Do Colleges Really Prepare Graduates for a Successful Career? (Part II)
Tags: Career Preparation, Higher Education, Careers, Education, Skills Gap

By Dr. Bjorn Mercer

Program Director, Communication, Humanities, Music, Philosophy, Religion and World Languages Programs, American Public University

This is part II of a four-part series that examines the findings of a report, “Fulfilling the American Dream: Liberal Education and the Future of Work.”

In Part I, we went over the American Association of Colleges & Universities’ (AAC&U) report, “Fulfilling the American Dream: Liberal Education and the Future of Work.” In Part II, we will analyze the report’s findings, especially the skills gaps between the ratings of “very important quality” and “recent grads well prepared.”

The Gaps Between Vital Workplace Skills

One of the shocking aspects of the AAC&U report are the gaps between the skills that are rated as “very important” and those that are rated “recent college grads well prepared.” Early on, the report states: “However, executives and hiring managers see recent college graduates as underprepared in the skills and knowledge areas that they deem most important.” If executives and hiring managers see college grads as underprepared, then colleges and universities need to actively work on closing these gaps to improve student preparedness.

Using the results from the hiring manager, those who actually hire new employees, the largest skills gap is 48 points, the smallest gap is two points, the average gap is 33 points and the median is 37. Please see the hiring manager’s chart on page 14 of the AAC&U report, “Fulfilling the American Dream: Liberal Education and the Future of Work.”

Skills with Smaller Gaps

To start, “proficiency in foreign languages” has the smallest gap of two points because for the most part, hiring managers do not feel a foreign language proficiency is that important a skill to have and students are rarely prepared. Although knowing a second language can be very helpful and knowing Spanish will be a huge benefit in the coming decades, the reality of working in the U.S. is that knowing a second language is not currently a critical skill for general employment.

The other skills with smaller gaps include “work with numbers/stats,” “staying current on changing technology” and being “able to innovate/be creative.” These skills are interesting because although everyone should be competent with numbers, not everyone needs to be proficient with statistics. So hiring managers typically do not require this skill for general positions, although being excellent with stats can get you a highly skilled job in areas like business intelligence or financial planning and analysis.

The next skill, “able to innovate/be creative,” although important, was not rated as high as other skills and is an ambiguous and perplexing skill in its own right. Having a gap of 25, although concerning, is something that can easily be further developed throughout one’s career.

When it comes to being able to “staying current on changing technology,” the hiring managers rated the preparedness at 57. This is one of those skills and knowledge that new graduates have since they are typically younger adults who understand and use current technology.

Skills with Medium Gaps

Two skills that are related and have medium-size gaps are “able to solve problems with people of different backgrounds” and “able to work effectively in teams.” Being able to effectively work in teams is one of the highest rated skills at 87 and has the second highest rating for preparedness at 50.

This is good, but of course it can be better. Being “able to solve problems with people of different backgrounds” is directly related to working in teams. Having an understanding of the many facets of diversity and intercultural communication will help with this skill.

One of the more complex skills that has a lower importance rating of 75 and has a lower preparedness rating of 38 is being “able to analyze/solve complex problems.” Learning how to analyze a problem is something that should have been addressed in many college classes. Solving those problems is a completely different ability and a reflection of the cumulative education that a student has achieved. There is a lot that goes into solving problems.

“Being able to communicate effectively in writing” has a lower importance rating of 75 with a decent preparedness rating of 45. This is somewhat hopeful in that hiring managers see new graduates as somewhat prepared, while not fully viewing this as a critical skill (seven skills are rated higher).

The final skill with a medium gap is “find, organize, evaluate information from multiple sources.” This skill, although not in the top five of most important, is really the basis of good information literacy. Having a gap of 33 is average, but the need to analyze multiple sources while finding and using the best possible information is the foundation for all knowledge workers.

The Skills with the Largest Gaps Are the Most Common Skills Employers Need

The skills that have the largest gaps are the most common that employers need from new and tenured employees. These skills are difficult to develop.

First, being self-motivated and being able to work independently are skills with large gaps. Most people are able to be “self-motivated” and are “able to work independently,” but the difference between doing this in college and at work are completely different.

“Apply knowledge/skills to the real world” is one of the common complaints of the disconnect between higher education and the real world. Since this has the largest gap of 48, this problem must be addressed by faculty and administration, and not just assumed that once students leave them, their part of the educational process is done.

The final three skills with large gaps are “communicate effectively orally,” “critical thinking/analytical reasoning,” and “ethical judgment/decision making.” They are part of the Big 5 career skills because they are needed at the beginning of one’s career, in the mid-career years, and at the end of a career, along with teamwork and written communication.

“Communicate effectively orally” has the highest importance rating of 90. Although it has a higher preparedness rating, oral communication is one of those skills that is always in demand and new grads and professionals in general are always lacking.

The second Big 5 skill is “critical thinking/analytical reasoning” which had a gap of 43. Critical thinking, like oral communication, is one of those skills that needs a great deal of practice and is always asked for and demanded on the job.

The final Big 5 skill, “ethical judgment/decision making,” is a surprisingly complex skill and one that is easy to morally compromise. The gap is one of the largest at 43, so hiring managers recognize the need for improvement while its preparedness is somewhat high compared to the other skills.

In the Part III of the series, we will look at some of the important skills we have talked about and how colleges and universities can alter and update their curriculum to help improve graduate preparedness.

About the Author

Dr. Bjorn Mercer is a Program Director. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music from Missouri State University, a master’s and doctorate in music from the University of Arizona, and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. He writes about culture, leadership, and why the humanities and liberal arts are critical to career success. Dr. Mercer also writes children’s music.