When I founded uConnect over a decade ago, my goal was to help colleges and universities make career resources more visible, accessible, and equitable for every learner. Today, that mission hasn’t changed but the technology around us has.
As AI becomes a bigger part of our daily lives and our students’ lives, we see it as an opportunity to help career services lead the way. For us, AI represents the next evolution of how career services can operate: helping teams scale their impact, prove ROI, and deliver the kind of personalized support every student deserves.
That’s why we recently welcomed David Palmer as uConnect’s Chief Technology Officer. David brings more than 25 years of engineering experience and leadership in AI, data governance, and product innovation, and he’s helping lead us into the next chapter of the Virtual Career Center (VCC).
“Our goal is to use AI in a way that amplifies human effort, not replaces it,” says David Palmer, Chief Technology Officer at uConnect. “By removing friction from tedious, manual work, we can help career services teams do more with a lot less.”
Together, our teams are focused on three core areas that will shape the future of uConnect’s product: simplifying the work of administrators, creating a more personalized experience for students, and helping institutions demonstrate measurable return on investment.
1. For administrators: Simplified workflows and smarter automation
Career services teams do incredible work curating and managing the content that powers their VCC. With upcoming enhancements, we’re making that process easier.
New self-service AI support will bring an intelligent assistant directly into the admin dashboard. Staff will be able to ask questions, access tutorials, and get personalized guidance on publishing and best practices right inside the platform.
At the same time, agentic AI capabilities will help automate repetitive tasks like tagging and publishing, so content management becomes faster and more intuitive. These updates will also make it easier to capture and analyze data, answer frequently asked questions, and surface relevant content through a guided experience that supports timely promotion of resources.
Admins will stay in full control, with AI working alongside them to handle manual tasks and free up time for strategy, student appointments, and relationship-building.
2. For students: A more personalized and intuitive experience
For years, schools have used their VCC to bring together every career resource, event, and opportunity into one central, accessible place. The more resources that live within the VCC, the more powerful it becomes and now, we’re taking that experience even further.
The next generation of the VCC will make career exploration easier, smarter, and more engaging for students.
A new conversational interface, powered by generative AI, will enhance search and discovery. Instead of navigating menus, students will be able to ask questions or choose prompts such as “What open internships align with my major?” or “What could I expect to make once I graduate?” They’ll instantly receive curated resources, events, and opportunities tailored to their interests and goals.
Students will also have access to a dynamic feed that automatically surfaces resources and updates aligned to their interests. It’s the start of a more guided, confidence-building experience that serves every learner 24/7.
3. For institutions: Deeper analytics and proof of ROI
We’ve heard your feedback on the need for clearer ways to connect career services engagement to outcomes. The next evolution of uConnect will make that possible.
A new Engagement Score will quantify student activity within the platform, giving career teams a clear view across the student body and showing how different populations engage with resources, events, and experiences that drive the most impact. A redesigned analytics dashboard will make it easy to visualize trends, filter by audience, and export engagement reports to share across campus.
Soon, these insights will connect directly to student outcomes data through a new analytics area, helping institutions link engagement to career success indicators like job placement and salary. Together, these tools do more than measure impact; they provide a clearer picture of engagement and a path toward reaching every student more meaningfully.
Built in partnership and delivered with trust
I’m proud to share that these enhancements will be available to our existing customers at no additional cost. That’s a reflection of how deeply we value the partnership and trust you’ve placed in us.
For those considering a partnership with uConnect—or working to gain buy-in from campus leadership—our hope is that these new features, directly tied to supporting institutional goals, will make those conversations easier and more impactful for career services leaders.
As we build this next generation of the platform, we’re committed to doing it the right way: with transparency, security, and care. Every new feature will be developed with responsible AI practices, human-in-the-loop design, and a student-first mindset.
We take data protection very seriously. Our approach includes SOC 2 compliance, rigorous governance frameworks, and continuous monitoring to ensure that student and institutional data remain private, secure, and used only to enhance the experience of those we serve.
These enhancements represent just the beginning of what’s ahead. We’ve expanded our engineering team and invested deeply in the talent and expertise that will continue driving innovation across the platform.
Join the conversation
The next chapter of uConnect is about empowering career services teams to work smarter, reach farther, and show the true impact of their work on students and institutions alike.
Curious to learn more about how uConnect is building the future of career services with AI?
Join me, David Palmer (Chief Technology Officer), and Anna Brogan (Senior Product Manager) on December 3 to hear more about our vision, what’s ahead for the platform, and how we’re helping career services teams scale their impact.
Can’t make it live? Register anyway and we’ll share the recording, highlights, and future updates so you can stay in the loop.
Be part of the discussion
Register to join us on December 3
