Hello all! With move-in day slowly approach for all of us Fall arrivals, I wanted to share with you all about the “Learning” aspect of the Disney College Program and why it is such a great tool for those looking to further develop their career with the Walt Disney company. Before I get any further I want to emphasize that these educational offerings are FREE to all DCP participants and are available in a variety of topics and areas that the Walt Disney World Resort specializes in.

According to the Disney Careers website, what makes the DCP more than just an internship is the ability for participants to take a variety of “uniquely Disney” class offerings that fit individual, personal, and professional goals. These classes are designed to give participants “a comprehensive, experiential-learning opportunity which will provide an unparalleled enhancement to your academic and professional careers”.

One of the biggest reasons why I’m participating in another College Program is because of these educational offerings. I want to take the opportunity to learn more about my future career in Hospitality Marketing by Disney professionals themselves. More specifically, I want to take advantage of the networking, professional development, and personal branding opportunities that the program offers participants and grow my skill set in these areas with a company that I hope to stick within my professional career.

Below, I have broken down all the different offerings that the Disney College Program offers participants at the Walt Disney World Resort as well as when you should prepare to sign up for them **NOTE Collegiate courses are no longer being offered and these educational offerings can change each season. For a more up to date list after Fall 2019, check out the official DCP website to see what is being offered.

---

Disney Education Series

Below I’ve included more information about some of the different educational offerings that the Walt Disney World Resort offers its College Program Participants. If you’d like to check them out for yourself click here to learn more about them.

Exploring Disney

“Designed to showcase how “Disney does Business” in a variety of topics and areas. Guest Speakers and field experiences may be included, based on topic “

* Discover Disney

One of the newer educational offerings offered to participants, Discover Disney is an experience that allows participants to explore the Walt Disney World in an exciting way. “Some experiences may visit onstage and/or backstage locations across the property, and all will have key objectives for each offering.”

It appears that registration for this may be on a class to class basis instead of overall course registration (like the Spotlight On series), so participants may need to keep an eye on the DORMS website under the Events Calendar for when these become available.

* Spotlight On

“The Spotlight On are stand-alone sessions that provide insight into various elements of our business. Each session cover a specific area and may include guest speakers. Participants can choose which topics they are most interested and can attend as many as they desire.”

Different areas that these segments cover include:

• Disney Heritage (which was formally an Exploration Seminar)
• Costuming
• Marketing
• Environmental Integration
• Performance-based Entertainment

You can sign up for theses sessions on the DORMS website under the Event Calendar. These are first-come first serve so check back frequently!

* Disney Exploration Seminar

“Disney Exploration Seminars are integrated series’ exploring the various elements of our business. Each seminar is made up of four two-hour classes that provide more in-depth knowledge of each area, and may include guest speakers and/or field experiences.”

Topics covered include:

• Animal Sciences
• Cast Engagement & Human Resources
• Communications
• Event Operations
• Hospitality & Guest Services
• Leadership 101

This is one of the most popular offerings in the Disney Education series so due to high demand “registration for Disney Exploration Seminars are operated via a randomized lottery.  Interested participants enter the lottery and a randomized algorithm fills seats in class.”

All Disney College Program will get an email before the start of each “term” that allows them to know when they can sign up for the lottery. Participants can choose up to 2 sessions per term to participate in but they aren’t guaranteed a spot. Below, I have included the official education calendar for the Disney Exploration Seminars for 2019 so then you can get an overall understanding of when these take place.

Career Connection

“Created specifically to guide participants in their career path development. Offerings range from networking events to invitation-only events based on self-identified interests or major, and individual career support by the Programs Team.”

* Conversations With…

“Listen and learn from Disney leaders as they share their career journeys. This speaker series provides participants with the opportunity to learn about different topics and/or career paths at Disney through the personal stories shared by guest speakers. These two-hour sessions are a mix of panel discussion and networking.  This offering is formerly known as College Program Alumni Speaker Series.”

Topics include:

• Events
• Entertainment
• Park Operations
• Communications
• STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)
• Hospitality

These speaker series are stand alone offerings, and will be available for participants to sign up on the DORMS web page. Check the DCP weekly email, the Communicator, or the DCP social media pages to find out when these are being offered.

* Career + Life Prep

There are 2 different options for those looking for career advice

1. Career Development Classes (1-2 Hrs) – resume writing, interviewing, personal branding, and networking
2. Career 1:1 Sessions (30 min- 1 hr)- one on one assistance in resume reviews, mock interviews, and networking advice

Again, these educational offerings are stand alone and will be available for participants to sign up on the DORMS web page. Check out the weekly email, the Communicator, or the DCP social media pages to find out when these are being offered. **Participants will need to register for sessions that do not overlap with their work schedule, as we are not able to adjust your schedule for these offerings.

* Career Insights

“This invitation only event will showcase career possibilities based on participants indicated major and/or area of study or interest.  These sessions will highlight elements of our business and the career paths associated with them.  In addition, Career Insights will provide participants with the opportunity to network with guest speakers.”

---

And there you have it! If you have any other questions about the Educational Offerings that Disney has for Program Participants click here for an official FAQ about course details.

For any of my college graduates out there that are either doing the program in the Fall or are hoping to do a DCP in the future and stay with the company I highly recommend checking out some of these offerings. If you are looking to do some professional development on the program as well I also suggest taking a look at this Post-grad possibilities blog post that the Disney Internships & Programs website put out to help further your development.

Are any of you already interested and planning on taking one of these offerings for your program? Let me know in the comments below or message me on Instagram.

Until then, Keep Moving Forward

-Kacey