Career Launch

Last Updated: October 16, 2026 3:06:13 PM PDT

In partnership with the Career Center, Career Launch is a career development platform that helps students build career readiness skills and prepare for future opportunities.

The Career Launch platform helps student employees build career-readiness skills, understand their strengths and areas for improvement, and articulate the valuable skills they develop through on-campus employment. Through assessments and guided learning experiences, students build the confidence and skills they need to navigate their career journey. Career Launch is based on career readiness competencies developed by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) and UC San Diego. Supervisors can leverage the Career Readiness Inventory+ tool within Career Launch to help them build a more intentional, developmental employment experience for their student employees.

Career Readiness Inventory+

The Career Readiness Inventory+ is an assessment tool that helps student employees connect their on-campus employment experience to their career development. The Career Readiness Inventory+ includes brief student self-assessments, a supervisor feedback assessment, and guided reflection activities that support career readiness and professional growth.

The Career Readiness Inventory+ is designed to help students understand their strengths, identify areas for growth, and develop a common language for talking about their skills. Students can use these insights to set goals and intentionally develop their skills through their student employment experience. At the same time, supervisor feedback offers another perspective on how students demonstrate those skills in the workplace.

What does the Career Readiness Inventory+ process look like?

Student completes the pre-Career Readiness Inventory+ (Typically During Onboarding)
Supervisor/Student Employee Touchbase #1 (Within the First Month)
Student builds on their skills and competencies during their work assignment
Student completes the post-Career Readiness Inventory+ (Near the End of the Academic Year or Work Assignment)
Supervisor completes the evaluator section of the Career Readiness Inventory+ (Evaluation of Student)
Supervisor/Student Employee Touchbase #2 (Near the End of the Academic Year or Before the End of the Work Assignment)

Departments interested in implementing Career Readiness Inventory+ should email the Student Employment Office for more information.

Launch Your Career Program

Through the Career Launch platform, the Career Center delivers Launch Your Career, an 8-to-10-hour structured learning experience designed to accelerate student professional development. Launch Your Career helps students reflect on their experiences and learn how to communicate their strengths while developing connections with professionals in their field of interest. Please visit the Career Center's Career Launch webpage for more information about the program and registration details.

Have Questions or Need Help?

If you have questions about student employment, please reach out to your department HR Contact.
For additional assistance, please email the Student Employment Office.