Abstract:

This paper presents UniToSkills4Careers, a university-wide initiative developed at the University of Turin to foster the systematic development of transversal competencies (TCs) among undergraduate and graduate students. Transversal competencies—such as communication, problem solving, teamwork, adaptability, and self-empowerment—are increasingly recognized as essential for successful participation in complex and evolving labour markets. The project integrates digital learning resources, career orientation tools, and structured workshops within a coherent institutional strategy aimed at strengthening students’ employability and active citizenship.

Over a three-year period, more than 30 workshops were delivered, involving over 400 university students from different disciplinary areas and degree levels. Each workshop combined in-class activities (18 hours, corresponding to 3 European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) credits) with guided reflection and tutoring. The workshops were designed not as supplementary activities, but as structured learning environments in which students could actively mobilize and refine their transversal competencies through collaborative tasks and progressively complex open problems.

At the core of the training model lies the Experiential Learning Cycle (ELC), a pedagogical strategy grounded in an iterative sequence of problem posing, experience, communication, analysis, generalization, and application. The cycle begins with an open problem that requires group-based exploration and solution design. Students draw on prior knowledge, confront misconceptions, and articulate their reasoning. Through guided analysis and conceptual reframing led by the instructor, emergent ideas are reorganized into more structured models. A subsequent application phase challenges students to transfer and adapt newly consolidated competencies to analogous but more complex situations.

This structured alternation between action and reflection promotes cognitive activation, encouraging students to mobilize factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive knowledge. By engaging in collaborative problem solving and reflective dialogue, participants experience transversal competencies not as abstract descriptors, but as situated practices requiring negotiation, responsibility, and adaptive thinking. The progressive design of workshop activities ensures iterative reinforcement of previously acquired skills across different thematic domains.

Preliminary evidence collected through student feedback highlights strong engagement and perceived relevance to both academic and professional contexts. The integration of ECTS recognition and open badges further enhances the formal visibility of competence development within higher education pathways. Overall, UniToSkills4Careers demonstrates how an institutional strategy grounded in experiential learning can systematically support transversal competence development at university level, combining pedagogical innovation with career-oriented objectives.

Keywords:

Transversal competencies, curriculum, academic teaching, experiential learning cycle (ELC).