Make work part of the learning
Approximately one in five Pratt students works on campus, making student employment an important opportunity to support learning and professional growth. Pratt GROW is a guided reflection program that helps student employees connect their workplace experiences with their academic learning, professional development, and future goals.
What is Pratt GROW?
Adapted from Iowa GROW®, Pratt GROW uses brief, structured conversations between student employees and their supervisors to make the learning happening through campus work more visible.
These conversations help students recognize the skills they are developing, connect their work with their studies and interests, and prepare to describe their experience in future opportunities.
Pratt GROW is not an additional evaluation or course. The conversation itself is the intervention – an intentional reflection that strengthens the learning already happening through work.
How Pratt GROW Works
- Supervisors participate in practical training led by CCPD.
- CCPD provides ready-to-use conversation cards, facilitation guidance, and tools for connecting student work with NACE competencies.
- Supervisors incorporate brief, structured conversations into regular check-ins, team meetings, or other existing workflows.
- Students reflect on their work, recognize the skills they are developing, and connect their experiences with their academics, interests, and future goals.
A Pratt GROW conversation may explore
- How is your job fitting in with your academic work?
- Can you share an example of something you’ve learned here that you’ll use in your future career?
- Can you share a time when you encouraged a coworker or helped keep a team motivated?
Why Pratt GROW matters
| For student employees | For supervisors |
|---|---|
| • Recognize work as a meaningful learning experience • Connect academic learning with workplace practice • Build confidence in naming transferable skills • Prepare stronger examples for résumés and interviews • Develop a clearer sense of goals and next steps | • Build stronger relationships with student employees • Make feedback and mentoring more intentional • Support career readiness without redesigning the job • Use a shared language for discussing development • Learn more about students’ strengths and aspirations |
Career Readiness Competencies
Pratt GROW uses the NACE Career Readiness Competencies to help students and supervisors recognize the skills developed through student employment.
These competencies, developed by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), describe the skills and behaviors that prepare students for success in the workplace and provide a shared language for discussing professional growth.
Bring Pratt GROW to your team
Pratt GROW is designed to be flexible and practical for supervisors across campus. If you are interested in using Pratt GROW with your student employees, CCPD will help you get started.