TAMPA 鈥� Nearly 3,000 students at the USF Muma College of Business are getting an introduction to building high-demand marketable skills thanks to a new certification program integrated within the undergraduate business curriculum.
Beginning this fall, the college launched the Bellini Certification Program, a four-level series of competencies that develops a student鈥檚 foundational skills, starting in their freshman year, and progressing toward a mastery of knowledge upon graduation.
鈥淲e鈥檙e thrilled to be rolling out the Bellini Certification Program,鈥� said GJ de Vreede, interim dean at the Muma College of Business. 鈥淥ur undergraduates will now have access to a host of employer-led workshops and skill development modules geared toward developing the soft-skills that employers are looking for in the workplace.鈥�
Those employable skills include the ability to communicate, think critically, problem solve, network, and gain real-world experience through an internship.
鈥淲e want our business students to get ahead of the herd when they enter the job market,鈥� he said.
The program鈥檚 launch, and its curriculum integration, is part of the overall goal at the Bellini Center for Talent Development, which opened in March 2022 as the result of a major gift from USF alumni Arnie and Lauren Bellini.
The center was created to give all undergraduate business students a career hub, focused on developing skillsets, individual career paths, increased internship opportunities, and ultimately, job placement. The Bellini center offers employer-led workshops, r茅sum茅 development, interview coaching, career-focused events, and networking opportunities.
As students complete each certification program module, they are awarded an achievement icon. Students can also earn incentives for participating in career events and engaging with the center.
Once students reach levels 3 and 4, they are required to meet with a Bellini Center career coach to support their professional development and to reinforce the skills and concepts in the program.
About half the college鈥檚 undergraduate students are part of the Fall semester roll-out and the remaining students will begin the program in the Spring 2024 semester. Since the program is embedded into the curriculum, students will start the certification program based on their course enrollment.