为未来开辟道路

After Gil Emmanuel Ruiz became a father, the former U.S. Marine knew it was time to get other parts of his life running smoothly. For Ruiz that meant focusing on educational opportunities to help turn around his career.

Luckily, he was in the right place.

The veteran was one of the first to earn a scholarship to the 状态 Farm 未来之路 (讨论)项目, a collaboration between 状态 Farm and 亚利桑那州 状态 University (ASU) in Tempe, 亚利桑那州. Since launching in February 2020, PFF Scholars like Ruiz can take advantage of the various offerings aimed at professional development. 这个项目, funded through 状态 Farm scholarships, caters to the educational needs of a variety of learners — from high schoolers looking to continue their studies to adult learners focused on retooling existing skills.

“It’s not just a scholarship program — we’ve created a sense of community among these students,卡拉尼·赖斯说, program manager for the PFF program at ASU.

Students take part in the career pathways program in several ways: through degree, certificate or one-off courses to tailor their own programs. The variety of offerings and custom career counseling allows students to mix-and-match educational opportunities to meet their career needs. Learners get help picking their own courses to create a “pathway to college,赖斯说. Another program goal is to increase degree completion by preparing students to enroll in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, the W. P. Carey School of Business or the 大学 of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

And the program goes far beyond academics.

Students can tap into tailored career resources necessary to continuously develop and adapt to the workforce, including a dedicated career transition support program manager, a program coordinator and two career counselors. Many participants also take advantage of digital portfolio and résumé-building services. 经常, the additional support makes it easier to understand how to transition into a growing field while using their previous knowledge. “T在这里’s a strong emphasis on the mentorship components of the program,” says Rice.

献给尼尔·布扬, 路径参与者, the scholarship program has allowed him to make connections while getting real-world work experience. 今年, the college junior was able to intern as part of the 状态 Farm purchasing department to gain hands-on experience. As a double major in supply chain management and business data analytics, Bhuyan says that putting his studies into practice throughout the internship will make it easier to make the transition into a full-time job. “They really want to develop you for your future,” he says. “我学到了很多.”

为明天培养技能

对于州立农场来说，这是一个 回报的机会. "The PFF curriculum helps students retool while incorporating educational opportunities around data and advanced analytics,埃德·伍兹说。, Director of Corporate Responsibility at 状态 Farm. The goal is to enable career readiness across a wide swath of students by giving them an opportunity for a fresh start or to continue their education.

现在, the PFF program is focused on upskilling participants’ existing qualifications in order to find more promising opportunities. The need is acute in areas w在这里 technology and automation have changed the nature of work. For companies like 状态 Farm, this provides important opportunities to fill the gaps. “We’re seeing a number of people in the workforce that would be displaced and that would need new skillsets,伍兹说。.

PFF is now a 状态 Farm signature program in the education space, focusing on 提供奖学金 and certificate opportunities as well as specific courses for students to enter jobs in the data analytics space. “We need to be helping people who are displaced from an economic standpoint, and one way to help people is to be gainfully employed,伍兹说。.

志愿导师

多亏了这个项目, many 状态 Farm employees are also participating in mentor and volunteer opportunities as well as making appearances on campus (some via Zoom, 现在). The regional headquarters for 状态 Farm are nearby, making further collaboration easier. 最近, members of the 状态 Farm Hispanic Employee Resource Organization mentored students in the PFF program, and additional employees participated in volunteer days with program participants. Company employees also regularly speak to classes about the ins and outs of professional networking. “It’s incredible to be helping students who are excited to get into their career and remove those barriers,Stacie Wylie说, a corporate responsibility analyst at 状态 Farm, who has participated in the volunteer events.

Erin O ' conner, a Pathways scholar in the Masters in Sustainability Leadership Program, works from home while parenting a toddler and taking ASU classes online. 而这个项目帮助 减轻部分经济负担 为她, the career opportunities and resources have helped her put her education into practice in ways that make sense 为她 needs and passions. “They not only give you the financial assistance to earn the degree and gain the knowledge that you need, but then they also help you align with professionals in the area or just provide information of what you can do with those tools,她说。.

实现在线增长

Today, the program is growing beyond the ASU campus with an increase in virtual programming. 已经, 29,000 learners have logged on to m3, an online interactive major and career quiz that was built as part of the offerings with 状态 Farm. It allows students to explore their interests and match them to ASU majors. Since launching enhancements to the tool this year, students from more than 75 countries have logged on to better assess their own career aspirations.

Another virtual offering available is MyPath2SUTM, a transfer guide for learners to understand how their transfer credits will be applicable to more than 400 ASU majors. “已经, 30多个,000 students are actively on pathways to ASU from community colleges locally and nationally,赖斯说.

随着项目的发展, the goal is to continue to offer both in-person and online curriculum to ensure the program can have an impact on the lives of students who need it most. “We’re looking to provide the knowledge and skills necessary for life and work in the 21st century,伍兹说。. “It speaks to our concept of being a lifelong learner.”