Designing university-wide pathways for transversal competence development: the Unitoskills4careers project

This paper presents the institutional strategy developed by the University of Turin to foster transversal competencies. In response to growing international attention to employability and competence-based higher education, the program combines digital learning resources, teacher training, and experiential workshops aimed at strengthening students’ transferable skills. More than 30 workshops involving over 400 students were implemented through an experiential learning methodology grounded in cognitive activation and collaborative problem-solving. The pedagogical model adopted, defined as the Experiential Learning Cycle, integrates open problems, group interaction, reflection, feedback, and guided application in order to promote the progressive development of transversal competencies. Preliminary evidence suggests that combining online resources with structured experiential activities can enhance students’ awareness, engagement, and ability to mobilise transversal skills across academic and professional contexts.