You Need More Than a College Education to Compete for Jobs

NEW YORK, Jan. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A college degree is getting more complex and critical than ever before. Gone are the days when just having a degree was the ticket.  A young student today needs to look ahead to what makes them standout candidates to potential employers. Places of higher learning such as the Swiss School of Management (SSM), European University of Rome (Universita Europea di Roma), are leading the trend in making study abroad leadership programs for students a viable option. 

SSM offers a two-fold approach through its International Leadership Semester (ILS) in Rome. The program provides students with the global leadership tools required to compete and layers on a community service project to take the theory into practice and instill good habits early on. The program provides a competitive advantage for its students in the globally-charged world of the 21st century with a holistic approach to leadership, and the development of the person as a whole.

"An undergraduate leadership study abroad program connects students with cross-cultural challenges and contingencies.  Students need to experience a different set of cultural norms and other perspectives to deepen their own," says Cynthia Cherrey, President of the International Leadership Association and, Vice President for Campus Life of Princeton University.  "In today's world our students need to learn how to live, work and lead in a global society.  As the world gets smaller the human spirit must grow larger."

In the United States, businesses are recognizing that ethics and leadership should not be mutually exclusive as they see first hand the damage that a lack of sound judgment and guiding principles can cause a company.  Universities are responding and the development of leadership programs at the collegiate level is now becoming increasingly popular.

Solid leadership at every level is key to a company's success, and not just at the executive level. Undergraduates and MBA students with distinctions in leadership studies are bringing a skill set to the workplace not readily attained in most higher learning programs.

According to Fr. Nathaniel, Executive Director, ILS  "Leadership programs in the past were typically reserved for executives and didn't always take personal growth into account. The ILS creates a paradigm shift in leadership development through a holistic approach facilitated through student assessments, leadership mentors, corporate visits, community service leadership projects as well as creating and monitoring a personal development plan that they can take back to their universities."

Study abroad programs offer students a perspective that is more unusual and valuable in the global economy, and can give them an advantage over those less traveled.

A key area of distinction of the SSM proposition is the "Service Leadership" aspect of the program. Each student is required to conceptualize, organize, plan, and carry out a community service-related project as part of their "experiential learning" to solidify the concept of sustainability in business. 

The Swiss School of Management offers programs for international students in both undergraduate and graduate levels. The International Leadership Semester has summer, fall and spring options for students. Students take core courses in leadership and electives to complement the curriculum. 

About the Swiss School of Management,
European University of Rome (Universita Europea di Roma)

The Swiss School of Management was founded in the last century under the law of the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland. The English-speaking, higher learning institute is based in Rome, Italy. It aims to provide students with the highest quality international educational experience through one-on-one leadership coaching, personal development plans, and innovative educational tools to help students develop qualities that will distinguish them as leaders. Ultimately its mission is to provide students with the global business competencies required for leadership and success in demanding careers in the global economy. For more information visit http://www.ssmrome.com.

SOURCE Swiss School of Management