By Adrian Pais
One of the major challenges facing the IEEE is the retention of student members, once they graduate. Graduating students often do not know that the IEEE is a huge, global organisation that stretches far beyond the student branch to which they belonged.
Adittionally, they are often unaware of the tremendous benefits they will have if they become a full IEEE member.
The IEEE student Transition & Elevation Partnership (STEP) program was developed to provide a standardized—yet localized—program for facilitating the transition from student member to young professional, by introducing the opportunities and benefits of IEEE membership during the onset of a career.
The objectives of STEP are to:
- Identify a local IEEE entity beyond the student branch for members to contact
- Plan a joint Section and GOLD event to introduce local IEEE resources
- Illustrate IEEE member benefits appropriate for young professional members
- Identify recent IEEE Student members who have graduated with an undergraduate or graduate degree; help retaining members by capturing any change of address, email or other contact information
The STEP Manual provides the one place to access information on how to plan and organize workshop activities to outreach to the transitioning student or graduating member. The manual contains a check list, best practices, program objectives, description of the student elevation process, format and activities of the STEP workshop and additional resources including Membership Development.
Funding is available for STEP activities, including the graduation reception for groups holding an event with a minimum of ten recent graduates. Basic funding will be provided at the amount of $500.00 and additional funding may be available if more than 25 recent graduates attend.
For further information about STEP visit the STEP website, where you can also download the STEP manual and the funding proposal form.
Adrian Pais is 2009 Chair of the IEEE Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD) Committee. In this role he provides overall leadership for a committee of approximately 30 IEEE volunteers with the mission of inspiring, energizing, empowering, and engaging IEEE’s over 50,000 recent Graduate Members to envision and realize their dreams.
He was recently elected 2010–2012 director of the IEEE Foundation. In 2008, he was involved in establishing the IEEE Zambia Section as a vehicle to inspire progress in the country of his birth by engaging technical professionals to work toward the vision of the IEEE.
Adrian Pais is based in the Netherlands where he works as a teleocommunications consultant for the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO).