Virtual Career Accelerator
Work from home while gaining valuable experience in the international development and conservation sectors. Learn what it’s like to actually work in these fields and get hands-on experience as you partner with organizations in a variety of locations.
UNC Charlotte Virtual Career Accelerator give you the opportunity to gain project-based experience, demonstrating to employers your ability to apply these skills to real-world scenarios.
This could mean analyzing photos of fish and coral species or scanning drone footage of tropical forest canopies. Alternatively, you could spearhead fundraising efforts to support conservation initiatives or to fund educational materials for schools with fewer resources.
Experience Options
Choose from two types of experience, designed specifically for students at different stages in their for-good career journey.
What you get
Complete a project that solves a problem for a real organisation and add it to your resume.
Get a professional recommendation from your personal mentor that details your skills and accomplishments.
Learn new skills, relevant to an impact-focused profession, and apply them to real scenarios.
Complete three online courses and earn a certificate from UNC Charlotte.
Receive support during weekly one-on-ones and career coaching sessions from your dedicated mentor.
Attend an immersive series of lectures delivered by leading academics, professionals, and local experts.
Example of a Typical Week
Career path Insight
Gain insight into your chosen career path and engage in discussions with leading academics, professionals, local experts and your fellow participants, when you take part in live chats and lectures on a range of topics.
Local
immersion
Explore the customs, languages and cuisine of another culture in order to reach a deeper understanding of the country by attending lectures about a local cultural context or environment, led by community members or an area expert.
Project
Work
Find solutions to some of the challenges faced by real organisations such as local NGOs and social enterprises. You’ll do this by conducting research, engaging in discussions and proposing a potential solution.
Career development
Learn about your potential career journey ahead from a professional in your field of interest. Take part in workshops that will assist in career development, and receive coaching from your dedicated internship supervisor.
Eight Professional Fields
Climate Crisis and Clean Energy
Education for Development
Environmental and Corporate Sustainability
Global Public Health
Human Rights and Access to Justice
Marine Conservation
Social Economic Development
Wildlife Conservation
Final Project Examples
Throughout your experience you’ll be completing one project each week that helps a local organization solve an actual problem. Since we work with real partners, real, valuable projects will be assigned to you. This means that the types of projects you could work on will vary. We aim to match you as closely as possible with an organization and a task that aligns with your personal career goals. See below for some of the projects you could work on during your experience.
Local, Organic Food Production Proposal
Producing food organically and
locally is better for the environment. Write a proposal to plant and maintain a vegetable garden in a community where food scarcity is a main concern. Research varieties of plants
that would thrive in local conditions and include cooking instructions and recipes, taking into account available
resources.
Statistical Analysis of Water Temperature
Analyse statistical data to determine whether changes in water temperature may act as an environmental cue for certain behaviours such as reproduction in marine species. The findings can then be used to predict future behaviour as ocean temperatures rise.
Business Resources for Entrepreneurs
Work with a local business incubator that specialises in working with aspiring entrepreneurs from low-income backgrounds. Work with one of the local entrepreneurs to create a business plan. You might also work with them to create funding proposals and marketing materials.
Dates & Costs
Full Time
Cost
Part-Time
Cost
*The cost of each UNC Charlotte Virtual Career Accelerator includes two weeks of introductory online learning material which students complete before the experience. Additionally, it includes the cost of an optional, post-experience peer-reviewed final project. *There is an opportunity for students to join UNC Charlotte and complete a one-week virtual career accelerator without any pre- or post-learning. The cost of this is $1695.
3 Online Courses Included
UNC Charlotte participants will also complete our successful flagship online program; the Foundations in Sustainable Development program, which includes three online courses.
– Careers in Sustainable Development
– Leading Teams for Emerging Leaders
– Introduction to Community Development
– Introduction to Scientific Conservation Research