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2026 Competency Symposium

Move beyond talking about career readiness, and begin to embed it throughout the entire student experience.

Date: Thursday, November 12, 2026
Time: 10:45 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET
Location: Virtual
Fee: $129 (member); $199 (nonmember); Free (HBCUs)
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INNOVATION PARTNERS

Lead the way

Skills-based hiring is transforming the workforce. Join career services leaders, faculty, employers, and higher education innovators for the 2026 NACE Competency Symposium as we explore the strategies, partnerships, and innovations shaping the future of career readiness.

You'll leave with

  • Practical strategies for co-creating experiences through employer relations
  • Innovative ideas from higher education and employer leaders
  • New approaches to competency integration and assessment using the NACE Competency Assessment Tool
  • Connections with peers tackling similar challenges
  • Actionable resources to infuse career readiness within your campus
  • 60 days of access to all session recordings

Learn all about the Career Readiness Competencies and download free support materials.

At a glance

Event info
Thursday, November 12, 2026  •  10:45 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET  •  Virtual
Who can attend
Anyone who wants to advance career readiness in higher ed or industry.
What to expect
About 30 dynamic, practitioner-led sessions across four learning tracks all during one focused day.
Format
Sessions are organized by track, with engagement opportunities woven throughout.

Choose your track

Explore four critical areas shaping career readiness

Deep employer engagement

Strong employer partnerships don't happen by accident. Discover how institutions are building meaningful, long-term relationships with employers that extend beyond recruiting to co-create learning experiences, strengthen curricula, expand experiential learning opportunities, and better prepare students for today's workforce.

Campus-wide career readiness

Career readiness is most impactful when it becomes a shared institutional priority. Learn how colleges and universities are integrating the NACE Career Readiness Competencies across curricula, academic affairs, student affairs, advising, leadership programs, athletics, and other areas to create a true career-ready campus.

Digital records + competency badging

Career readiness is most impactful when it becomes a shared institutional priority. Learn how colleges and universities are integrating the NACE Career Readiness Competencies across curricula, academic affairs, student affairs, advising, leadership programs, athletics, and other areas to create a true career-ready campus.

Experiential education

Internships, undergraduate research, apprenticeships, student employment, and project-based learning provide powerful opportunities for students to develop career readiness competencies. Learn how institutions and employers are intentionally connecting experiential learning or work-based learning to competency development and helping students and interns translate those experiences into career success.

Deep Employer Engagement

Share work that integrates the competencies into a project, course, or experience co-owned, co-planned, and co-led by a college member and an employer.

Campus-Wide Career Readiness

Working toward whole-campus integration? Tell us your strategies, your timeline, the challenges you've overcome, and how you've expanded into the classroom, advisement, leadership programs, and athletics.

New! Digital Records/Badging the Competencies

Show how you help students and interns record competency growth over time — digital badges, credentials, or competencies embedded into a portfolio, record, or resume.

New! Experiential Education

Tell us how you integrate the competencies into experiential learning — internships, work-based learning and projects, undergraduate research, and apprenticeships.

A woman smiles and walks down a hallway.

Stronger Partnerships. Better Outcomes.

The NACE Career Readiness Competencies provide a foundation upon which successful careers are built—and are the new career currency for today's workforce. 

For colleges and universities, the competencies provide a framework for integrating career development across the student experience. 

For employers, the competencies create a common language for identifying, developing, and recognizing the knowledge, skills, and experiences that drive workplace success. 

Join us as we explore how meaningful employer partnerships, campus-wide collaboration, experiential learning, and innovative credentialing are transforming career readiness for the next generation of talent. Leave inspired, equipped with practical strategies, and ready to advance career readiness on your campus, within your organization, and for every learner you serve.

Join us

Register today, and save your seat.

What is Career Readiness?

Explore the NACE Competencies and download resources for your org.

See more on NACEWeb

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