The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we work and, in turn, the way our students complete their internships. Remote internships were very rare in the United States before they became a necessity in 2020. They are likely to remain prevalent even after the world returns to a “new normal.” At first, many thought that remote internships would be similar to the in-person variety. At TWC, we quickly learned that we had to adapt. Professionalism looks completely different through Zoom’s lens. Workers must engage in more frequent, active communication with colleagues to compensate for the face-to-face interaction common in an office environment. At the same time, the reexamination of race relations that began in the United States in the early summer of 2020 is having a tangible impact on the workplace. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are becoming significant priorities for companies in new and impactful ways.

The ability to work remotely will need to be addressed within the competencies, but how it will be measured remains to be seen. Which professional behaviors will remain relevant to employers, which will become less important, and which new skills will need to be considered? Diversity, equity, and inclusion, too, will see a similar fate. How can such expertise be taught and assessed? These are important questions, and TWC is playing a role in helping to answer them. Our data will contribute to SkillSurvey’s adaptation of the Career Readiness Report’s instruments to account for these significant changes.

Regardless of the way future workplaces look and feel, our students will need to recognize their strengths and address their areas of opportunity when applying for their first jobs. They must clearly articulate how they have applied what they learned in the classroom to tangible projects in the professional realm. A rich TWC experience―bolstered by the data of the Career Readiness Report―can help our students prepare most successfully for the post-pandemic job market.