Data Driven Solutions: Understanding Turnover Trends and Tenure Among OIT Student Employees

Student employees in the Office of Information Technology (OIT) gain a lot of experience and are proven valuable to the division, but are not transitioned into long-term, full-time positions after graduation. Many leave their roles prior to graduation, and this study sought to explore why student employees leave their jobs with OIT and how this information may be used to reduce student turnover rates. Student employment data from 9 departments with employee departure dates between 2021-2024 was analyzed using R Studio, pivot tables, and graphs. Among the student employees who left OIT voluntarily, nearly half (33 students) left in May, indicating a significant seasonal trend. Also notable, July 31st, 2021, experienced the highest hire rate of the period analyzed, with 12/87 employees being hired, almost 15% of students in this timeframe. Additionally, among the 9 departments that were analyzed, 1 department (cloud computing) boasted both the highest salary for students and the longest tenure. By understanding the reasons behind student departures, OIT can better retain valuable student employees and provide a stronger workforce pipeline.