AWT4CL 07 Build Professional Relationships Badge

From Conversations to Careers: Embedding Relationship-Building into Your Curriculum --
Authors: Jama S. Coartney and Donna M. Westfall-Rudd  --

In today’s competitive workforce, technical skills alone are no longer enough. The ability to build professional relationships—through active listening, emotional intelligence, and intentional networking—is a key factor in career success. Yet, research from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) highlights a significant gap: students entering the workforce often feel unprepared to form professional connections.

The Build Professional Relationships digital learning badge (Badge 07) provides a simple, structured way for educators and facilitators to close this gap. By integrating this badge into existing curricula, you can help learners strengthen the networking skills that are critical for team leadership, collaboration, and career-readiness.

Introducing the Badge for Building Professional Relationships
At the heart of professional relationship building are thoughtful communication, engaged listening, and emotional intelligence. Whether connecting across generations, building mentor relationships, or working within multidisciplinary teams, learners must develop the ability to foster trust, communicate effectively, and sustain professional networks.

This badge focuses on three core competencies:
  • Relationship-building: Taking intentional steps to connect with coworkers and leaders.
  • Emotional intelligence: Recognizing the role of empathy and understanding in professional interactions.
  • Mindful listening: Promoting positivity and engagement in workplace conversations.
Awarding this badge allows instructors to showcase students’ readiness to engage meaningfully with industry stakeholders—an essential employability signal.

Example Assignment for the Build Professional Relationships Badge
This example demonstrates how an assignment could be constructed for earning the Build Professional Relationships digital learning badge. This assignment offers learners hands-on experience in networking practice. It has three parts:
Module PartDescription
Part 1: Set up a meetingLearners identify someone from a club, class, or professional organization and arrange an informational meeting.
Part 2: Prepare for Active ListeningBefore the meeting, learners develop a short plan for how they will actively listen and stay engaged during the conversation. Learners should use resources, such as Mindtool’s active listening, to plan ahead.
Part 3: Reflect on the experienceAfter the meeting, learners submit a written or video reflection discussing communication skills used, the potential value of the relationship, and lessons learned about relationship-building.
*Students who complete the assignment will earn a badge. 

The type of activity is flexible—it can be used at any point during a course—and there are no prerequisites. Additional details for using this assignment are available in the implementation guide.

Why Does Networking Matter?
Professional networks provide access to opportunities, expertise, and career advancement. Sociologist Mark Granovetter’s research on the “strength of weak ties” demonstrated that broader networks offer more diverse opportunities than close connections. Students who learn how to build and nurture professional relationships early are better positioned for long-term success.

If you're looking to enhance your career readiness or workforce development programs, integrating digital learning badges like Build Professional Relationships is a practical step. Here's why:
  • Students practice real-world networking skills.
  • Instructors recognize and validate critical soft skills development.
  • Employers gain better-prepared, more connected future employees.
Call to Action: 
Jumpstart your students’ professional journey—embed the Build Professional Relationships badge and watch learners' confidence grow."

Start simple: pilot the badge assignment in a class project, leadership workshop, or career development module. Provide learners the resources they need to prepare, such as articles on active listening techniques, and celebrate their achievements with a badge that adds real value to their portfolios and resumes.

In a world where professional relationships often define career trajectories, giving learners a head start with intentional, digital badge-based learning could help.

Let’s build stronger, more connected career pathways—one relationship at a time.

Image Credits:
Alfa27. (n.d.). Three people working together [Photo]. Adobe Stock Photo 300207634.
Seventyfour. (n.d). Two people talking [Photo]. Adobe Stock Photo 500885458.
Wayhome.studio. (n.d.) Two people working together [Photo]. Adobe Stock Photo 138466215.
Project Resources:
Instructor Welcome Module
AWT4CL Project Website
AWT4CL Implementation Guide - instructions and example assignments for each badge
APLU - Association of Public & Land-grant Universities Employability Skills
Badging System - AWT4CL Badgr/Canvas Credential badges, maintained by Virginia Tech 

Location: Blacksburg, VA, USA

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