The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) has defined eight core competencies—critical thinking, communication, teamwork, digital technology, intercultural fluency, work ethic, leadership, and career management—that employers value when hiring recent college and graduate school graduates. These competencies enhance the technical, discipline-specific skill sets that students acquire through their area of study and are often developed through the coursework and student experiences of attending college. Accordingly, these competencies are often the differentiating factor when employers make hiring decisions between two otherwise equivalent candidates. The difficulty for students comes down to a) defining core competency opportunities in their collegiate experience and b) communicating their value to employers and graduate or professional schools. Both faculty and student affairs professionals can be instrumental in helping students’ success in these two areas. This professional development course would train University of Louisiana System faculty and administrators on how to a) define core competencies, b) develop core competencies into online coursework and virtual student experiences, and c) create and use online tools for helping students communicate efficacy of core competencies to prospective employers and graduate institutions.
- Teacher: Paul Rainey