Shenandoah University Boosts Access To Early Career Experience For Undergraduates With The Global Career Accelerator

To bridge the early-career talent gap, Shenandoah University has entered into a partnership with Podium Education, the leading experiential education company, to provide a new model of early career experience to its nearly 2,600 undergraduate students in Summer 2024. 

The program, titled The Global Career Accelerator, will launch in collaboration with Intel, a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing, and charity: water, a global nonprofit. Students who enroll will receive academic credit, gain work experience, and build skills in areas like data, coding and digital marketing.

The Global Career Accelerator, which was recently featured in Fortune Magazine, puts SU on the cutting edge of innovative experiential program design. The program focuses on actual business challenges including Intel’s sustainability efforts, digital strategy for the GRAMMY Awards, and charity: water’s goal to activate new audiences. Using both modern learning design and high-quality production, students in the program are placed into context as a team member of Intel or charity: water. Undergrads learn about organizational goals directly from leadership in a series of stakeholder meetings and are then tasked with solving a real-world challenge. 

Each project is designed from the perspective of a new intern, creating an authentic work experience for students but at a scale never before possible. Participating students build in-demand skills in areas like Tableau, earn credits and receive a digital certification.

Helping students obtain real-life experience within their college years is a key focus for SU. Experiential learning programs, such as that introduced by Intel and Podium Education, have the potential to reshape the direction students take in their careers and their potential income.”

Amy Sarch, Ph.D., Shenandoah University’s associate provost for academic affairs

The Shenandoah University Global Career Accelerator will offer six credits for the Summer 2024 offering of the program. Committed to opening access to work-based learning experiences, The Global Career Accelerator has zero prerequisites and is open to students from all majors and backgrounds.

In the program, students will:

• Work in small groups with other students from over 50 countries around the world.
• Gain work experience by solving real-world problems for companies like Intel.
• Build competency in the most in-demand industry tools like Excel and Tableau.
• Receive a digital certification.

Additionally, the Podium team has been working on a project that maps The Global Career Accelerator to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This effort has showcased how The Global Career Accelerator not only equips students with practical skills but also inspires a broader vision of making a meaningful impact on a global scale.

Gallup recently reported that only 4 in 10 undergrads complete an internship, with the rate of participation even lower among first-generation college students (27%). The lack of access to internships fueled the development of this new, more scalable model that enables students to receive invaluable experience with Fortune 100 companies and global non-profits.

The research underscores that early career experiences need to evolve and we can’t limit ourselves to traditional internships that are not accessible or scalable,” said Chris Parrish, co-founder and president of Partnerships of Podium Education. “We’re thrilled to work with our university partners on this new model to ensure all undergraduate students get invaluable early career experience with legacy brands.”

Chris Parrish, co-founder and president of partnerships of Podium Education.

There are over 14 million undergraduates enrolled in college in the U.S. and approximately 5.6 million will not have relevant experience when they enter the workforce. The Global Career Accelerator program offers direct access to real work experiences with renowned companies like Intel, for all college students regardless of zip code or socioeconomic status. This new model of skill and experience-building at scale will close the gap between college and employment prospects for undergraduates worldwide.

Enrollment opens on March 25. Learn more about the Shenandoah University Global Career Accelerator and get ready to jump-start your career with a global impact by visiting globaltech.su.edu.

About Podium Education 

Founded in 2019, Podium Education is the leading experiential education company that supercharges the undergraduate degree through real-world, project-based experiences for all students. Podium has over 50 university partners including Georgetown University, University of Michigan and Texas A&M University. Our flagship program, The Global Career Accelerator, is a fully digital program that enables students to gain global competencies and work experience while working alongside peers from 50+ countries. Students from all backgrounds and majors explore the in-demand fields of digital marketing, coding, and data analytics through co-designed projects with top global companies such as Intel, charity:water, the Recording Academy®, and more. For more information, visit podiumeducation.com/gtx and LinkedIn.