Collin College Earns 2023 Handshake Career Spark Award

Collin College is thrilled to announce its recognition as one of the 31 esteemed winners of the 2023 Handshake Career Spark Awards. These inaugural awards celebrate educational partners who have excelled in utilizing and succeeding through Handshake in three distinct categories: student engagement, employer engagement and curation, and reporting, analytics, and First Destination Survey (FDS). This recognition is based on the comprehensive data gathered from the platform.

Handshake, an online recruiting platform tailored for higher education students and alumni, collaborates closely with universities and employers to streamline and simplify the recruitment process. The platform allows employers to engage directly with universities in their pursuit of top student talent. 

Collin College entered its partnership with Handshake in 2021 at the Frisco Campus and then rolled the platform out to all other campuses in 2022. 

“Staff members approached me with the Handshake concept, outlining its potential benefits and a promising path to success for students,” said Technical Campus Provost Brenden Mesch, who, during that period, held the position of academic affairs and workforce dean at the Frisco Campus. “This achievement serves as a constant reminder of the importance of heeding the counsel of intelligent and enthusiastic educators to foster innovation.” 

Handshake boasts a membership of over 14 million students and alumni hailing from more than 800 universities, offering a broad network for students and employers alike. With only 2% of Handshake's educational partners achieving this honor, Collin College's recognition stands out as an extraordinary accomplishment. Other distinguished awardees include the University of Texas at Austin and Princeton University. 

“Our decision to collaborate with Handshake was driven by its exceptional value as the No. 1 career platform for students and its mission to provide equal access to meaningful careers,”said Dr. Tara Lewis, career coach at Collin College FLEXTech. “Collin College's Career Center managers, career coaches, and the Collin College FLEXTech program persistently steer our students toward readiness for the ever-evolving professional landscape." 

Collin College serves more than 58,000 credit and continuing education students annually and offers more than 200 degrees and certificates, including a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), a Bachelor of Applied Technology (BAT) in Cybersecurity, a Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Construction Management, and a new Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Clinical Operations Management. The only public college based in Collin County, Collin College is a partner to business, government, and industry, providing customized training and workforce development. For more information, visit www.collin.edu.