National Student Employment Week

April 8th-12th, 2024

Colleges and universities across the country recognize the importance of student employees!

Every year, the National Student Employment Association (NSEA) declares the second full week in April to be National Student Employment Week. It was established to increase public awareness and to recognize students who work while attending college. It is also a time to recognize supervisors that oversee the student experience by providing training and development that prepare students for their careers.

Student employees perform invaluable services with enthusiasm, dedication, and initiative. Setting aside a special week to draw the awareness of others, both on and off campus, is the perfect opportunity to show your appreciation.

National Student Employment Week takes commitment, planning, and coordination yet, the effort yields great rewards.

Students - Understand their impact and contributions to your campus.
Employers - Maximized awareness of the service students provide in the community.
Campus - Increased participation and discussion of student employment and career-related issues.

Each institution's ability to celebrate may vary due to institutional budgets, size of events and available resources.

Listed below are fun, easy and inexpensive ways to celebrate your student employees:

Low Cost Ideas

Treat Day, full-time staff bring in treats/lunch for student workers.
Treat Week, each day bring something different – cookies, popcorn, candy, etc.
Take pictures and post student employee pictures and list what wonderful things they do
Notes Home - send a note to the families of your student workers. Let them know what the student does, how their work impacts your department, and how terrific the student is for your department
Print, certificates and make up silly awards for students: best telephone voice, best web-surfer, etc.
Friendship Plants - take cuttings from a plant in the office and give to each student as a live “connection” to the office.
Bright Ideas - spray paint a light bulb gold, screw into a jar of play-dough and make a label around the jar naming who is receiving the “Bright Idea” award.
Snack Goodie Bag- Fill with small packs of crackers, cookies, candy and chips
Healthy Meal – Crackers and Cheese, Spaghetti with Ready Made Sauce.,
Popcorn – Fill a bowl or individual mini bowls daily, inexpensive yet tasty.
Fruit – Have bowl of fresh fruit –apples, plums, oranges etc.
Gift cards – fast food, subway, pizza hut etc.

Ideas that are Free

Let students pick music for the work place to listen to for the day.
Use this week as an opportunity to start an award recognition program. Look around the office or at home for a white elephant item.
Switch roles for a work session, and let your student employee be the boss.
Have everyone participate in carnival activities or games for competitive fun. For example, have a spinning wheel with fun activities or even challenges that your office has to do during specific times.
Create a "Thankful Paper." Have employees in the office pass around a paper with the student employees names on it and have the department fill out what they like about the student employee, how they appreciate them or thankful to have them be a part of the team.
Make a banner to hang for the whole week in your office.
Decorate an office bulletin board or the office door for the week in recognition of your students.
Use YOUR imagination…. A simple THANK YOU for all you do will go a long way!