Higher education is under growing pressure to demonstrate clear connections between academic programs and meaningful career outcomes. By embedding career readiness throughout the student journey and leveraging real-time labor market data, institutions can better prepare learners not only for their first job but for a lifetime of evolving opportunities. In this interview, Nikolas Huot discusses how to embed career readiness across the student journey and how labor market data and employer partnerships keep programs relevant and aligned to evolving career outcomes.
The EvoLLLution (Evo): In what ways should higher ed evolve to embed career readiness as a core part of the student experience, rather than just leaving it siloed within a different office?
Nikolas Huot (NH): Career readiness can’t remain siloed in understaffed offices students visit only to polish a résumé late in their journey. If higher education is committed to student success, career development must be woven throughout the student experience. That means introducing career exploration early—during admissions, orientation and the first-year experience—and embedding it into advising, academic programs and student affairs.
Most students come to college with the goal of getting a good job. Institutions should acknowledge that and make career pathways part of every conversation. Just as academic advising evolved from transactional course registration into a relationship-driven practice central to retention, career services needs a similar renaissance. By integrating career readiness across departments and ensuring collaboration among faculty, advisors and enrollment leaders, institutions can help students make informed choices about majors and careers, rather than leaving them to figure it out alone.
Evo: What strategies should institutions adopt to ensure every credential—whether degree, certificate or microcredential—clearly signals employment outcomes?
NH: Institutions already have the data students need. It just lives in too many places. The first step is centralizing it. Tools like academic maps can bring labor market trends, regional demand and employment pathways directly into the student journey. That means moving beyond static websites and embedding these conversations into advising, orientation and even the summer melt period between admission and enrollment.
Students should know not just which jobs exist but where they are, what they pay regionally and what alternative pathways might look like if relocation isn’t possible. Importantly, institutions must set realistic expectations. Publishing only five-year average salaries can mislead students. Instead, share immediate postgraduation earnings, regional variations and career progression examples.
Models like the University of Delaware’s Success After UD, which uses real alumni data to show outcomes by major, help students see the breadth of opportunities and reassure them they’re not forging an unknown path. So, how do we have that conversation with students early and throughout the entire student experience?
Evo: What are some risks to maintaining career services as standalone units, and how does embedding career pathways help close some equity gaps?
NH: When career services remain siloed, students often miss out. Many only encounter the office in a rushed orientation session and never return—especially commuter or under-resourced students who spend little time on campus. If students don’t know what an office does, they’re unlikely to seek it out.
Embedding career pathways across advising, classrooms, admissions and orientation ensures all students—not just the well-informed—engage with these resources throughout their journey. It also equips faculty to connect coursework to career outcomes, helping students see the relevance of their studies. This integrated approach closes equity gaps by making career support part of the fabric of higher education, rather than an optional add-on.
When career readiness is baked into the student experience, institutions move from hoping students find services to ensuring every learner has access to the guidance and connections they need to succeed.
Evo: What role should labor market data play in ensuring programs remain relevant, and how can institutions operationalize that data so students see employment outcomes?
NH: Labor market data should be central to keeping programs relevant, but institutions must make it actionable for both faculty and students. Faculty need support and time to connect with employers, understand industry demands and translate those insights into the classroom, whether through updated examples, tailored activities or even syllabus adjustments.
Tools like crosswalks between academic learning outcomes and workforce competencies help bridge academic speak with employer speak, making it easier for students to articulate their skills in interviews. Institutions also play a critical role by facilitating these conversations, embedding competencies into curricula and keeping data current.
Labor market needs fluctuate, so partnerships with chambers of commerce and industry groups are essential to anticipate trends. When labor market data is integrated into teaching, advising and career pathways, students clearly see how their studies connect to real employment outcomes, closing the gap between learning and work.
Evo: What would it take for institutions to not only prepare students for their first job after graduation but to continuously support their upskilling and reskilling needs across a lifetime of work?
NH: Preparing students for a lifetime of work requires two shifts. First, embed AI across the student experience, not as a novelty but as a core workplace skill. Teach effective, responsible use as both a pedagogical and learning tool so graduates know how to apply AI on the job.
Second, build employer-aligned career pathways that persist beyond graduation: stackable credentials, bridges from associate to bachelor’s and beyond, and options that mirror real career progression. As learners advance, weave in interdisciplinary upskilling—leadership, communication, evolving AI tools—plus credit for prior learning to recognize skills gained at work.
Most importantly, make the journey explicit. Help students reflect on how courses scaffold from fundamentals to mastery and how each credential connects to their goals. When institutions do this, degrees become credentials of value, aligned with students’ aspirations, not just their first job.
Evo: Is there anything you’d like to add?
NH: I’d just add that I’m very excited about Purpose First 2.0 and where it’s heading. The original framework was never meant to stop at the first year, but now we have more evidence and examples that show how it can support students throughout their journey. Purpose First 2.0 emphasizes a full student experience, helping learners connect the relevance of higher education to their goals, from choosing a major to understanding career pathways. The recent publication offers both best practices and a scalable implementation plan, so institutions can see what they’re already doing well and where they can level up. My hope is that it sparks meaningful conversations and provides practical answers to the questions we keep hearing across campuses and conferences. It’s about making purpose central to the entire student experience, not an isolated initiative.
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