Committed to eliminating barriers to college access and completion for minority students, UNCF Student Professional Development Programs (SPDP) offers a host of programs and initiatives that aim to increase the number and success of minority college graduates.

The goals of these programs include:

• Preparing students to navigate from college to early-stage careers
• Exposing students to industry-sector career opportunities through summer and semester training opportunities at selected organizations
• Reducing financial barriers to undergraduate degrees and early career advancement
• Helping industry sectors build a diverse workforce by helping to identify and prepare high-achieving, well-qualified diverse college student candidates

Coaching For Success

UNCF offers career readiness and coaching to more than 100 minority students who participate in UNCF-sponsored student professional development programs. These programs are structured to provide paid summer and semester internships to expose students attending UNCF-member institutions and other colleges and universities to career paths and opportunities.

Students receive one-on-one career coaching and access to relevant career-readiness and leadership development resources and curriculum that help them:

• Enhance critical thinking skills
• Develop stronger project management abilities
• Improve verbal and written communication
• Sharpen workplace productivity
• Hone quality workplace readiness and etiquette
• Gain a greater understanding of their leadership style
• Improve networking skills and interviewing techniques

In addition to our 8 partner programs, scholars interested in securing an internship for the 2023-2024 school year or summer 2024 are invited to attend. Please see the list of participating companies/programs below:

• American Express
• BD
• The Walt Disney Company
• UNCF K-12 Education Fellowship Program

Please note that all virtual booths and appointments have a chat feature for you to ask questions and interact with company recruiters. While chatting with company representatives, you may be requested to chat via video call. As these activities require your on-camera presence, we request that you dress in business casual attire.

Business Casual Attire Examples:

• Men:
  • Conservative sports coat in a dark color (no prints or plaids)
  • Pressed khakis are appropriate
  • Long-sleeved shirts are more professional than short-sleeves – even in business casual settings.
• Women:
  • A blazer with blouse and pants.
  • A sweater set with dress pants may also be appropriate. For women, khaki pants are generally too casual. It’s best to wear black, navy, grey, or brown.

Please visit the Early Talent Opportunity Days landing page at  http://www.eventdex.com/UNCF  and login using your provided log-in credentials.

• Virtual Booths
• 1-on-1 Appointments
• Roundtable Meetings

Social Media: Connect with our social media platforms and share with your network that you will be attending the UNCF Early Talent Opportunity Days by sharing the flyer attached below or any other screenshots/photobooth photos you gather throughout the day. Don’t forget to use our event hashtags: #UNCFEarlyTalentOpportunityDays #UNCFETOD and tag @uncfspdp & @uncf (Instagram) and UNCF Student Professional Development Programs (LinkedIn).

Yes! The Early Talent Opportunity Days are offering resume review. Once you register and receive access to the virtual platform, you can schedule a time to meet with one of our UNCF Staff volunteers to get feedback on your resume.

Also, Please review the following documents to help aid in developing a strong resume. After reviewing the documents, feel free to watch this Resume 101 session to help fine tune your resume and hear answers to common resume questions:

•  SPDP (Student Professional Development Programs) Resume Template
•  Resume/Cover Letter Checklist
• Watch: 2022 Insider’s Guide to Resume Writing
• The Early Talent Opportunity Days are offering resume review appointments.