Professional Extension Project

Profession Extension Projects (PEPs) are project-based learning opportunities designed and offered by Kenyon alumni and parents to emulate real-world projects in their field. These projects allow students to develop key skills and insights into an industry while receiving valuable coaching and feedback from Kenyon-affiliated professionals. Click here to submit a PEP.

A PEP IS:

• Accessible: Each PEP is a discrete project requiring approximately 10 – 30 hours of work that students can complete remotely, year-round, with commonly available software and equipment. 
• Hands-on: PEPs are practical, in-depth experiences tailor-made by dedicated mentors to emulate real-world projects from their career fields.
• Developmental: PEPs allow students to apply skills developed at Kenyon to projects that will enhance their professional profiles while gleaning insights into a career field.
• Experience: Projects can be added to resumes or help build portfolios. Participants may also receive LinkedIn recommendations from PEP mentors.

HOST A PEP

There are five parts to the PEP volunteer experience: (1) create a project, (2) meet with the student prior to the project, (3) evaluate and debrief the final product with the student, (4) write a LinkedIn recommendation for the student if appropriate, and (5) complete a short survey on the experience.

1. Create a project. For ideas on creating your project, see the next section, Designing a PEP. 
2. Meet with the student via phone or video call to describe the project and coach the student on methods or approaches that might be helpful. You may also need to field occasional questions from the student as they are completing the project.
3. When the student completes their PEP, review and evaluate the final product during a follow-up meeting. During this meeting, you can also help the student articulate what they gained from the experience so they can discuss it with prospective employers.
4. We encourage you to write a short (1 paragraph) recommendation on the student’s LinkedIn profile if their work merits it. 
5. Once your PEP is completed, you will receive a short survey to collect feedback about the experience. Thank you for taking the time to help a student gain valuable professional experience!

DESIGN A PEP

Create a project at the skill level of an intern or entry-level employee. Examples include designing a social media marketing campaign, creating blog content for a client, debugging a segment of code, analyzing a dataset and making recommendations based on findings, conducting a literature review on a topic in your field, pitching an advertising campaign, or drafting a grant proposal. You can view examples of previous PEP projects designed by fellow Kenyon alumni here. You may also consult with the CDO if you wish to workshop an idea. 

Ideally, PEPs should require about 10-30 hours of work from the student so that the project can be completed alongside coursework, athletics, employment, or other time commitments. Projects that go above and beyond this scope might be better suited for an internship. For more information on creating an internship and recruiting Kenyon students, please email cdo@kenyon.edu

Here are a few guiding questions to keep in mind as you are designing your PEP: 

• Will the student be able to see a project through from start to finish, resulting in a finished product or specific outcome? 
• Does this project help students practice professional skills that might not be easily learned over the course of their Kenyon education? 
• Does this project provide students with a useful snapshot of work in your industry?
• If you were hiring for an entry-level position, would you value this experience on a candidate's resume? 

Additional Information and fAQ's

Professional Extension Projects should be designed to maximize students’ educational benefits, and are not equivalent to internships. PEPs should not displace an employee’s responsibilities,  but may serve as a compliment to work that others at your company do. 

Can I hire my PEP student?

PEP hosts are certainly encouraged to consider their PEP student for longer-term opportunities. However, a new agreement will need to be established between the student and employer. The student is not expected to complete any work beyond the originally agreed upon PEP hours and project description. If you wish to hire the student for additional projects, provide clear differentiation between the PEP and the new opportunity, with ample opportunity for the student to consider the new offer and make an independent decision about their interest in pursuing it.

Do I need to offer compensation to my student?

PEPs are designed to be educational experiences that emphasize benefit to the student over the employer, and do not displace work of employees. As such, these are not compensated projects. If you have a larger project and want to offer compensation, we recommend that you contact Josh Lisko in the Career Development Office at lisko1@kenyon.edu or 740-427-5217 to discuss creating an internship for a Kenyon student.

OTHER QUESTIONS?

For all other questions, please contact us at cdo@kenyon.edu or (740) 427-5165.

The Kenyon College Career Development Office (CDO) maintains information to help Kenyon students and alumni connect with individuals and companies that are willing to assist, mentor, or house students who are exploring careers, and with internship and job opportunities that may be available.  Students, employers, and volunteers should be aware that the CDO does not vet or conduct background checks on the students that may seek assistance, employers that may be offering opportunities, or volunteers who may be providing support. Employers, students, mentors, and hosts are highly encouraged to meet via a phone or Skype call prior to confirming any arrangements to determine suitability of fit and discuss mutual expectations.  While the CDO is not responsible for what happens in arrangements that come from its networks, it is happy to assist students, employers, and volunteers with conflict resolution and resources should difficulties occur.