What is NACE

Industry-academia partnerships, specifically course-embedded client-based projects (CBPs), have the power to build career readiness competencies and employability in college students. CBPs benefit students, employers, and universities. Students are better prepared for the workplace and increase their employability. Employers hire graduates ready to contribute to their organizations facing a hypercompetitive and dynamic environment. Universities can deepen community relationships and improve graduate outcomes. The chapter shares a mixed methods study built on experiential learning theories, coupled with the authors' experiences in CBP classes. In a study conducted at four U.S. universities, a multidimensional measurement device was used to evaluate and compare students' perspectives, pre- and post-CBP experience, on the significance of NACE's eight career readiness competencies. The chapter concludes with a proposed framework which explains why and summarizes how CBPs, when built around andragogical principles, can significantly increase students' readiness for the workplace.