Current Award Recipient

Virtual Skill Academy
Shippensburg University (PA)

The Shippensburg University Career Center team of 4 professional staff members, under the leadership of Senior Director Victoria Kerr, serves over 5,000 students at the Undergraduate and Graduate levels, as well as over 20,000 alumni from its campus located in Central Pennsylvania.  

The Virtual Career and Leadership Skills Academy was created in partnership with the Pennsylvania Bankers Association whose member institutions recognized the need to provide career and professional skills development as part of their internship program offerings. The Career Center developed a virtual 12-week program comprised of 2-hour weekly synchronous sessions, centered around a different theme each week. The workshops are interactive and help interns build “soft” skills through a curriculum built around the NACE. As a virtual format, the program can currently reach 75 interns, in groups capped at 25 participants to maximize engagement.  

Through this partnership, the Career Center obtains funding to support other year-round initiatives, the Pennsylvania Bankers Associate offers a customized and valuable benefit to its members, the member institutions engage their interns throughout the summer and showcase their investment in their team, and interns sharpen their professional skills and career-readiness. The program is currently in its third year and has positively impacted over 150 interns.