By Dr. Cié Gee, Associate Vice Provost, Career Engaged Learning & Director of the QEP, The University of Texas at San Antonio
The Reality
Recently, a senior business major emailed asking for a meeting. Their request was a surprise since I had only met them once, briefly at an event. When they arrived at my office, I inquired, “So, how can I help you?”
They hesitated, then said, “I’m graduating in two months... and I’m scared. I don’t have a job.”
“Who have you applied with?” I asked.
“I haven’t applied anywhere,” they said, “I don’t think I have the skills to get a job.”
Then I looked at their résumé.
This talented young student had worked two part-time jobs throughout college to support themself. They were active in student organizations, volunteered, studied abroad, completed internships while maintaining six classes a semester, earned certifications in data analytics and leadership, and carried a 3.8 GPA. They even had the agency to reach out to me and ask for help.
But they didn’t believe they had “the skills.”
The Problem
The ROI conversation around higher education is getting louder. According to , public confidence in higher ed dropped from 57% in 2015 to just 36% in 2023.
Employers increasingly demand marketable skills, not just academic knowledge. In response, institutions are investing heavily to address what’s often labeled a “skills gap.”
At my institution, student participation in high-impact practices has increased by 12% since 2022. That’s impressive, but is measuring increases enough?
As someone who leads a division focused on employability and career readiness, I often ask: Is this truly a skills gap, or is it a skills communication gap?
I say neither.
It’s a Translation Gap
Listing “internship” or “study abroad” on a résumé means little without context. At the Global Career Summit I attended, an employer on an international panel said, “We don’t care that you studied in Spain, what did you learn about yourself in Spain?”
Like the student in my office, many graduates can’t translate their value. Not because it isn’t there, but because there is a deficit in knowing the increased value of a high-impact practice, experience, and/or overall academic learning. The student in my office was a master at time management. They were resilient, they possessed strong communication skills, but they couldn’t translate any of this.
We must teach students to translate their academic experience to employers. Employers can verify a degree with an academic transcript. But where’s the document that clearly shows what marketable, professional skills a student gained along the way?
And yes, there are experiential transcripts (or co-curricular transcripts), but as the student sitting in my office illustrated, just because the information is on there, the translation skill isn’t there to explain the value.
The Solution (or Path Toward One)
Before we can make any headway, let’s break down the silos.
Career needs to talk to Registrar.
Admissions needs to talk to Advising.
Academic departments need to talk to Student Affairs.
This work isn’t just about getting a better tool; it’s about getting better at working together. Before we invest in the next shiny platform, badge system, or micro-whatever, we must align our internal processes and priorities so they support the student story we’re trying to help them translate.
Step One: Build a Shared Language
We need a common vocabulary between faculty, staff, students, and employers that bridges the gap between learning outcomes and workforce readiness. This means making what students are learning translatable across disciplines, offices, and industries.
Instead of leaning on the generic “demonstrated critical thinking,” translate more specifically to “recommended data-informed solutions” or “determine risks, patterns, and actionable outcomes.” These are more specific and help the employer understand the specifics of their learning.
Step Two: Co-design, Not Just Consult, with Employers
Bring employers to the table early and often. This is about aligning our outputs with real-world fluency. Let them tell us:
Step Three: Tie Co-curricular and Curricular Together
Let’s move away from always labeling things “academic” or “not academic.” Student development is holistic. Classrooms can be co-curricular spaces, and experience transcripts should be interwoven with academic records, not sitting separately.
Start with what you already have; the connections are there. They just need translation.
Step Four: Make Reflection a Required Ingredient
A transcript, even an experience transcript, is just a list without the “so what?”
We must embed reflection into ALL experiential learning so students can make sense of what they’ve done and what it means.
Step Five: Train the Translator (The Student)
We can’t assume that just because we created a beautiful new document, students know what to do with it. We must explicitly teach students how to read, interpret, and talk about their own experiences to employers.
Offer one-on-one coaching.
Incorporate career readiness into first-year courses.
Hold mock interviews where students practice “translating” their transcripts into stories and skills.
A Final Thought: Measure What Matters
Let’s stop counting how many students attended and start assessing what they gained.
Add metrics to transcripts that show progress over time, competency growth, and real-world application.
But don’t just stop at metrics, include narratives. A line from the student about how an experience improved them as a professional can tell an employer more than five bullet points ever could.