Utilizing data from its 2018 Employability Skills survey (which we hope to publish in NACTA very soon), the Academic Programs Section of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities proposes to hold a workshop focused on integrating employability skills into food, agriculture, and natural resources curriculum. Receiving responses from approximately 11,500 employers, alumni, students, and faculty, the survey identified eleven critical growth skills new graduates are less prepared for according to all stakeholders. The skills are grouped under four main categories: communication, decision-making,
professionalism, and leadership. Further, qualitative research revealed that some skills, such as conflict in the workplace, can be taught in the classroom, whereas other skills, such as dealing with persistence, ambiguity, and change may require both classroom and extracurricular activities to reach students. We would structure the workshop to feature multiple speakers with experience in integrating such skills. We plan for a very interactive workshop between attendees and presenters. Participants will be able to access a series of webinars, slide sets, report, executive summaries, and one pagers for application and translation in their home institutions.