A Strategic Plan to Enhance Soft, Transferrable, Career Readiness Skills Through Service Learning and Community Engagement

Executive Summary A Strategic Plan to Enhance Soft, Transferrable, Career Readiness Skills Through Service Learning and Community Engagement. Lonni Rae Howington, 2024: Strategic Research Project, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. Keywords: service learning, transferrable skills, soft skills, career-readiness skills, experiential learning, digital badges, micro-credentials, professional development. This strategic research project was designed to enhance soft, transferrable, and career readiness skills through service learning and community engagement at Florida Gulf Coast University. The problem or potential gap at Florida Gulf Coast University is the need for an embedded service learning and community engagement component in the core course curricula to continue building on internal strengths for the betterment of the university. The strategic research plan intends to ensure that all university students, regardless of major or discipline, will have access to service-learning embedded courses that integrate service learning into the curriculum. Based on the SWOT analysis, the strength factor identified to be addressed is the service-learning and community engagement component at Florida Gulf Coast University. Embedded service-learning courses will strengthen and develop students' cultural awareness, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, problem-solving, and leadership skills. Graduates with a well-rounded education with embedded service-learning opportunities will develop transferable, soft, and career-readiness skills combined with a strong sense of belonging and civic responsibility. After close examination, the quantitative strategic planning matrix revealed the best possible solution is to create service-learning professional development for faculty to successfully implement and embed into the core course curriculum. The chosen strategy is faculty implementation and education to enhance transferable, soft, and career readiness skills through service learning and community engagement. Integrating faculty buy-in and professional development training to develop and enhance transferrable, soft, and career-readiness skills through service learning will strengthen the university's reputation as an education leader committed to service and community partnerships. My action plan outlines the six steps for integrating transferable, soft, and career-readiness skills into core curriculum courses through faculty education and professional development. The comprehensive action plan incorporates explicit goals, allowing for long-term sustainability. Furthermore, this strategic research project addresses barriers and potential gaps by equipping students with transferrable, soft, and career readiness skills to prepare for entering the competitive workforce. The integration of service learning into core curriculum courses, alongside faculty professional development, promises to create lasting, positive outcomes for the university, students, faculty, and the community. The action plan will evolve based on reflection, feedback, recommendations, and data confirming the foundational steps set in place to enhance Florida Gulf Coast University's ongoing commitment to preparing students for future success.