Supporting Career Readiness
Partnering to Prepare Career-Ready Vaqueros
Faculty and staff play a vital role in helping UTRGV students translate their education into meaningful careers. By intentionally connecting classroom learning with career development, you help students gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to succeed after graduation.
The Career Center is here to support you with tools, resources, and partnership opportunities that empower students to achieve career readiness and lifelong success.
What is Career Readiness?
Career readiness is the foundation for preparing students to successfully enter the workforce. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), career readiness is “the attainment and demonstration of competencies that broadly prepare college graduates for a successful transition into the workplace.”
NACE identifies key competencies every student should develop:
- Career & Self-Development – Proactively develop personal and professional growth.
- Communication – Clearly and effectively exchange information, ideas, facts, and perspectives.
- Critical Thinking – Identify and respond to needs based on understanding situations and logic.
- Leadership – Recognize and leverage the strengths of others to achieve common goals.
- Professionalism – Understand and demonstrate effective work habits and integrity.
- Teamwork – Build collaborative relationships to work effectively with diverse groups.
- Technology – Understand and leverage technologies ethically and efficiently.
Ways Faculty & Staff Can Support Career Readiness
- Connect course learning outcomes with relevant NACE competencies.
- Engage with the career center to invite employers or alumni to share career pathways and professional insights.
- Include career-related assignments such as mock interviews, resume critiques, or industry research.
- Refer students to the Career Center for resume reviews, mock interviews, or career advising.
- Promote events like the Career & Internship Expo, career readiness workshops, and employer panels in your classes or departmental communications.
- Highlight our Career Reserve program or other experiential learning programs that build career competencies.
- Partner with our team to develop tailored workshops for your department or student organization.
- Identify internship and experiential learning opportunities related to your discipline.
- Share success stories of your students’ career achievements and internships.
- Career Readiness Toolkit – Guides, templates, and sample assignments for integrating career readiness into coursework.
- Classroom Presentation Request Form – Invite a Career Center staff member to present on career development topics.
- 12twenty – UTRGV’s career management platform where students can find internships, jobs, and register for career-related events.
- Faculty Partnership Opportunities – Collaborate with our team on experiential learning, employer connections, and student engagement initiatives.
Your influence as a faculty or staff member is instrumental in helping students connect their academic experiences to future career success. Partner with the Career Center to equip our Vaqueros with the tools and confidence to achieve their professional goals.