Join/Renew
Students embrace hands-on skills development through experiential learning and report that employers are helping them develop key skills they need as they prepare for the workplace.
NACE’s 2025 Student Survey found that 84% of the Class of 2025 took part in an internship, co-op, or other experiential learning program and approximately 65% of experiential learners were paid.
This is important for many reasons, but in terms of skill development, it indicates that participating students were likely given meaningful assignments that would build and enhance their skills.
In any job market, students who have gained experience through internships and other hands on learning activities have an advantage over those without such experience, and this edge is heightened in a tough job market such as the current one.
Furthermore, with many employers shifting to skills-based hiring, students report developing key skills—ones employers report seeking evidence of on candidate resumes and during interviews, such as communication (85.4%), professionalism (76.8%), teamwork (76.2%), and critical thinking (71.9%)—during their experiential education assignments.
Still, in the same survey, students appear to be unfamiliar with the concept of skills-based hiring, despite acknowledging that they have been asked to demonstrate their skills and that they have worked to develop them.
To ensure interns understand that they are developing skills that employers prize and that will be beneficial to highlight in their job-search process, students need clear communication from employers.
For example, employers can include specific skill requirements in their job and internship position descriptions and make sure their internship descriptions also identify the skills the students will develop through the experience. Employers can also partner with career services to educate and prepare students for skills-based hiring.
NACE’s 2025 Student Survey, sponsored by Indeed, was conducted April 1 through May 30, 2025; 13,684 college students, including 1,479 Class of 2025 graduating seniors at the bachelor’s degree level, took part. Participants can access the report and dashboard through MyNACE. The report and dashboard are also available in the NACE Store.
