With growing demand for career-ready, experiential learning opportunities, the Global Career Accelerator (GCA) continues to expand its impact at the University of South Florida. This past spring, 235 USF students registered for the program, reflecting strong student interest in gaining professional experience while earning academic credit.
The Global Career Accelerator allows students to develop practical, in-demand skills through real-world projects that mirror working environments. The program partners with Podium Education, an organization that connects students with industry-driven learning and access to a global network.
Students begin with pre-recorded online lectures that introduce key concepts and tools. They then apply this knowledge in LiveLabs—highly interactive weekly sessions where they collaborate with peers and work alongside an industry expert to solve real-world, career-relevant problems in a team-based environment, completing structured assignments and tackling practical challenges.
“The Global Career Accelerator helped me gain skills my degree program didn’t cover but employers expect.” — USF alumnus, Justin De Haai Badilla
Students can choose from five tracks: Digital Marketing, Data Analytics, Web Development, Coding for Data, and Career Rotation. This opportunity is open to students of all majors and has no prerequisites, making it accessible to anyone looking to build employable skills regardless of their academic background.
“The Global Career Accelerator helped me gain skills my degree program didn’t cover but employers expect. It filled a critical gap and made my academic background much more competitive in the job market,” said Justin De Haai Badilla, a recent USF graduate who completed the program and is now pursuing a master’s degree at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Current students echo that impact. Felipe Paludetto, a junior majoring in applied and computational mathematics with a minor in economics, highlighted the program’s hands-on, industry-driven approach: “Through the Global Career Accelerator, I was able to take raw data and turn it into meaningful insights through real projects, including work connected to Intel. That experience showed me how data is used to inform real business decisions.”
Prithvi Kota, a senior majoring in econometrics & quantitative economics, encourages
future students to “take full advantage of all the opportunities that are available
through the program, such as career workshops and early talent competitions.” Kota
was named a top 10 winner in the Wells Fargo x Global Career Accelerator Early Talent
Competition, where he designed a program to empower new businesses and entrepreneurs
to take initiative and succeed in their ventures. Other participants have also translated
their GCA experience into career opportunities, including Jaycee Cavero, a USF sports
and entertainment marketing major, who earned a highly competitive summer internship
with L’Oréal SalonCentric. These successes demonstrate the program’s ability to equip
students with practical skills and connect them with industry-relevant experiences.
Registration opens March 30
As workforce expectations continue to evolve, programs like the Global Career Accelerator play a critical role in preparing students to transition confidently from college to career. Registration for the upcoming summer and fall Global Career Accelerator sessions opens on March 30th.
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