SUNY Oneonta’s Future Ready Fellows is a Faculty Program to support the incorporation of Career Competencies into the curriculum
Ed Beck, Open & Online Learning Specialist, Faculty Center
Overview
Integrating career readiness competencies throughout the curriculum ensures that all students gain access to career education, regardless of their background or field of study. Embedding the eight NACE competencies—such as critical thinking, communication, and equity and inclusion—into coursework prepares students for success in the workforce and beyond. This approach is an equity-driven strategy, reaching all learners by making career preparation an integral part of their academic journey. By fostering reflection and skill articulation early and often, this initiative empowers students to see the connections between their education and their professional goals.
Case Study
At SUNY Oneonta, The Future Ready Fellows program launched as a collaborative effort among faculty, the Career Planning and Networking Center, and the Faculty Center. Faculty participants, spanning various disciplines, joined a cohort to embed career readiness practices into their 1000- and 2000-level courses. We specifically focused on early courses to make sure that all students had access to career advisement and experiences early in their educational career. Each cohort of faculty members meets for a daylong workshop in January, followed by monthly meetings for additional collaboration.
Facilitated by members of the Career Planning and Networking Center and Faculty Center, faculty are introduced to the NACE competencies as a guiding framework for talking about lifelong learning competencies with students. Faculty are asked to incorporate activities and reflection into their course syllabi and activities. Each year, SUNY Oneonta has brought an external trainer to campus for this day-long institute. The SUNY Center for Professional Development already had a series of courses on NACE competencies, and one of the instructors in that established program became a recurring presenter for the purposes of this initiative.
Linking the redesign institute to NACE Competencies has added to a growing culture that used a common vocabulary at SUNY Oneonta. Building conversations on career competencies across the curriculum aligns nicely with the Career Planning and Networking Center, and we were also made aware that Student Activities uses the same foundational competency framework in their co-curricular badging program.
As part of this program, faculty members agreed to share the redesigned course syllabi and assignments for future cohort members. This has helped to create a multidisciplinary archive of assignments and approaches to working with our SUNY Oneonta students.
Impact for students and campus
- Improved Reflection Skills: Students demonstrated a marked improvement in their ability to reflect on and articulate the skills developed through their coursework.
- Increased Enthusiasm: Faculty noted heightened student engagement as they connected course activities to future goals.
- Portfolio Development: Students began curating portfolios showcasing their competencies, projects, and reflections, providing tangible evidence of their readiness for internships and employment opportunities.
Adaptability
The Future Ready Fellows program can be adapted to other campuses:
- Faculty Cohort Model: Establish interdisciplinary faculty cohorts to explore career readiness competencies and share best practices.
- Alignment with Career Frameworks: Use a nationally recognized framework, such as NACE, to provide a shared language and structure.
- Integrated Reflection Activities: Embed structured reflection assignments into existing courses to help students make connections between academic work and professional skills.