The University of Tennessee at Knoxville will launch the final phase of its innovative career readiness program this week, helping students returning from summer internships navigate budgeting, evaluate job offers and negotiate contracts.
Dubbed "Story Showcase," the final phase of the Vol Edge program will help students turn the internship and undergraduate research experiences they pursued through the program's second phase into job opportunities. Participants will receive feedback from alumni and professionals as they craft narratives for resumes, social media profiles and interviews.
New students learn about Vol Edge during orientation and first-year courses. The phases can be completed in any order, and finishing Vol Edge earns students a distinction
on their transcript and a graduation cord.
For Amber Williams, the university's senior vice provost for student success, the goal is simple: "Ultimately, I want all my undergrads to have either been in Vol Edge or had some good career mentorship from the campus."
So far, more than 19,000 students have earned credits through Vol Edge courses. That includes 662 students who have completed the second phase, and 1,904 students who have completed the first phase, which helps students build a foundation for their career with guidance on personal branding and networking before guiding.
"We want 100% of our students to at least have done phase one of Vol Edge, and our goal would be that at least 50% of our students have completed phase two," Williams told Knox News. "Those are the two really specific goals that we have. They're aspirational."
The Division of Student Success reports 93% of student survey respondents said Vol Edge helped them achieve their learning goals and that 90% of students felt more confident and prepared for their future careers after completing Vol Edge courses.
Vol Edge is a big part of the strategy to increase UT's retention rate, which measures how many students return for their sophomore year. UT expects this semester to exceed the record 92.4% rate set last year.
"We're not a campus that is scared to set strong and aggressive aspirational goals," Williams said. "I think it's what has pushed us to be the campus we are and to have had all the success that we've had."
The retention rate also contributes to UT's record-breaking enrollment projections for the fall 2026 semester, which estimates 41,000 students are enrolled and now have access to the full Vol Edge program.
Keenan Thomas is the higher education reporter for Knox News. Email: keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How University of Tennessee is guiding students from internships to offers
