Essential to Becoming Career Ready is the development of eight *Career Readiness Competencies. The one thing that all eight competencies share is that they are important to employers and how employers evaluate job candidates and employee performance. The experiences that students undertake at Southern Connecticut State University and beyond offer many opportunities to develop and enhance the Competencies. These opportunities and experiences include, participation in classroom learning, internships, co-ops, research, on-campus involvement, leadership programs, work experience, or other on- or off-campus endeavors.
Engaging In and Integrating Competencies and Career Readiness
SCSU faculty have been integrating Career Readiness Competencies into courses and class assignments long before the phrase emerged in the higher education landscape. As you review the list of eight NACE Career Readiness competencies, you may realize that you already have course content or assignments that provide students with opportunities to enhance or develop one or more of them.
Access the OCPD website that is populated with career-relevant content including syllabi, assignments, and advising tools already created by SCSU faculty & staff.
You can review each Competency and the sample behaviors that demonstrate utilization of the competency here.
Consider identifying which competencies students will engage in while taking your course and highlight those on your syllabus, perhaps including them with learning objectives;
Taking a similar approach, review course assignments and consider adding proficiency indicators (sample behaviors) to grading rubrics;
When having an outside presenter join the class, ask the individual which competencies they use most widely in their work and how;
If journaling is part of your syllabus, consider creating reflection assignments relevant to each of the eight competencies as well as any other competencies that are integral to the course or academic field;
When students have a final project, research poster, or capstone, require them to include which of the eight NACE Career Readiness competencies they engaged in while working on the project, including examples of how the project contributed to their competency development.
Find example syllabi that address NACE career-readiness competencies.
Use the Career Competencies in your syllabi, your PowerPoint presentations, and on Blackboard
Show how the liberal arts connect to life
Promote student engagement by demonstrating the real-life skills learned in projects and assignments
Identify the marketable skills gained in your course
Students decide to go to college for many reasons, many related to career and economic mobility.
How are others integrating Career Readiness into Courses and Curriculum?
Faculty Tips for Integrating Career Development into the Classroom
Published on August 2, 2020
Integrating career development into the classroom is a great way to ensure students see the connections between coursework and their future career or continuing education goals. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), or Higher Education, Below are a few examples of simple ways faculty can engage career development into the curriculum.
Career, Alumni & Employer Guest Speakers
Career staff, alumni, and local employers can make great classroom speakers, to help make connections between course content and real-world applications. Need help identifying a guest for your classroom? Contact us – we are happy to assist you with uncovering professionals that align with your course content.
Case Studies & Projects
Bringing case studies into the classroom in partnership with local employers can be a great way for students to understand how their academic learning applies to real-world problems. These projects not only elevate our University of Denver talent to local organizations, they also help students develop project-based experiences that can add value as they apply to graduate school or full-time employment.
Informational Interviews
Incorporating an informational interview with a local professional or alum as a course assignment is a great way to encourage students to build their professional network and learn practical applications for their field of study. Career Services staff members can not only teach your students how to effectively conduct these meetings and uncover professionals in their network, we can also show students how to leverage Pioneer Connect to access over 5000 alumni career volunteers in the OneDU community of support that are eager to aid student career success.
Highlighting Skills in Your Syllabus
Students often fail to recognize how the coursework they are taking develops transferable skills for their future career goals. Consider adding a brief statement to your course syllabus identifying the professional skills that the course content and assignments are helping students develop for the future. Integrate transferable skills into your learning outcomes to help students see those connections.
Faculty are in a great position to link classroom learning to posts-graduation goals to help students see the value of their major coursework and common curriculum requirements. Writing, research, verbal communication, critical thinking, and data analysis are just a few examples of skills developed in the classroom that are highly sought by employers for a wide variety of positions.
Bloom’s Taxonomy[1] consists of various levels of observable actions that help describe and classify knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviors and abilities. Consider describing your course outcomes or objectives using an action verb that is most appropriate to the level of your course. For more information on the skills employers seek in your field of expertise, contact DU Career Services for assistance.
Introductory
Intermediate
Advanced
§ Categorize
§ Structure
§ Assess
§ Classify
§ Order
§ Restructure
§ Contribute
§ Strategize
§ Lead
§ Describe
§ Link
§ Plan
§ Demonstrate
§ Clarify
§ Restate
§ Discover
§ Collect
§ Synthesize
§ Discuss
§ Prepare
§ Debate
§ Estimate
§ Calculate
§ Transform
§ Express
§ Persuade
§ Negotiate
§ Infer
§ Deduce
§ Predict
§ Interpret
§ Compare
§ Adapt
§ Listen
§ Comment
§ Moderate
§ Locate
§ Appraise
§ Integrate
§ Observe
§ Predict
§ Hypothesize
§ Record
§ Edit
§ Mix/Remix
§ Relate
§ Share
§ Facilitate
§ Retell
§ Explain
§ Convince
§ Search
§ Organize
§ Integrate
§ Summarize
§ Compare
§ Analyze
§ Tabulate
§ Calculate
§ Extrapolate
§ Utilize
§ Reformulate
§ Create
§ Visualize
§ Illustrate
§ Design
Sample Syllabus Statements
“The learning objectives for this introductory course will develop critical thinking skills that employers seek. They include: (1) discovering the qualitative differences between primary and secondary historical sources; (2) observing different time periods of politics, economy, and culture, and (3) expressing the complexity of American history in regards to significant social topics and events.”
“This upper division course will progressively improve those collaboration and leadership skills valuable in the work place. Course outcomes: (1) contribute to an assigned team task; (2) strategize a task solution in a way that fosters positive team relationships; and (3) lead a group task that makes a contribution to team goals.”
[1] Churches, Andrew. (2009). Bloom’s digital taxonomy. Educational Origami, 4.
Here are some specific assignments that can help students develop an understanding of NACE competencies:
Critical Thinking:
Assign a case study analysis where students have to identify the problem, analyze relevant information, and propose a solution or strategy.
Ask students to research and write a persuasive essay on a current social or environmental issue, requiring them to critically analyze different perspectives and propose evidence-based solutions.
Communication:
Assign a presentation where students have to effectively communicate complex ideas to their peers.
Have students write a research paper or literature review that requires them to clearly articulate their arguments and support them with evidence.
Teamwork:
Assign a group project where students have to work together to solve a problem or create a product. Include opportunities for self and peer assessment to evaluate individual contributions.
Create a collaborative online discussion forum where students have to work together to analyze and discuss course material.
Leadership:
Assign a group project with rotating leadership roles, where students take turns leading the team and making decisions.
Ask students to research and present on a historical or contemporary leader, analyzing their leadership style and its impact.
Professionalism:
Have students create a professional portfolio that showcases their academic work, extracurricular activities, and career goals.
Assign a mock interview activity where students practice professional etiquette, communication, and interview skills.
Career & Self-Management:
Assign a self-assessment or reflection essay where students evaluate their skills, interests, and values to develop a career plan.
Ask students to research and present on a specific career field, including required skills, qualifications, and potential career paths.
Technology:
Assign a project that requires students to use specific software or tools relevant to their field, such as data analysis software or graphic design programs.
Incorporate online collaboration tools, such as Google Docs or project management platforms, for group work and document sharing.
Equity and Inclusion:
Assign a research project or presentation on a global issue, focusing on its cultural, economic, and social impact.
Incorporate diverse readings and case studies that highlight different cultural perspectives and encourage discussions on global interdependencies.
* These assignment ideas can be adapted and customized to fit the specific subject matter and learning outcomes of your course.
Who can help you as you think about integrating NACE Career Readiness competencies in your course(s)?
Consider these resources:
Operationalizing Career Readiness into Courses and Curriculum: Judy Brown, Institute for Systems Genomics, and Danielle DeRosa, Sports Management Program, share best practices around incorporating career-relevant content into their courses and curriculum. Both Danielle and Judy are of the mind that if there are resources and content available, it doesn’t make sense to start from scratch, and are willing to share what they’ve already developed.
* Additionally, staff at the Office of Career & Professional Development are available to learn about your course objectives and will work with you to develop course content and class assignments that engage students in developing one or more of the NACE Career Readiness competencies. Partner with us at careerservices@southernct.edu