) International Conference in Lausanne, Switzerland. Led by CCWT Executive Director Dr. Mindi Thompson, CCWT scholars contributed to 13 distinct presentations across a wide range of topics—from student career wellness and internship outcomes to employer perspectives and program evaluation.
CCWT students and faculty engaged in rich cross-cultural dialogue, received individualized feedback through the conference’s first-ever Doctoral Track, and built global connections that will shape the future of vocational psychology. Their work, supported by the National Science Foundation and the Gates Foundation, reflects CCWT’s commitment to advancing equity and evidence-based practice in career development. Read more...
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Recent Presentations & Publications
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Investigating the relationship between community cultural wealth and cultural capital in higher education: A quantitative study
Bañuelos, N.I., & Jang-Tucci, K. (2025). Investigating the relationship between community cultural wealth and cultural capital in higher education: A quantitative study. Innovative Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-025-09844-7
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Facilitating College Student Career Wellness: Program Development & Evaluation of the Tune in to Strive Out Career Wellness Program for Underrepresented College Students
Thompson, M., Her, P., Sanchez, M., Keita, N., Williams, K., Rivera, N., & Gonzalez, B. (2025, July). Facilitating College Student Career Wellness: Program Development & Evaluation of the Tune in to Strive Out Career Wellness Program for Underrepresented College Students. Symposium presented at the Society for Vocational Psychology Biennial Conference, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
Presentations included:
- Evaluation of Creando Comunidad program: The role of advocacy intentions in future career planning.
- Bridging the Gap: Supporting Underrepresented Students with Culturally Responsive Career and Mental Health Interventions.
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An Integrative Intervention for Work & Mental Health: The Work Intervention Network (WIN) Program
Blustein, D., Mazur, A., Allan, B., Sharone, O., Autin, K., Thompson, M., Ferreira, J., Cinamon, R., Stevenson, B., Kozan, S., Smith, C., Gordon, M., & Guterres, K. (2025, July). An Integrative Intervention for Work & Mental Health: The Work Intervention Network (WIN) Program. Symposium presented at the Society for Vocational Psychology Biennial Conference, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
Presentations included:
- The WIN Program—Conceptual Foundation and Intervention Overview
- Evaluations of the WIN Program
- New Directions for the WIN Program: Adaptations and Innovations
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Building Skills to Foster Radical Healing in Career Wellness Interventions
Thompson, M., Her, P., Keita, N., Sanchez, M., & Williams, K. (2025, July). Building Skills to Foster Radical Healing in Career Wellness Interventions. Workshop presented at the Society for Vocational Psychology Biennial Conference, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Working While Black in the United States: A Research-Informed Workshop for Career Practitioners
Marks, L., Wilkins-Yel, K., Reese, N., Keita, N., Caldwell-Harvey, T., Williams, T., & Davis, R. (2025, July). Working While Black in the United States: A Research-Informed Workshop for Career Practitioners. Workshop presented at the Society for Vocational Psychology Biennial Conference, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
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The longitudinal effects of college internships on postgraduate career outcomes
Jang-Tucci, K., & Thompson, M. (2025, July). The longitudinal effects of college internships on postgraduate career outcomes. Oral presentation at the Society for Vocational Psychology Biennial Conference, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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An exploration of college students' perceptions of career readiness
Keita, N., Williams, K., & Thompson, M. (2025, July). An exploration of college students' perceptions of career readiness. Oral presentation at the Society for Vocational Psychology Biennial Conference, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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The Development of the Youth Activism Work Theory
Keita, N., & Norton, M. (2025, July). The development of the Youth Activism Work Theory. Oral presentation at the Society for Vocational Psychology Biennial Conference, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Examining proactive personality & classism within the Psychology of Working Theory among college students
Sanchez, M., & Thompson, M. (2025, July). Examining proactive personality & classism within the Psychology of Working Theory among college students. Poster presented at the Society for Vocational Psychology Biennial Conference, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Employer reflections on recruiting, selecting, training, & evaluating student interns from minority-serving institutions
Sanchez, M., & Thompson, M. (2025, July). Employer reflections on recruiting, selecting, training, & evaluating student interns from minority-serving institutions. Poster presented at the Society for Vocational Psychology Biennial Conference, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Empowering underrepresented students: Evaluating the Critical Consciousness module in career wellness intervention
Her, P., & Hasan, M. (2025, July). Empowering underrepresented students: Evaluating the Critical Consciousness module in career wellness intervention. Poster presented at the Society for Vocational Psychology Biennial Conference, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Optimizing Internships: Designing an Evidence-informed Model Internship Program
Clemens, M., & Thompson, M. (2025, June). Optimizing Internships: Designing an Evidence-informed Model Internship Program. Workshop presented at the National Association of Colleges & Employers (NACE) Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
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Teaching transferable skills using a sociocultural perspective: A guide for faculty and institutions for creating college courses that highlight disciplinary knowledge, professional norms, and habits of mind.
The Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions (CCWT) presents Teaching Transferable Skills Using a Sociocultural Perspective, a guide by Dr. Matthew T. Hora that rethinks how faculty teach skills critical for career readiness. Rejecting generic competencies, the guide emphasizes discipline-specific, context-driven instruction. It outlines six key principles, including embedding skills within content, using structured learning sequences, and prioritizing faculty autonomy in curriculum design. Practical steps guide instructors in revising courses, starting small with individual lessons and aligning teaching methods with real-world applications. The report highlights the importance of teaching skills not just for workforce preparation but for civic engagement and lifelong learning. With research-backed strategies, CCWT continues to support educators in fostering meaningful skill development that equips students for complex professional and social challenges.
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Stay Connected
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Visit CCWT’s website for more details on publications, events, and research initiatives. Follow us on social media for real-time updates and discussions.
Thank you for being part of our mission to advance career readiness and workforce equity.
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CCWT supports and conducts research and develops evidence-based tools, resources, and programs to promote the career development and wellness of students, including those who have been historically marginalized in higher education and the labor market. We are able to pursue this mission thanks to the generous support of our funders. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of these supporters.
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Center for Research on College to Workforce Transitions (CCWT)
Division of Continuing Studies
21 N. Park St., Madison, WI 53715
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