Berry College combines PathwayU by PeopleGrove with NACE competencies to help students feel more confident.
Learn how Berry College uses PathwayU by PeopleGrove to increase enrollment and retain more students.
INSTITUTION TYPE:
Liberal Arts College
TOTAL ENROLLMENT:
2200+
ALUMNI
27,000+
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS:
75+
Challenge
Nationally recognized for academic excellence and extraordinary value, Berry College is an independent, coeducational college of approximately 2,100 students. For more than a century, the college has offered a comprehensive liberal arts education that balances intellectual exploration, practical learning and character development.
Like many colleges, Berry works hard to enroll and retain cohorts of talented students, partly by demonstrating the practical and life-long value of higher-education. In an increasingly competitive landscape, Berry College promises to provide students with eight semesters of paid personal and professional development through LifeWorks, their unique student employment program. In addition to helping students gain invaluable professional skills, Berry also helps students learn to articulate the value of their experiences on and off campus to future employers – giving students the confidence they need to translate their strengths and interests into careers.
Solution
Berry College has developed a myriad of innovative ways to help students grow as young professionals and transition from the work they’ve done on campus to future employers. Though Berry College does not require students to work on campus, over 95% of students choose to be involved in LifeWorks, working in over 180 different departments at every level of the college. Berry uses the NACE competencies along with PathwayU by PeopleGrove to help students feel more confident as they navigate the LifeWorks program and prepare to enter the workplace.
With patented education-to-career guidance for students and alumni, PathwayU by PeopleGrove empowers each learner to take the best next step in their careers–mapping how their interests and values align with available opportunities.
Our beautiful Berry community continues to grow because of how we’re able to provide our students with unparalleled professional development experiences and support as they explore and pursue their academic, personal, and professional goals across four years. Tools like PathwayU by PeopleGrove have been instrumental in providing our students with insights about who they are, as well as key information about jobs and careers that would be a good fit for them.
Results
Each summer, Berry College assigns approximately 500 incoming students into a “good fit” first LifeWorks job based, in large part, upon results from students' PathwayU by PeopleGrove assessments. In 2023, over 70% of the incoming class is already on PathwayU by PeopleGrove, and increasing numbers of students are often re-engaging this tool in their second year to explore additional jobs, internships, and high-impact experiences both on and off campus.
Berry’s commitment to students’ personal and professional development, combined with innovative approaches like this, cause many Berry students to report feeling extremely satisfied, prepared, and confident upon graduation – giving them a sense of a return on their college education. This feedback has translated into increased enrollment, and an increase in retention of students through graduation. "So many Berry College students report feeling both very satisfied with their college experience and also extremely prepared for their lives after graduation; I couldn’t be more excited about the direction Berry College is headed, and am honored to be a part of such a student-centered campus community," says Hunsaker.
