Soft Skills in the

Northwoods & Beyond

Graham Cote, Courtney Gunter, Sammy
Simpson, and Jake Wierenga
The Problem
- The majority of employers find college
graduates lacking and/or unprepared in the
most desired skills.

- Students are failing to convey to employers the

soft skills they possess and/or employers are
failing to signal to the students that the soft
skills are valued.
The Problem
● Students leave college underprepared in their
soft skills competency.
Target Audience ●
●
Class of 2023
Who are they?
○ ~600 students
○ ~50/50 male/female
○ ~45 states
○ ~35 countries
● Why them?
Proposed Solution: ● Ideas drawn from Reinhardt University’s
Strategic Career Advancement Program

The Wheaton ● Program Goals:

○ Motivate students to develop soft
College Soft Skills skills throughout their college
experience
Endorsement ○ Teach students how to communicate
soft skills to employers
● 2 part voluntary program that is spread out
over time at Wheaton
● Student Benefits
Solution Part 1: ● After freshman year

Wheaton in the ●
●
Wheaton in the Northwoods
Soft skills units

Northwoods ● Morning sessions

○ Class time
● Afternoon sessions
○ Activity-based learning
● Reflection journal
● Final day debrief
○ Individualized continued learning program
Solution Part 2:
Continued Learning
● Seminars once a semester

○ Continual touchpoints

○ Focus on individualization and application

○ Guest speakers

● Reflection paper integrating seminar content

and personal experience

● Program Advisor meetings each semester

Resources Human Resources
● Program Faculty
● HoneyRock Staff
● Administrative Staff
● Guest Speakers

Material Resources
● HoneyRock
● On-Campus Seminars
Budget
1. Costs
a. Faculty Compensation
b. HoneyRock fees
c. Promotional Costs
2. WIN Course Fee
a. Course: $1300
b. Room and Board: $300
c. Transportation: $50 (optional)
Thank You!
Questions?