The UT Austin Women in STEM (WiSTEM) Externship: STEM Career Success Skills is a virtual learning experience for current and future STEM undergraduate students to gain career skills and earn digital badges or microcredentials during the winter or summer break. The WiSTEM Externship is designed to give you credentialed accomplishments for your resume, talking points for interviews, confidence in your professional skills, and training/knowledge/learning to advance your STEM skillset. 

Learning Plan Overview

The WiSTEM Externship: STEM Career Success Skills consists of a learning plan with five learning modules (short eLearning courses), each carefully designed to bolster your professional profile. You will be awarded a digital badge upon completion of each learning module. The descriptions below are from the IBM SkillsBuild platform.

Learning Badge: Explorations into Mindfulness – This badge earner has developed an understanding of mindfulness concepts and techniques and has learned how to apply mindfulness practices to various situations. The individual has an understanding of how to develop focus and self-awareness further. Badge earners can use these skills as a foundation for further study in mindfulness and apply mental and emotional management in any career path they choose. This badge takes about 3 hours to complete.

Knowledge Badge: Design Thinking Practitioner Badge – Throughout this 2-hour course, you will learn the theory of Enterprise Design Thinking from experts, see real examples, and earn the Design Thinking Practitioner Badge.

Knowledge Badge: Data Science 101 – Data Science 101 Level 1 badge will help you understand the possibilities and opportunities that data science, analytics, and big data bring to new applications in any industry. This is a 3-hour course.

Learning Badge: Professional Skills – This badge earner understands key skills for professional success and core soft skills needed in the workforce. This knowledge of skills and behaviors includes creating and delivering presentations, using agile approaches for working professionally to deliver quality work and experiences to customers, collaborating effectively with teams, communicating with impact, dealing with challenges in a controlled and focused manner, and solving problems and implementing solutions.

• Present with Purpose
• Collaborate Effectively
• Interpersonal Skills
• Deliver Quality Work with Agility
• Solving Problems with Critical and Creative Thinking

Learning Badge: Job Application Essentials – Looking for work that can fulfill your potential? After just a few hours of online study, you’ll emerge with a professional brand, a career path that suits your abilities and ambitions, and the resume and interviewing skills that can make your job applications shine. This badge takes about 7 hours to complete.

1. Develop Your Brand Using Social Media
2. Focus Your Direction with Workplace Research
3. Create a Great Professional Resume
4. Ace Your Professional Interview

What to Expect

IBM SkillsBuild Platform: The entire experience is facilitated through the IBM SkillsBuild platform. You will receive a digital badge (microcredential) via Credly upon completing each of the 5 learning modules within the WiSTEM Externship: STEM Career Success Skills learning plan.

Time Commitment: To earn the digital badges, you’ll need to dedicate approximately 25 hours to complete all the learning modules.

Email Newsletters Prompts and STEM Career Path Connections: Participants will receive emails throughout the experience that prompt completion of the next learning module and provide STEM role model highlights and career pathway connections to the content in the learning plan.

Completion Badge: By participating in this experience and completing all 5 learning modules within the WiSTEM Externship: STEM Career Success Skills learning plan, you’ll earn the WiSTEM Externship: STEM Career Success Skills completion badge. This badge will enhance your resume and help you advance your career.

Gaining Skills, Boosting Confidence

Remember, the WiSTEM Externship: STEM Career Success Skills isn’t just about accumulating credentials—it’s about gaining valuable skills, boosting your confidence, and advancing your STEM expertise. Plus, you’ll receive regular eNewsletters to keep you engaged and on track toward completion.

Registration and participation are open to current and future UT Austin STEM undergraduate students, regardless of major. Everyone is welcome!