Skills Lab Leverages Employers and Alumni to Teach Students High-demand Skills

Launched in 2024, the Binghamton University Fleishman Career Center Skills Lab is an innovative and collaborative space for students to learn and practice high-demand, industry-relevant skill sets that are taught by the university’s alumni and employer partners.

The Fleishman Career Center team works with employers and alumni to identify in-demand skills and create hands-on training workshops. Employers meet with and observe Binghamton students in action, while also addressing their own talent development needs and building their brand on campus. 

“College recruiting has, in some cases, become more remote since the pandemic, yet as a residential campus and through a Mary Scott study partnership, we know our students prefer in-person employer interactions,” says Kelli K. Smith, assistant vice president for student success. 

“Furthermore, there is a global focus on skills-based hiring, and data from an earlier SUNY survey indicated some of our graduates didn’t perceive Binghamton as teaching them career-ready skills. We knew we could do better and wanted to play a greater role in helping ensure all students have equal opportunity to gain skills sought by employers."

Smith and Lexie Avery, senior associate director for student engagement and career readiness, explain that the Binghamton University Skills Lab aims to:

• Enhance university relationships with employers and alumni;
• Provide an alternative to traditional recruiting practices, creatively meeting the needs of both students and employers;
• Help students explore careers and enhance/complement their skill development and practice skills employers indicate are important for hiring;
• Offer an additional way for employers to brand their organization on campus;
• Offer alumni an additional way to engage and support their alma mater; and
• Provide students with more in-person networking opportunities. 

“Our goal is to create opportunities for students to build their professional network and develop skill sets that are imperative to their industries of interest,” Avery notes.

“Employers observe Binghamton talent firsthand, enhancing recruitment and brand presence. The Skill Lab also fosters an interdisciplinary opportunity for students to connect and build meaningful relationships with each other and an awareness of the transferability of their academic knowledge and skills.” 

Smith says that the increased focus on skills-based hiring makes skills labs a unique way to observe a student's skill set before they even apply at an organization.

“Each skills lab runs 75 to 90 minutes and focuses on skills crucial for entry-level roles within a specific industry/organization. The career center team first works with our employer/alumni partners to identify the skill and then consults on the interactive, ‘practice’ portion of the lab,” she says.

“Though only two years old, the impact of the Binghamton University Skills Lab program has been incredible.” 

To date, the Skills Lab’s effectiveness has been assessed in multiple ways. One has been through internal tracking of attendance since its pilot launch in the Spring of 2024, and more recently through student outcomes.

Prior to the Skills Lab launch, the Fleishman Career Center incorporated skills-based workshops into a Career Exploration Day program in the spring of 2022. Twenty-six students attended the program helping to support organizers’ proof of concept for student interest in skills-based learning.

In fall 2025, Fleishman Career Center staff began surveying students about their experience and learning outcomes. Survey data found that:

• 98% of students strongly agreed or agreed that they were able to practice the skills they expected during the Skills Lab;
• 98% of students strongly agreed or agreed that they have a better understanding of how skills relate to their career goals;
• 100% of students strongly agreed or agreed that the Skills Lab session enhanced their understanding of the industry; and
• 98% of students strongly agreed or agreed that the Skills Lab presenter communicated the skills clearly and effectively. 

Based on the strong impact the Skills Lab has had, Binghamton University is investing $5 million to develop a new 5,000 square-foot Skills Lab programming space that will open in Summer of 2027.

Says Smith: “This will not only provide a significant addition to our Fleishman Career Center footprint and help us scale the program since we currently have to limit the size of all Skills Labs due to space, but the space will be a cutting-edge showcase space for prospective students and their families. It is also a signal to our students, employers, and alumni that Binghamton University is committed to their career and workforce needs.”