Workplace Navigation Hub
City College of San Francisco, CA
MiraCosta College, CA
Workplace Navigation Hub
Support Student Success in the Workplace
Technical proficiency alone doesn’t guarantee success. Students also need to understand workplace culture, management styles, and unspoken expectations that shape their work experience. Workplace Navigation Training builds the self-awareness and situational awareness students need to evaluate different work environments, communicate effectively, and respond productively when challenges occur.
We collaborate with community college programs to integrate these skills into instruction and work-based learning, allowing students to interpret what professionalism looks like in various settings, strengthen workplace relationships, and adapt as roles and expectations evolve. We also connect programs to national resources that support students in transitioning from academic training to the workforce.
Who we are
The Workplace Navigation Hub team, built on a long-standing CCSF-UCSF collaboration, combines decades of experience in bench research, biotechnology education, professional development, and work-based learning program design. We develop training and resources for both students and supervisors to strengthen work-based learning experiences with reported gains in confidence, communication, and student-supervisor trust. Our parallel training and tools are informed by direct work with students, alumni, and supervisors across academic, government, and industry labs.
What we can do for you
- Provide free virtual Workplace Navigation Training for community college students, alumni, faculty, and staff.
- Offer asynchronous Workplace Navigation Canvas modules that can be embedded into courses, internship orientations, and other work-based learning structures.
- Support colleges with consultation, resources, templates, and tools to develop, strengthen, and assess work-based learning programs.
- Connect faculty, staff, and partners through a Workplace Navigation Community of Practice focused on sharing frameworks, tools, and solutions to common work-based learning challenges.
- Provide access to People Manager Skills for Research Mentors training, giving mentors/managers in the sciences shared frameworks and language that align with Workplace Navigation concepts. Community college faculty and staff supporting work-based learning programs are also welcome and may be eligible to attend for free.
Workplace Navigation Skills
Hub Host:
City College of San Francisco, CA
MiraCosta College, CA
Karen Leung, Ph.D.
Co-PI, Workplace Navigation to Support Student Success in Technical Careers
Biotechnology Instructor and Internship Coordinator, City College of San Francisco
Founder, Karen Leung, LLC
James Lewis
Assistant Director of Career Services, City College of San Francisco
jlewis@ccsf.edu
+1 512 223 5912
Terri Quenzer, Ph.D.
Executive Director, California Bioscience Workforce Development Hub
InnovATEBIO Co-PI, MiraCosta College
Current programs
Workplace Navigation Training
Workplace Navigation Training gives students, trainees, and early-career employees the knowledge, skills, and support they need to assess and successfully navigate lab environments and progress toward their career goals. Offered as a series of four 90-minute interactive virtual workshops each Spring, the training guides participants through key stages of the working relationship, from using interviews to gauge “good fit” to setting expectations, seeking feedback, and negotiating for what they need as their roles evolve.
Developed through an ATE NSF funded initiative between UCSF and CCSF, the training has served more than 350 students from over 30 community colleges. 95% of community college alumni surveyed who engaged in the training as students reported that the training was “very important” or “critical” to their career success in bioscience/biotech.
Workplace Navigation Training (Part of the InnovATEBIO Bioscience Career Preparation Series)
Workplace Navigation Community of Practice
The Workplace Navigation Community of Practice supports community college faculty, staff, and partners who lead or support work-based learning programs. The community meets virtually to identify local program needs, discuss and share resources, and apply workplace navigation training and frameworks – such as the 5 Stages of the Working Relationship – to real work-based learning challenges. Members can access Workplace Navigation Canvas Modules, work-based learning tools, sample activities, and one-on-one advising or coaching with the hub team to help integrate workplace navigation into courses and work-based learning programs.
Frameworks & Tools for the 5 Stages of the Working Relationship
People Manager Skills for Research Mentors
People Manager Skills for Research Mentors is designed to teach researchers the frameworks, tools, and language needed to effectively lead high-functioning teams. Developed through an ATE NSF funded initiative between UCSF and CCSF, the training has served more than 1,500 scientists and managers, helping them apply evidence-based supervisory practices to support effective labs and teams.
The program is also valuable for community college faculty and staff who support work-based learning programs, providing insight into effective management practices that align with Workplace Navigation Training and support healthy, sustainable lab environments that support student success.
People Manager Skills for Research Mentors
Work-Based Learning Program Design & Assessment Support
The Workplace Navigation Hub offers consultation, resources, and templates for colleges seeking to develop or strengthen work-based learning programs. Using tools such as the 5 Stages of the Working Relationship, the Expectation Clarity Tool, and assessment tools, the team helps programs clarify goals, design structures that support both students and hosts, and monitor outcomes for continuous improvement. Virtual consultation and resource sharing. Contact our team!