by SIERRA DELOACH
It’s no secret that most people are broke coming out of college, and eager to join the work force. In America, though, the jobs to be had are slim to none. A survey conducted in April of 2013 found that over 41% of college graduates have not been able to obtain jobs in their chosen field, and are either underemployed or unemployed. This goes under the classic generalization of “a bartender with a bachelor’s degree”.
The number one problem facing the current generation of college graduates is an insufficiency of workplace experience.
A survey funded by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) found that just under half the 1,006 employers of various workplaces felt as if the flood of recent college graduates did not possess adequate skills in their fields. Furthermore, the surveyed peoples thought that students should be receiving specific business training instead of the broad-based education learned under now.
Consulting firm Accenture, whilst conducting research on college graduates, found that over 63% would have to return for further training to work in their desired field, despite their degrees. This, coinciding with ACICS’s survey, shows that if education were more specified to the students’ and employers’ needs there would not be such a gap of unemployment post-college. If, starting in high school, there were more classes that presented practical, real world skills, perhaps the gap would be smaller. Particularly skills pertaining to occupational ethic seem to be the number one desire of businesses. Characteristics that employers look for when hiring include working well in teams, thinking through complex problems clearly, organizational and strategic abilities, and a strong work ethic (Penn State Career Services).
College graduates entering the job market now have been cast off by the very establishments they trained for. With proprietors so skeptical of the college grads’ capabilities in their chosen professions, less and less are being hired. If putting students through a work ethic or practical skills class would benefit the economy, then why aren’t there more schools offering the programs?