ICON Global Learning
About Us
GOALS and OBJECTIVES
- To advocate and educate for improved governmental and employment policies and programs to meet current and evolving needs of international students and scholars that reflect the value of international work exchange.
- To facilitate understanding of the legal, procedural, career development and cross-cultural issues involved in the area of international employment, practical training and international work exchanges.
RATIONALE“The number of international students at colleges and universities in the United States increased by 8% to an all-time high of 671,616 in the 2008/09 academic year, according to the Open Doors report, which is published annually by the Institute of International Education (IIE) with support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.” Open Doors 2009 reports the number of Americans studying abroad increased by 8.5% to 262,416 in the 2007/08 academic year. More than ever, international experience is becoming a prerequisite for being successful in the global job market. As individuals involved in international educational exchange, we are concerned about students’ adjustment to their environment; their academic success, professional development, and eventual integration into a career of their choice.ICON can provide an important bridge necessary for our students to receive the concerned and collaborative support of Career Centers, Internship and Study Abroad and International Student & Scholar Offices.HISTORY The network originally began in 1990 with UCLA, USC, CSU Fullerton, CSU Long Beach, UCSD, and Claremont McKenna College as a Southern California International Careers Consortium (SCICC) to host recruitment fairs for international students seeking Curricular Practical Training (academic credit internships) or Optional Practical Training options for F-1 visa students upon graduation. Collaborative efforts between NAFSA regional and CA Internship and Work Experience Associations led to programs for increased understanding of SEVIS guidelines for helping international students navigate requirements and timetables for academic training and internship options.Through a small NAFSA grant, an on-line resource guide for “What Employers Need To Know about Hiring International Students” was developed for use by employers and students. This publication is still being widely used (a revised edition is in progress).Annual seminars were developed in conjunction with the Los Angeles Trade Week and Chamber of Commerce to show case international career employers and pathways within the import/export trade community. Resources and program development initiatives for preparing both U.S. students and international students for an effective international job search were also shared.ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE
- Quarterly conference calls of board steering committee members.
- Highlight innovative programs at regional/national/international conferences
- Share research & papers
- Interactive Blogs to encourage best practice
Articles – Good topics for articles include anything related to your company – recent changes to operations, the latest company softball game – or the industry you’re in. General business trends (think national and even international) are great article fodder, too.
Mission statements – You can tell a lot about a company by its mission statement. Don’t have one? Now might be a good time to create one and post it here. A good mission statement tells you what drives a company to do what it does.
Company policies – Are there company policies that are particularly important to your business? Perhaps your unlimited paternity/maternity leave policy has endeared you to employees across the company. This is a good place to talk about that.
Executive profiles – A company is only as strong as its executive leadership. This is a good place to show off who’s occupying the corner offices. Write a nice bio about each executive that includes what they do, how long they’ve been at it, and what got them to where they are.
Articles – Good topics for articles include anything related to your company – recent changes to operations, the latest company softball game – or the industry you’re in. General business trends (think national and even international) are great article fodder, too.
Mission statements – You can tell a lot about a company by its mission statement. Don’t have one? Now might be a good time to create one and post it here. A good mission statement tells you what drives a company to do what it does.
Company policies – Are there company policies that are particularly important to your business? Perhaps your unlimited paternity/maternity leave policy has endeared you to employees across the company. This is a good place to talk about that.
Executive profiles – A company is only as strong as its executive leadership. This is a good place to show off who’s occupying the corner offices. Write a nice bio about each executive that includes what they do, how long they’ve been at it, and what got them to where they are.