How to create opportunities for students

I have been thinking recently a lot on how I can support my students and younger colleagues. I already wrote about how we can support junior faculty, and today I want to focus in general on how to create opportunities for others.

Here are a few ways in which we can create opportunities for others, with a focus on students:

Provide letters of recommendation: The traditional way of ensuring our students can continue their studies after their undergraduate degree, is by writing a letter of recommendation. A well-written letter of recommendation from a respected colleague is still a good way of getting into a program, but there is more we can do.
Involve in learned societies: To get embedded in the profession and develop a network, it is important to get our students involved in learned societies – either through student memberships, organizing events, or by having a student chapter.
Teach skills: If we want our students to do well later on, we should not just focus on the technical knowledge they need, but also the skills they need to develop, practice, and -ultimately-master during their studies.
Create research opportunities: For those students interested in continuing with a graduate degree, creating opportunities to get them involved in research can be crucial for getting into a good program.
Create resume-building opportunities: Besides research opportunities, what else can we involve our students in that will help them build their profile? Can they help with volunteering trips, get a position as a teaching assistant, or perhaps become an intern in one of the university offices to learn more about the inner workings of higher education?
Support exchanges: Exchanges are where the magic happens – so I try to introduce all types of exchanges to my students: IAESTE, virtual internships, semesters abroad, or any of the other program available at university.
Introduce them to visitors: When I get professors visiting from other universities, I also try to involve students in the activities. Of course, I can give a tour of the campus, but I usually ask a few students of the ACI Student Chapter to give the tours – so they get an opportunity to meet the visitor, tell a bit about their experience as students, and can learn more about the profile of the visitor as well.