As the 2026-27 academic year gets underway, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is launching the third phase of its Vol Edge career readiness initiative — a program introduced in 2025 to help students recognize, develop and communicate the skills employers value. With this new phase, which focuses on presenting experiences professionally and making informed financial decisions, the program aims to help students begin their careers with greater confidence and preparation than ever before.
While many institutions offer career services and programs, Vol Edge stands out for its broad support and scope. It positions UT to build upon its reputation as a leader in student success by making high-impact career readiness resources part of the campus experience for every student, not just those who seek them out. As of August, more than 19,000 students have earned Vol Edge credit, with 1,904 having completed the first phase and 662 having completed the second phase.
“Vol Edge is a master class in what happens when a campus community moves with singular purpose,” said Amber Williams, senior vice provost for student success and chief honors officer. “Watching our students embrace this career readiness platform with such intensity proves we’ve tapped into a vital need. We are fueling a new standard for how Tennessee’s future leaders prepare to thrive, innovate and lead from day one after graduation.”
Building skills through real-world experience
The program’s first two phases, Career Kickoff and Experience Accelerator, launched in 2025. Career Kickoff covers career readiness foundations such as gaining experience, networking, well-being and personal branding. In Experience Accelerator, students begin by setting goals and identifying the career skills they want to develop. They then participate in an experiential learning opportunity — such as an internship, study abroad or undergraduate research experience — connect what they learned to career competencies, and prepare to communicate those skills to employers.
Story Showcase, the new phase launching this fall, helps students translate their experiences into resumes, LinkedIn profiles, interview stories and networking conversations. A financial wellness component focuses on budgeting, evaluating job offers and negotiating salary — features that most career readiness programs don’t offer.
Students are introduced to Vol Edge during UT orientation and through other first-year courses and experiences. They can complete the phases in any order and are encouraged to finish the remaining phases no matter where they started. Those completing the program earn a distinction on their transcript and receive a graduation cord.
Boosting confidence — and career readiness
The program has demonstrated strong student engagement. The Division of Student Success reports that 93% of respondents in a student survey said it helped them achieve their personal learning goals. Confidence in career readiness increased from 56% before completing Vol Edge modules to 90% afterward.
In the survey, students said Vol Edge helped them better understand their strengths, improve networking and communication skills, and feel more prepared to navigate career decisions. One student noted that Vol Edge helped them “slow down and reflect on the skills I have and how I can best market them to employers,” while another said networking lessons contributed to securing an internship.
Anna Huber, a senior audiology and speech pathology major from Reading, Pennsylvania, is participating in Vol Edge in conjunction with her role as a faculty research assistant. Huber said Vol Edge has helped her expand her network and create a personal brand by linking her key career competencies, especially communication and teamwork, to how she presents herself online and in person. The program has taught her to reflect on her experiences and make future applications easier by updating her resume in real time.
“Vol Edge is such a great opportunity to be intentional with yourself and pause and reflect,” she said. “That’s helped me a lot, because now when it’s time to apply for jobs and internships, I’m not trying to think back and make bullet points about something that happened a while ago. Vol Edge encourages you to be able to talk about what you’ve done, which is something I needed.”
Darius Jackson, a senior marketing major from Knoxville, said he used to find interviews intimidating and felt he needed to be robotic in them. Thanks to Vol Edge, he now feels confident framing his work experience — such as his social media internship at UT’s Judith Anderson Herbert Writing Center — in professional terms while letting his personality shine through.
“Doing mock interviews through Vol Edge allowed me to see that it can be more like a conversation,” he said. “After learning the basics of creating talking points, now I’m able to have interviews with people and talk about myself. It’s been a really fun and interesting experience.”
Jackson’s newfound confidence has sharpened his elevator pitch, helping him land interviews that have led to opportunities such as studying in Japan through the university’s Global Immersions program.
“Vol Edge has been instrumental to my success,” he said. “I definitely feel I have the skills and experience to start out in the workforce. We all know the workforce is very competitive. Utilizing Vol Edge has given me my own competitive advantage.”
Campus collaboration
Rather than directly providing or managing experiential learning opportunities, Vol Edge integrates a wide range of hands-on experiences already available to students. Students who receive research grants administered through Undergraduate Research and Fellowships and those who participate in engineering co-ops and internships or the VOLintern program are required to engage with Vol Edge to ensure that they make the most of their experiences. Student employees in the Division of Student Success must complete the first phase of the program.
The Vol Edge team is collaborating with UT’s Programs Abroad office to develop a component that will help students translate international experience for employers, as well as working to identify ways the program can be integrated into experiential learning opportunities across campus. Plans are in the works to introduce experiential learning grants in the future.
Students interested in learning more about Vol Edge can visit the program’s website.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Jessica Segers (256-677-1741, [email protected])