University Wins Awards for Hands-On Programs to Build Career Skills
Rutgers-New Brunswick and Rutgers-Newark are recognized for programs allowing students to gain experience that employers value
For Jada Harris, a work-study gig during her freshman year at Rutgers University-New Brunswick turned out to be more than just a part-time job: It became a learning experience to build job skills that she will be able to use in any career path she takes.
During her first year in college, Harris, of East Brunswick, N.J., was an assistant for the Student Employee Enrichment Program (SEE), an initiative developed through Career Exploration and Success at Rutgers-New Brunswick to help student employees connect their on-campus jobs to their professional and personal growth. She worked under the program’s director, Bill Kelly, who she said helped her strengthen her communication skills and confidence.
Harris, who returns to the School of Engineering in September as a sophomore, said participating in the experiential learning program helped her strengthen her communication skills and confidence.
“SEE was a big part of my first-year experience,” said Harris, 18, a computer engineering major. “It really helped me feel like I had a community on campus, especially working for Bill. He really helped me achieve my goals and really guided me and inspired creativity and problem solving and leadership skills that I wouldn't necessarily have gotten the chance to use otherwise.”
SEE is part of a campus-wide initiative to provide hands-on learning experiences that help students develop real-world skills and position them for career success.
The state university is winning awards for its efforts. Rutgers-New Brunswick and Rutgers-Newark are recipients of the 2026 EAB Experiential Learning Awards, recognizing their leadership “in expanding student access to real-world, career-connected experience,” according to administrators at EAB, a Washington, D.C., provider of consulting, research and technology services to colleges and universities.
Of the 50 institutions receiving the award this year, Rutgers-Newark placed 20th and Rutgers-New Brunswick was 24th. EAB staff noted in a statement the awards honor colleges and universities “helping students explore career paths and build the in-demand skills they need to succeed in today’s job market.”
“Experiential learning – applying classroom knowledge in real-world settings – is increasingly important because employers now expect candidates, even for entry-level positions, to bring relevant experience,” said William “Wil” Jones, assistant vice provost for career development and executive director of Career Exploration and Success at Rutgers-New Brunswick. “It gives students a powerful way to show prospective employers that they have developed practical skills and experience directly connected to the roles they are seeking to fill.”
Jones added, “Being recognized by EAB is a meaningful affirmation of our work to ensure that students graduate with the experiences and skills employers value. It also demonstrates the tangible return on investment of a college degree. A university like Rutgers gives students access to a breadth of experiences and opportunities that would be difficult to find anywhere else.”
“This recognition reflects the breadth and depth of the opportunities available to our students as they prepare for their futures,” he said.
To this end, Career Exploration and Success administrators and staff provide experiential learning on multiple fronts, including:
Job simulations: Rutgers students have completed more than 10,000 job simulation experiences through Forage, a free online platform.
The Rutgers Scarlet Service Internship program: Students participating in the program, which fosters civic engagement and career readiness, complete a three-credit, pass or no pass, virtual and asynchronous course consisting of readings, reflections and virtual discussions.
Bright Futures Internship Stipend: While this stipend program exists in different forms at several universities, the Rutgers version provides financial assistance to eligible students completing unpaid internships at for-profit organizations. To be considered, students must be approved and enrolled in the Rutgers Internship and Co-op Course. “The program supports experiential learning by helping remove financial barriers that might otherwise prevent students from participating in unpaid internships,” said Brandon West, associate director of strategic outreach and marketing for Career Exploration and Success. “Through stipend support, more students are able to gain hands-on, career-related experience while earning academic credit.”
The Student Employee Enrichment Program: SEE focuses on career readiness and helping students develop a set of “essential competencies” that are transferable across industries and careers, according to Career Exploration and Success administrators.
SEE participant Harris, who worked “behind the scenes” of the program, said Kelly encouraged her to develop her own initiative to increase awareness of the program among student employees. She came up with STAR Stories, a series of interviews with learning assistants and others working in Career Exploration and Success offices that she posted on LinkedIn.
“I wanted to show how an on-campus experience could translate into an interview for an internship or a job after you graduate,” said Harris, who explained that STARS is an acronym for Situation Task Action Result. “It was really cool to see students share them on their own networks” and plans to participate in SEE again in the fall semester.
Noting that students participating in SEE get five hours of professional development under the program, Harris said she attended interview and networking workshops as well as foundational seminars that “really helped me frame the goals that I wanted to accomplish over the semester.”
“One goal I had was improving my communication because I'm naturally more introverted,” Harris said. “I wanted to push myself to become a little more outgoing.”
Jones said CES and its campus partners plan to expand the SEE program. This past spring, nearly 400 federal work-study students at Rutgers–New Brunswick participated in what he described as a “transformative experience.” Beginning in fall 2028, all students entering the federal work-study program for the first time will be required to participate in SEE as part of their paid on-campus employment, he said.
“This expansion will provide more high-impact opportunities for students to reflect on their experiences, connect them to the career-readiness competencies that the National Association of Colleges and Employers has identified as essential to a competitive job search, and practice articulating those connections to prospective employers,” Jones said.
