NACE Career Competencies

A core purpose of work-based learning is to prepare students for a lifetime of meaningful work, civic contribution, and personal growth. To do that, students need to be able to identify and communicate the skills and competencies they’ve learned in ways that enables them to market themselves to employers, community organizations, and graduate and professional programs.

The University Career Center uses the NACE Career Readiness Competencies because these are a nationally recognized set of skills familiar to many employers and institutions.

Career and Self-Development

"the ability to develop oneself through personal and professional learning, awareness of one's strengths and weaknesses, navigation of opportunities, and networking to build relationships"

Communication

"to clearly and effectively exchange information, ideas, facts, and perspectives"

Critical Thinking

"the ability to identify and respond to needs based upon an understanding of situational context and logical analysis of relevant information"

Equity and Inclusion

"demonstrate the awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skills required to equitably engage and include people from different cultures and backgrounds . . ."

Leadership

"recognize and capitalize on personal and team strengths to achieve organizational goals"

Professionalism

"understand and demonstrate effective work habits, and act in the interest of the larger community and workplace"

Teamwork

"build an maintain collaborative relationships to work effectively toward common goals, while appreciating diverse viewpoints and shared responsibilities"

Technology

"understand and leverage technologies ethically to enhance efficiencies, complete tasks, and accomplish goals"

Select Competencies Relevant to your Course and Learning Objectives

Faculty do not need to teach every competency in every course! Rather, choose to highlight those most relevant to their learning goals and disciplinary focus—whether that’s teamwork, intercultural fluency, ethical decision-making, or digital literacy. Competencies can be introduced through short reflection prompts, included in rubrics, or discussed in end-of-semester conversations.

Learning objectives can be mapped on the syllabus to the core competencies most relevant to your course. 

Ultimately, identifying and integrating career readiness competencies into WBLEs helps ensure that students graduate with more than academic knowledge. It positions them to thrive in the workplace and contribute to society with purpose and confidence.