4 tech-focused ways to build career readiness for college students

Higher education offers students the opportunity to build the skills and knowledge they need to have a successful career. Yet nearly 40% of new graduates say they feel unprepared for the workforce. As colleges work to ensure students secure meaningful careers, new regulations like Gainful Employment and the Carnegie Foundation’s social and economic mobility rankings highlight the growing importance of career readiness.

By prioritizing career readiness now, institutions can better prepare students for life after graduation and demonstrate their commitment to student success. Read below to learn four ways technology can help students feel more ready for the workforce and beyond.

Why should colleges promote career readiness for college students?

Promoting career readiness is one of the most effective ways higher education institutions can show their value and attract students. By linking students’ academic learning to the workforce, colleges can help students:

• Develop in-demand skills: Career readiness programs build the soft skills (like communication and adaptability) and technical competencies that employers seek.
• Explore career paths: Institutions guide students in identifying career goals and discovering roles aligned with their interests and skill sets.
• Boost job placement: Students who understand their career options and receive help from their school’s job search services are more likely to secure employment.
• Improve salary outcomes: Graduates with strong career readiness skills are often able to secure higher-paying, more desirable positions, enhancing their financial success.

Career readiness not only helps students understand the connection between the classroom and their future career, but tangibly improves their success post-graduation. When your students have positive employment outcomes, this also enhances your school’s reputation and can attract new students who understand the immediate and long-term value of a degree from your institution.

4 tech-focused strategies to promote career readiness for college students

Connecting students with both career exploration and career readiness tools is crucial to students finding career success after graduation. Here are four strategies to increase career readiness on your campus.

1. Bring career into the classroom through online courses

Students want to find the connection between what they’re learning in their classes and how it applies to tangible job responsibilities and careers. Adding career readiness into the curriculum provides that throughline and empowers students to start thinking about how their academic knowledge and skills can apply to post-graduation opportunities.

Watch our on-demand webinar to better understand the college and career disconnect

It’s easier than ever to incorporate career readiness into your curriculum when you can add career readiness modules or courses into your institution’s LMS. This provides a quantifiable and trackable way to offer students career skills and assess their progress throughout the course.

Educators can also use tech to allow students to experience a day in the life working in specific roles at top employers. Forage job simulations are free, open-access programs that allow students to build professional skills while learning what it’s like to work in the professional world. For example, an accounting professor may encourage a student to do a five-hour Forage accounting job simulation that shows them how to apply the skills they’ve learned in the classroom with real-world work tasks, like planning an audit or calculating taxable income. The student may then write up a summary or present on their experience for credit.

2. Offer virtual ways to connect students with career services

Career services are crucial for providing support and guidance to students as they explore careers and try to land post-graduation jobs. On average, students who use the career center receive 1.24 job offers, compared to 1.0 for those who do not. Career centers can help students understand their career goals, see what job opportunities are available, and help their applications stand out.

However, most students don’t make an appointment until their final months of school, if at all. Promoting career services through technology can help reduce friction and make them more accessible. For example, using a student CRM like Navigate360 gives students an online, centralized hub where they can make an appointment with career services in just a few clicks. You can also use technology to bring career services directly to students without an appointment. AI-driven tools, like chatbots, provide students with immediate answers to common career questions. When they need more personalized guidance, they can easily book an appointment directly in their student hub.

Explore this infographic to learn how AI can deliver personalized student support

3. Partner with employers online

Just as your students are looking for job opportunities from employers, employers are actively seeking capable, qualified students to hire. Building strong relationships with employers enhances job placement for current students and makes your college or university more appealing to prospective students.

Virtual career fairs and employer networking events enable students to connect with companies from anywhere—even their own dorm rooms. These events can be hosted through dedicated online platforms, providing students with access to recruiters, workshops, and panel discussions. For example, you may partner with employers to offer employer booths, 1:1 recruiter and student video chats, or live webinars that students and employers can access from anywhere.

Online partnerships can be particularly helpful for students who may commute to campus or have busy school and work schedules that may not allow them to travel or spend hours at an in-person event. Plus, it saves your institution and employers valuable travel time and expenses.

By partnering with employers, colleges provide students with valuable opportunities to explore different companies and career paths while gaining hands-on experience and practical skills that help them secure a job after graduation.

Listen to our podcast to understand the impact the student readiness gap has on employers

4. Use data to track student progress

Harnessing data and technology allows you to not only facilitate key activities but also track progress and identify areas for improvement.

Through Navigate360, staff can offer career resources, prompt students to make career center appointments, and encourage participation in work-based learning opportunities. Additionally, the platform tracks whether students are completing these tasks, providing valuable data to assess which initiatives are effective and where additional support is needed.

Career readiness for college students: The bottom line

Preparing your students to succeed in their careers can take a variety of forms, from developing a dedicated career readiness curriculum to building partnerships with employers eager to hire your students. These efforts equip students with the skills, experience, and confidence they need to excel and grow in their careers after graduation. Getting ready for a career can be intimidating for college students, but by investing in career readiness, institutions demonstrate to students that they are committed partners in their success—both throughout their education and long after graduation.