A comprehensive strategy for talent development: Florida International University builds upon proven success

The following essay by FIU President Kenneth A. Jessell appeared as the fifth in an ongoing series with Opportunity Miami’s Academic Leaders Council, which includes the presidents of FIU, the University of Miami, Miami Dade College, Florida Memorial University, St. Thomas University and Barry University, along with the superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The essay series, called “The Class of 2040: Essays on the next-generation workforce,” explores what it will take to meet the talent development needs of the future. Opportunity Miami is powered by Miami-Dade Beacon Council.

By Kenneth A. Jessell 

Since its opening to students in 1972, Florida International University has embraced the challenge of getting graduates into meaningful careers that meet their individual goals, move our economy forward and meet the needs of employers. As we continue to celebrate our 50th anniversary, we reflect on the past and look with excitement to the future. Our greatest success is embodied in our 300,000 alumni: the leaders who serve in industry and government; the innovators launching the companies of the future; the artists who help us better understand ourselves; and the engineers, medical professionals, social scientists and teachers vital to everyday lives. The education they received at FIU has allowed them to thrive in an uncertain world and made our community strong and ready to address the challenges and opportunities of the future.

Responsive academic programming

Under the leadership of Provost, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Elizabeth M. Béjar, FIU makes a priority of ensuring that degree programs stay both rigorous and relevant. Only through constant review of courses and continuous content updating — work that deans along with department chairs and faculty make happen — can our students graduate with the kind of advanced knowledge and critical thinking skills employers look for.

Regularly taking the pulse of industry is crucial to ensuring that up-to-the-minute information, topics and practices make their way into the classroom. FIU’s colleges and schools convene advisory boards of executives who represent the fields graduates are entering. Their advice and guidance provide the foundation for keeping curricula relevant and boosting the employability of new graduates.

Industry-academy synergy

Working directly with industry partners gives students a leg up. One example: FIU’s Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences has aligned with security software firm Kaseya on a program to develop tech talent, including future employees suited to work for and rise within the company.

“FIU has been unbelievable at working with us,” CEO Fred Voccola said recently in an interview with Miami Today. “I’ve never seen a university around the world, in my experience, that actually listens to the companies in what they are looking for and takes their input. FIU looks at the real world.”

Federally supported talent development

In addition to private industry, FIU works directly with federal agencies that provide grants in support of developing needed talent and provides on-site experiences.

One of the most successful programs is a collaboration between FIU’s Applied Research Center and the Department of Energy (DOE). It serves as a pipeline of highly qualified engineers prepared to accept positions with DOE or at energy and related companies within the state, such as Florida Power & Light. The federal funds cover paid internships at sites such as Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.

Internships and “a culture of work”

The Office of Career and Talent Development is focused on ensuring students are career ready by providing professional development workshops and one-on-one advising. It also connects students with meaningful internships in their areas of career interest. Career fairs, workshops, access to an online platform to search and apply for internship opportunities and individual mock interviews are extended to all students.

Those with an interest in interning with federal agencies have a unique resource in FIU in Washington D.C. There students find support in the form of introductions, networking and unique educational fly-ins and seminars with government, business and national organization representatives. The lessons learned by these young people travel back to Miami and South Florida.

And while internships and fellowships provide the type of concentrated activity that helps a student stand out, practical work experience has its place too. The Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management has an office charged with keeping its more than 2,000 majors gaining real-world experience throughout their academic years at a wide array of companies within the industry. Career development, industry networking events, and a dedicated job-search engine provide year-round support for students who must work 500 hours as part of graduation requirements and an additional 300 hours for internship credit. The school emphasizes real-world exposure, with the goal of putting students on track to land management-level positions soon after completing their degrees.

Researchers as teachers

FIU is one of only three percent of universities in the nation that have achieved the top Carnegie classification of “R1: very high research activity.” That status acknowledges research productivity, over $282 million in research expenditures in 2022, and a quality of output commensurate with that of some of the oldest and most renowned institutions of higher education in the country. It means that FIU successfully competes with the best schools in the country for grants from agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Since 2015, FIU faculty have obtained nearly 400 U.S. patents, and for the past four years, FIU has been ranked among the Top 20 U.S. public universities and the Top 50 universities worldwide for the number of U.S. patents secured. The kind of heavy-duty research activity required to create new technology benefits both students and the companies that hire them after graduation.

Aside from providing exciting, cutting-edge classroom instruction, professors involved in high-level research — in criminal forensics, biomedical engineering, neuroscience, marine biology, and more — often invite undergraduates into the lab or on field excursions. Once reserved exclusively for master’s and Ph.D. students, such opportunities are increasingly open to those seeking bachelor’s degrees — a boon to companies looking for entry-level employees with the skills and potential to step up quickly.

A focus on interpersonal skills

In addition to the specific knowledge associated with a given field of study, employers look for job candidates who possess a quiver full of universally valued skills. These include proficiency in oral and written communication, competency in critical thinking, and leadership and decision-making abilities, among others.

At FIU, the emphasis on written communication includes required composition courses, with one-on-one assistance and development through campus writing centers available to students. The Honors College requires that students attend “design thinking” workshops that spark creativity and encourage innovative approaches to problems. The Center for Leadership and Service provides opportunities for personal growth and advancement to build leadership qualities while also teaching the value of teamwork. And the Office of Career and Talent Development runs workshops to improve public speaking and analytical skills. These are but a few of the ways FIU helps mold and develop students who can successfully contribute in whatever professional setting they choose.

A focus on emerging technologies

Now witnesses to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, we see the fusing of the physical, digital, and biological worlds and the resulting impact on all disciplines, economies, and industries. New technologies are changing how people work and will give rise to a host of jobs that currently do not exist.

To meet this tsunami of evolving tech head-on, FIU provides the opportunity to earn “micro-credential” competencies designed to enhance students’ preparation for high-level jobs. Completion of these micro-credentials — more than 60 of which are available online, in-person, or via a hybrid format — confers certification of skills attainment in subjects such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, data science, and more. Offered to students of all majors and often geared specifically to those outside of our computing and business schools, these micro-credentials close the gap between individuals’ career readiness and employers’ expectations of well-rounded graduates. The student earns a digital badge that can be displayed on a LinkedIn profile, resume, or digital portfolio.

Emphasis on nimbleness

Amid the push to give students the knowledge and training so vital in today’s fast-paced marketplace, academic leaders understand that even the latest information will likely become outdated in a relatively short time, and skillsets likewise will need adjusting.

Key to helping students maintain the kind of adaptability sought by employers in the 21st century is the related traits of an entrepreneurial spirit and a commitment to lifelong learning. FIU encourages and supports entrepreneurial thinking across the curriculum, especially through the College of Business and the Pino Entrepreneurship Center, Blackstone Launchpad, StartUP FIU, and the Florida Small Business Development Center at FIU.

And for all the promise and potential that recent graduates take with them as they leave the university, diplomas in hand, and begin productive careers, staying relevant and growing into leadership roles will demand ongoing education. At FIU, as across the nation, the number of individuals seeking master’s, doctoral and professional degrees is on the rise — both on-campus and online. Additionally, FIU offers year-round professional development certificates, badges, continuing education, and a wide array of other credit and non-credit programs.

When the Class of 2040 — today’s kindergarteners — takes the commencement stage, their world will look very different from the one we currently live in. One thing we know for certain is that FIU will support their dreams and goals with the same high standards, innovative thinking, and unmatched dedication on which we have built our first 50 years. Miami — and the world — will be the better for it.