ETS and American University (AU) have announced a strategic pilot of Futurenav Compass, an AI-powered platform designed to help students translate academic learning into clear, actionable career pathways. The partnership arrives as both universities and employers work to bridge the gap between applied learning and professional workforce integration.

The pilot aligns with AU’s 2026–30 strategic plan, Meet Our Moment, which emphasizes the intersection of civic engagement, global citizenship and meaningful careers. Through this collaboration, ETS and AU will integrate the measurement of essential civic skills—including democratic engagement, civil discourse and social impact—directly into Futurenav Compass. Participating students will gain a clearer “line of sight” from their educational journey to sustainable employment.

“In today’s competitive talent market, we are focused on finding practical and meaningful ways to connect our students with industry professionals and to build partnerships that advance their futures,” said AU Provost Vicky M. Wilkins. “Our collaboration with ETS will allow students to map and document their practice of key skills across courses, co-curricular and extra‑curricular activities and internships, and to see how those experiences shape their readiness for work and public life. This skills transcript will give students a clearer view of their strengths and a powerful way to share their stories with employers and other audiences. At American University, we are excited about what this partnership will mean for our students as they prepare to graduate and take their next steps.”

What is Futurenav Compass?

Futurenav Compass is a research-based, skill measurement platform that provides practical skills assessment as well as career navigation and real-time labor market intelligence. The platform helps students identify relevant career options, map next steps and connect to jobs and internships that align with their skills and interests. The pilot will also focus on the creation of a civic skills transcript, while equipping university faculty and staff with scalable advising tools and actionable data to better support students.

“American University is making an intentional bet on preparing students not just to graduate, but to thrive in a complex global workforce and contribute as productive, engaged global citizens,” said Ken Eisner, managing director of global higher education to workforce and K-16 skills at ETS. “With Futurenav Compass, we’re combining American’s deep strength in civic learning with labor market data and skills intelligence to help students create, act upon and achieve their career goals and ambitions.”

By focusing on skills and making them both visible and portable, ETS and AU aim to empower students with greater confidence as they navigate their educational and professional decisions. This pilot demonstrates how AI-powered skills navigation supports long-term success, guiding students well beyond graduation and into their burgeoning careers.

To learn more about Futurenav Compass, visit https://www.ets.org/futurenav/compass. For more information on Frequently Asked Questions, continue reading below.

American University Futurenav Compass Pilot FAQs 

What does the Futurenav Compass pilot at American University (AU) include? 

Futurenav Compass is being piloted at American University (AU) as part of a partnership to introduce students to Futurenav’s career navigation platform and to advance AU’s commitment to civic engagement and meaningful change by translating civic learning into career-relevant signals. 

When is the pilot taking place? 

The expanded pilot is running for the 2025-2026 Academic Year. 

How does this connect to AU’s focus on civic engagement? 

In addition to classroom use of Compass, AU’s civic skills framework is translated into practice through the development of a Civic Skills Transcript. This work is designed to identify civic and durable skills embedded in coursework and other academic experiences and connect them to externally legible, workforce-relevant signals. 

What is ETS’s role in the AU pilot? 

In partnership with ETS, a global education and talent solutions organization, AU is leveraging emerging technology to help identify and extract civic and durable skills from existing coursework and other academic student experiences, supporting the development of the Civic Skills Transcript and connections to workforce-relevant signals. 

What is the “Civic Skills Transcript” mentioned in communications? 

The Civic Skills Transcript is a new, civic-focused layer of the student record intended to make civic learning visible, actionable, and connected to post-graduate outcomes. It is designed to surface civic and durable skills developed through coursework and other academic experiences. The transcript will be built inside of the Futurenav Compass student experience. 

How is Futurenav Compass funded? 

Compass is funded by ETS and free to the institution for use during the length of the pilot period agreed upon in the contract’s scope of work. Once the pilot period ends, AU may enter a new contract with ETS that includes pricing. Compass is designed to shift costs from the students and colleges and towards employers. Over time, employers will play the key role in funding Compass. 

General Futurenav Compass FAQs 

What is Futurenav Compass and how does it help students? 

Futurenav Compass is an end-to-end career planning tool that takes students through career discovery, navigation, and job placement. It leverages career interests, durable skills, and hard skills, along with millions of job transitions in the marketplace, to recommend career matches and build an actionable career plan for students. 

How does Futurenav Compass connect education to workforce opportunities? 

Futurenav Compass helps students and higher education institutions focus on skills development for workforce readiness and connects employers to graduating talent. 

Can Futurenav Compass improve student ROI on higher education? 

Futurenav Compass helps increase the ROI students gain from higher education by aligning interests and skills to targeted careers and focusing their education on the development of skills that are valuable in today’s labor market. 

What role does AI play in Futurenav Compass career matches? 

The AI engine in Futurenav Compass leverages data about a student’s interests and skills, plus millions of real job transitions, to match the student to a career that complements their interests and skills and is highly valued in today’s job market. 

Who uses Futurenav Compass – students, institutions, or employers? 

Higher education institutions and employers are the primary customers of Futurenav Compass – investing in the solution to drive workforce readiness at their institution or hire emerging talent. 

However, students are the primary users, engaging with the solution to explore careers and find job placements. 

What are the key features of Futurenav Compass? 

• Career Matching: Provides personalized career matches based on resume and assessment results, aligned to US occupational data (e.g., O*NET, Bureau of Labor Statistics). 
• Skills Mapping: Assesses, extracts, and infers user skills from various artifacts, including resumes and ETS-built assessments, then provides a snapshot of current strengths and areas for growth. 
• Interactive Assessments: Includes a suite of research-based, science-backed assessments measuring career interests, communication skills, and other durable skills such as teamwork, creativity, and resilience. 
• Action Planning: Recommends next steps personalized to the student—including skills to build, relevant work experiences, and campus support resources—based on a student’s skillsets and their career goal. 
• Find a Job: Compass delivers high-match job and internship opportunities with personalized insights on how students' skills align – and what to build on. 
• Student-Centered Design: Built to support career readiness at any stage of the student journey, with a focus on usability and relevance to real-world job outcomes. 

What is the value of Futurenav Compass to staff and institutions? 

Compass supports institutions and staff by improving career outcomes, strengthening insight into student progress, and scaling support across more students. 

• Drives student outcomes: Helps students build and act on career plans early, supporting retention, completion, and placement goals 
• Scales student support: Provides structured guidance so advising and career teams can reach more students effectively 
• Informs decisions with real data: Aligns pathways to local labor market demand to support advising, programming, and employer engagement 
• Provides actionable insights: Helps campuses understand how students are preparing for internships and jobs—and where career services support could have the greatest impact 
• Accessible to all students: No cost for students to use Compass 

What’s the value of using Futurenav Compass for students? 

Futurenav Compass helps students turn their experiences into clear career direction. By combining a student’s interests, skills, and experiences with real job data, Compass suggests individualized possible careers that are a strong fit and what it takes to get there. Students can explore career paths, understand the skills they already have (and what to build next), and take concrete steps toward internships and job opportunities. As students use the platform, they’ll build a personalized Skillprint™ that tracks growth over time and helps them communicate strengths to others, including advisors, counselors, and employers. 

How is student data stored and protected? 

Who do I contact if I have more questions about this pilot? 

For questions about the Futurenav Compass implementation on AU’s campus, please contact the program’s implementation lead Ashley Burke ([email protected]). For technical issues on the Futurenav Compass platform, please reach out to [email protected].