Call for proposals is open · Submit your session proposal by Friday, August 7

Submit by Aug 7

2026 Competency Symposium

Share the work shaping career readiness.

Skills-based hiring is transforming the workforce — and the people advancing the NACE Competencies are leading the way. Present your work at the 2026 Competency Symposium and help the profession see what's possible.

Date: Thursday, November 12, 2026
Time: 10:45 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET
Location: Virtual
A student works on a laptop.
Lead the way

Don't just learn about the future of work — help shape it.

We're looking for practitioner-led sessions that show career readiness in action: real strategies, real partnerships, and practical, grab-and-go ideas attendees can implement right away. Every proposal should connect to one of the four learning tracks below.

Additional weight is given to proposals that highlight use of the NACE Competency Assessment Tool.

At a glance

Event info
Thursday, November 12, 2026  •  10:45 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET  •  Virtual
Who can submit
NACE members advancing career readiness in higher ed or industry.
Submission deadline
Friday, August 7, 2026
Format
Sessions are organized by track, with engagement opportunities woven throughout.

Choose your track

What will you present?

Every track threads back to one question: how do you engage employers in meaningful, scalable ways that support competency development? Propose along the track that fits your work.

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.

~30

dynamic, practitioner-led sessions

4

learning tracks

1

focused day

Competency Assessment

Hear how others across the nation are assessing career readiness competencies in innovative and impactful ways, whether in the curriculum, in co-curricular engagements and activities, or in the workplace. 

Employer Insights

Discover how employers are using the NACE Competencies to connect to college talent, align with higher education partners, and upskill early career employees.

Competency Integration (Program and Curriculum)

Hear how faculty, or faculty and career services pairs, are developing innovative curricular integrations of NACE competency development and related career thinking into the classroom.

Campus Expansion

Get strategies for moving career readiness from the sidelines to an integrated, scaffolded part of the student experience. Learn to develop a vision and plan for scaling competency implementation across your campus.

Ready to share your work?

Submit a proposal by Friday, August 7 for your chance to take part.

What is Career Readiness?

Explore the NACE Competencies and download resources for your org.

See more on NACEWeb

Contact Business Development & Outreach

Ask about sponsor opportunities