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Career Success for College Students

Career Success for College Students

Over the last decade, a number of NCAN member organizations have expanded their mission to include helping the students they serve launch their careers after earning a degree or credential. NCAN and our members view this work as the "next frontier" for our field.

We’ve gathered best practices to help more college attainment nonprofits with limited resources implement or enhance career advising for college students.

We’ll continue to add fresh content and resources to this page.

Students who are the first in their families to graduate from college have always faced additional challenges in securing a good first job. These challenges became even more apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But we know there are steps organizations can take to help all students successfully launch their careers. Let’s get to work!

NCAN is grateful to the Scheidel Foundation for its generous support of this initiative.

Key Topics

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Getting Started

Need a basic overview of what’s involved in starting a career advising program for postsecondary students? Look no further!

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Working with the Private Sector/Employers

Relationships with the private sector are critical to offering students work-based learning opportunities

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Leveraging Resources and Working with the Community

Learn how partnerships beyond the private sector can play a role in a career advising program.

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Metrics

Demonstrating positive outcomes for students may increase the likelihood of garnering resources and support for this work.

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Additional Resources

Newsletters

  • The Job: This weekly newsletter provides information about connections between education and the American workforce. In particular, it focuses on how postsecondary education and job training systems can work to better serve lower-income learners and workers.
  • On Purpose: Published by the Strada Education Network, this newsletter offers action-oriented information to help educators, employers, and policymakers forge clear, purposeful paths between education and employment.
  • Ed & Labor Bulletin: This newsletter from The Center on Education & Labor at New America provides updates on the center’s work, which focuses on restoring the link between education and economic mobility by advancing policies that strengthen the key social institutions necessary to connect them.
  • NACE Insights Newsletter: This newsletter provides information on hiring trends and predictions, recommended best practices, and professional development opportunities offered by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

 

Organizations

  • National Career Development Association: NCDA is a membership organization that provides professional development, publications, standards, and advocacy to practitioners and educators who inspire and empower individuals to achieve their career and life goals. The website provides links to publications, trainings, and a set of standards and career competencies for career counselors. 
  • National Association of Colleges and Employers: NACE Is a membership organization that brings together college career services professionals, university relations and recruiting professionals, and the business solution providers that serve this community. A section of the NACE website is devoted to career readiness, and it includes information on career readiness competencies and best practices. Although many of NACE’s tools are geared towards professionals in college career advising offices, many are also relevant to advisers working for nonprofit community-based organizations.
  • The Global Community for Academic Advising: NACADA is an association of professional advisers, counselors, faculty, administrators, and students working to enhance the educational development of students. Although focused on academic advising in general, NACADA’s clearinghouse has a significant number of resources devoted specifically to career advising and includes links to career and major exploration tools.