Working Hard on All the Wrong Things?

“When it comes to the types of skills and knowledge that employers feel are most important to workplace success, large majorities of employers do NOT feel that recent college graduates are well prepared….This is particularly the case for applying knowledge and skills in real-world settings, critical thinking skills, and written and oral communication skills -- areas in which fewer than three in 10 employers think that recent college graduates are well prepared.” From The AAC&U 2018 Job Outlook Survey

The fear that today’s students are not prepared for life in the 21st century is not just academic. In a recent study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers nearly half of employers polled indicated that college graduates lack the basic skills required to be successful in the workplace. These included poor ratings in areas including oral and written communication, professionalism, and leadership. And the study didn’t even begin to probe more nuanced areas like creativity and critical thinking.

A recent survey of young people and employers in nine countries by the elite consulting firm McKinsey & Co. uncovered similar data. According to the results, approximately sixty percent of employers polled indicated that new college graduates were not prepared for the world of work. Deficiencies include technical knowledge in STEM fields and also poor performance in communication, teamwork and general work-readiness, among other things. These findings are alarming.

These studies and others are consistent with what is being reported anecdotally across professions: even the students who are most qualified on paper have trouble functioning effectively in today’s workplace. We know with near certainty that as hard as they appear to be working at school, kids are graduating from high school and college unprepared for life in the real world. It’s truly amazing that graduates of some of the top programs in the country begin their first jobs with such limited awareness of how to behave at work. And that long hours spent studying in high school and college don’t necessarily translate into workplace-ready skills. Why is this?

The college admissions process is more competitive today than at any point in history. Students need almost superhuman credentials to be admitted to top programs. Community engagement and youth-led activities have been elbowed aside by tutors and coaches. Kids spend less unstructured in person time socializing with their peers than ever. And, to make matters worse, the casual nature of social media and digital communications create bad habits that aren’t even necessarily recognized as such by younger generations. Today, many teens who can afford it forgo jobs and other substantive community involvement in favor of credentialing activities - SAT and academic camps, elite sports training and college admissions tutoring. And it’s not just high end professionals that are seeing the negative effects of this shift.

What is the real cost of eliminating meaningful extracurriculars and after school jobs? There are many, but a significant one is the loss of opportunity to develop social and communication skills like the ones that help young professionals navigate workplaces. Take the example of a teen working in a deli: as an employee, the teen is expected to show up at work on time, wear a uniform, and treat customers respectfully and politely, even when they are rude, angry or disorderly. In all likelihood, the teen will also be required to speak clearly, appear presentable and accord particular respect to a manager and other superiors. Fail to follow the rules? You’re fired! There are countless examples of summer jobs that historically provided the same critical social and communications training for teens.

So what can be done to develop and enhance the missing skills in today’s youth? Certainly, low wage jobs can still fill the niche. In fact, pretty much any job that requires a young person to get out of bed and appear at work on time, get dressed according to the dress code of his or her workplace and conduct himself consistent with role expectations will help a young person or college student develop an awareness of how to behave professionally. Scooping ice cream, working as a camp counselor or landing a plum office internship can all serve this greater purpose. Believe it or not, college admissions officers including at elite school recognize the value of such experiences (especially the jobs that are not obviously secured by a teen’s parent), particularly as they are becoming less common on applications.

There are also examples of less formal but no less valuable ways that young people can acquire an awareness of professional expectations and, in the process, pick up important skills that they need to be successful in the workplace. Every community in America has problems that can benefit from the attention and creative thinking of young people today. Encourage your kids to look around and think deeply about some of the issues they encounter each day, whether environmental, practical, or social. Challenge them to work together with friends and peers to develop and implement creative solutions to these problems, including by engaging with adults in professional and non-professional roles in the community. A teen that presents his research and proposed fix to a local problem to school administrators or members of his town council will learn about professional comportment, organization, interacting with adults, public speaking, and aspects of the local political process, among other things. He will be required to hone skills of communication, collaboration and creative problem solving. These are real skills that are highly relevant to the 21st century workplace and that aren’t necessarily developed in the classroom.