ACTE Postsecondary CTE Summit 2026

Higher education career readiness is being reshaped by forces that no longer sit neatly inside the career center. Artificial intelligence is changing the capabilities expected of entry-level talent. Employers are asking for clearer signals of readiness, judgment, and work experience. Regulatory and policy pressures, including OBBBA-related reporting and outcome accountability, are raising expectations for measurable student value. At the same time, global mobility, immigration constraints, and questions about the return on investment of higher education are changing how students and families evaluate the path from college to work.  


This interactive workshop brings together 5–6 higher-ed leaders across career services, employer relations, advising, and readiness-focused academic support to examine how institutions must adapt. Rather than treating career readiness as a narrow set of interview tips or final-year services, the session argues for a broader institutional model: one that integrates advising, experiential learning, employer engagement, and data-informed pathway design. The workshop will invite participants to compare current practice against emerging demands, identify the biggest readiness gaps on their own campuses, and prioritize a small set of institutional responses that are both high-impact and achievable.  


Participants will leave with a practical framework for discussing career readiness as institutional infrastructure, not just student support. They will gain language, examples, and a planning structure they can use with colleagues across academic affairs, student affairs, and employer-facing teams. This design is influenced by the Design-to-Value workshop model in your materials, which emphasizes structured ideation, prioritization, and rapid pilot development.