Students want more from their post-secondary experience. They want to leave school fully prepared to transition from classroom to career.

Over 60% of graduates want more real-world work experience while still in school, and 68% believe that including applied and experiential learning in curricula will help them get a job faster.

With students expecting full support in their development as budding professionals, instructors have an opportunity to create timely, relevant curricula to seed career success.

As a new school year approaches, now’s the time to explore tools and resources to enhance your curricula and bring experiential, hands-on learning into the classroom. Here are three ways you can make it happen:  

1. Help students earn certifications.

Did you know 50% of recent graduates are considering certifications and training courses to advance in their field?

College programs widely differ but, certifications let companies compare candidates more easily and trust that new hires are ready to jump in from day one.

Professors can incorporate certifications into their curriculum. A student earning a certification could be categorized as a project or earn a student extra credit. When looking for a certification program for your students to pursue, consider a program that is recognized by potential employers and focuses on specific skills your students need. 

2. Use technology your students will use in the workplace. 

Nearly seven in 10 faculty agree they should have more technology use for in-person classes with 67% agreeing there should be more digital materials and digital resources in their courses.

It turns out students feel the same way. Nearly three-quarters of students want educators to incorporate in-class engagement tools, and 77% want to learn using digital interactive learning materials.

Integrating technology into your curriculum that your students will use on the job helps you play a pivotal role in launching their careers. While students may be exposed to tech in the classroom, getting the exposure, practice, and training with industry-relevant tools isn’t always accessible. 

Investing in technology for the classroom can be expensive. Some organizations offer free access for educators and students, with resources available to assist classroom implementation. Example: the QuickBooks® Online for Educators program.  

3. Reinforce teachings with real-world scenarios.

A recent Intuit survey found that 86% of higher education students agree that opportunities to learn realistic business situations is a beneficial education strategy to help them prepare for their careers.

Incorporating case studies into the classroom helps students put their education into practice and apply critical thinking and problem solving to real business scenarios. It’s training that helps instructors gauge if students can effectively transfer learnings into the business world and provides the opportunity to identify gaps and close them, building students’ confidence through feedback and guidance.

Creating authentic and detailed case studies is time-consuming. By tapping into trusted sources for case studies, professors can spend more time engaging with students. When researching case studies, look for ones that provide materials and samples of real-world documents. 

Build Skills. Launch Careers.  

When it comes to preparing students for the workforce, Intuit is changing the way educators can make it happen. With QuickBooks^®; Online, students can build real-world business skills such as tracking income and expenses, creating reports, and more. They can even customize the experience with their favorite business apps and access their data anytime, anywhere on a computer, tablet, or smartphone.

QuickBooks^®; Online isn’t just a powerful accounting tool. It empowers young entrepreneurs to feel confident in launching their businesses without feeling overwhelmed or concerned with the financial responsibilities that come with business ownership and management. With opportunities for certification, QuickBooks^®; Online experience can bring an advantage to any resume.

Bring QuickBooks into your classroom for free today and start building the real-world skills your students need to launch their careers.  

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*QuickBooks Educator licenses won’t expire as long as an educator meets Intuit's eligibility requirements. QuickBooks Online license for students is valid for 1-year.