CSU Pueblo’s History program recently earned the prestigious Essential Employability Qualities (EEQ) Certification from The QA Commons, validating what educators have long known: a liberal arts education provides invaluable preparation for today’s workplace.
CSU Pueblo’s History program recently earned the prestigious Essential Employability Qualities (EEQ) Certification from The QA Commons, validating what educators have long known: a liberal arts education provides invaluable preparation for today’s workplace.
This certification comes at a pivotal time when employers increasingly recognize that technical skills alone aren’t enough to thrive in our complex economy. According to studies from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), employers consistently rank skills such as critical thinking and communication—hallmarks of liberal arts training—above technical aptitude as essential for career readiness.
“The uniquely human skills polished by a well-rounded liberal arts education will make job candidates more competitive for all roles in the digital economy,” says Intuit’s Chief Product Officer Alex Chriss in a U.S. News & World Reportarticle. This insight comes from comprehensive research by Emsi and the Strada Institute for the Future of Work, which analyzed over 100 million professional profiles and 36 million job postings to bridge the gap between liberal arts education and employer needs.
At CSU Pueblo, the History program exemplifies this educational approach. “The wonderful thing about our Essential Employability Qualities certification is that it validates what we do as history professors as inherently valuable,” explains Dr. Jonathan Rees, Professor of History. “We didn’t change the way we teach in order to earn it. QA Commons looked at what we’ve always done and will now tell our potential students that they’ll learn exactly what employers want if they complete our major.”
This certification recognizes that CSU Pueblo’s History curriculum naturally develops the eight Essential Employability Qualities: communication, teamwork, critical thinking, creativity, adaptability, professionalism, and digital literacy—precisely the human-centered skills that remain irreplaceable in our increasingly automated world.
Liberal arts study helps students develop strong foundational competencies,” says Paul Timmins, director of career services for the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota. “It gives them tools to succeed beyond their first job.”
This is especially relevant as the debate continues between those who believe the “hard” skills of STEM are most critical to the future and those who champion the uniquely “human” skills of liberal arts as those that will endure in the face of automation.
CSU Pueblo’s achievement demonstrates that this is not an either/or proposition. Through carefully designed coursework that includes writing, research, digital projects, debates, and collaborative assignments, students develop both the knowledge of history and the transferable skills employers demand.
The EEQ Certification, valid until April 2028, serves as compelling evidence that universities provide unique value that cannot be replicated through skills-only training programs. By fostering critical thinking alongside domain knowledge, institutions like CSU Pueblo prepare graduates not just for their first job, but for a lifetime of professional success and adaptation in our rapidly evolving workplace.
