Forging New Pathways: Facilitating College and Career Readiness and Success

Today’s jobs require more than just technical knowledge. To thrive in a dynamic job market shaped by new technologies and global economies,^[i] students need strong employability skills. These are nontechnical skills, sometimes referred to as “soft skills” or “transferable skills,” which can help individuals obtain, advance, and succeed in their jobs. Employability skills span three categories: 

• Interpersonal competencies that shape how students engage with others (e.g., communication and teamwork),
• Cognitive competencies that support critical thinking and creativity, and
• Intrapersonal competencies that guide how students manage their emotions, values, and learning (e.g., work ethic, time management).^[ii]

Evidence indicates that opportunities to learn and reflect on employability skills are associated with positive student outcomes such as improved attendance, fewer disciplinary incidents, higher graduation rates, and increased postsecondary enrollment.^[iii] However, while employability skills such as communication and teamwork are widely recognized as essential for career success, many graduates enter the workforce without proficiency in these skills, creating a gap between employer expectations and career readiness.^[iv],[v] 

Local education leaders can bridge this gap by teaching employability skills and providing opportunities to practice them through school-based instruction. They can also collaborate with community partners to establish support networks dedicated to helping students develop employability skills. This support equips students with the necessary competencies and knowledge to pursue and succeed in a variety of paths after graduation, whether they intend to pursue college or postsecondary training, enter the military, or obtain a job immediately after high school.

Expanding Career Success Preparation (CSP) Training

REL Appalachia partnered with school and district leaders from nine districts in northeastern Tennessee and the Niswonger Foundation to explore how schools could integrate research-based strategies to build students’ employability skills. Through this collaboration, school and district leaders deepened their understanding of employability skills and explored ways to measure them. 

The partnership resulted in a suite of generalizable training and instructional materials that school and district leaders can use to expand career success opportunities for students. They include three slide decks, an infographic (figure 1), and handouts designed to build school and district leaders' foundational knowledge about employability skills, introduce two priority skills identified by the partnership (communication and teamwork), and offer ways to engage regional employers, community members, and students in identifying priorities for their own context. The suite also includes instructional materials that support educators in strengthening students’ communication and teamwork skills in everyday classroom instruction.

What does research say about teaching employability skills?

A growing body of evidence highlights three employability skills that appear most consistently across classroom and workplace settings: interpersonal skills such as teamwork skills, communication, and personal qualities such as responsibility and a willingness to learn.^[vi] These skills surfaced most frequently in studies of instructional practices and in conversations with employers and career and technical education (CTE) instructors (figure 2), underscoring their importance in helping students collaborate effectively, communicate clearly, and demonstrate strong work habits to prepare for employment. This insight informed the development of instructional principles that guide how educators can support employability skill growth. 

What are the instructional principles for teaching employability skills?

Three core instructional principles offer practical guidance for teaching employability skills and creating opportunities for students to apply them in real-world contexts.^[vi] Summarized here (figure 3), they are outlined in the training and instructional materials with guidance for implementation.

The first principle is Explain and Confront Misconceptions. For students who may be skeptical about the importance of employability skills for their immediate and long-term career success, 
explaining and confronting misconceptions when defining each employability skill can help to address the impression that employability skills are less needed than technical skills. This can be conveyed through videos and testimonials where teachers, past graduates, or even local businesses clarify that success in any career depends on being effective at communicating in multiple ways (e.g., verbal skills, written skills, listening skills) and being able to collaborate and work well on teams.

The second principle, Practice, Play, Support, emphasizes the need to provide learners with ample opportunities to practice and figure things out for themselves so they can further develop a skill once they understand it. This can be done through team activities with assigned roles, teachers’ own lessons learned or personal stories, and recognition of students when they demonstrate employability skills.

The third principle, Reflect and Grow, helps students to embrace a growth mindset around employability skills development when they engage in self-reflection and use rubric-based assessments to track their progress. Employability skills unfold in a social context, which means that reflection can be enriched when students have access to different perspectives on their skills – from their own self-reflection to feedback from their peers and teachers.

Why identify priority employability skills and engage community partners?

Local education leaders may want to identify high-priority skills for their local context and engage community partners to improve the alignment between college and career preparation opportunities and workforce needs. For example, a region with major hospital systems might prioritize empathy and communication skills, while an urban technology hub might focus on teamwork and critical thinking. This approach centers community collaboration in assessing employer needs and creating ongoing opportunities (e.g., internships, apprenticeships) for students to practice and strengthen these skills.

Given employer demand for employability skills and the fact that employability skills are transferable across industries, there are many benefits to establishing school-industry partnerships. One example is the development of career academies, where high schools partner with industry to develop instruction that aligns closely with growth industries such as healthcare, information technology, or advanced manufacturing. Another example is the development of regional career pathways, where high schools and community colleges coordinate course offerings that allow high school students to earn college credits toward industry certifications.

What can education leaders and educators do?

Local education leaders can use the training materials to deepen their understanding of employability skills, facilitate the professional development of their staff, engage community partners in identifying local priorities, and establish community partnerships through career success preparation networks. Teachers can use the instructional materials to implement lessons that help students practice and strengthen communication and teamwork employability skills. 

Together, these materials offer a cohesive set of supports that help leaders identify high-priority employability skills for their local context, engage community partners, and guide teachers in effectively integrating communication and teamwork skills into classroom learning. Engaging students in the classroom activities described in these materials can support local school leaders and educators to increase student engagement and provide them with opportunities to strengthen employability skills that support their success in college, career, and beyond.

Take some time to explore the training and instructional materials today! To access the materials, click here.