Glamaour Era magazine Feb 2018 Glamaour Era Feb Edition | Page 30
With
U.S. graduation rates being at an all-time high, one might expect employers to have a wealth of qualied candidates to hire.
Instead, many employers are nding that these recent graduates are unprepared to succeed in the workforce.
While many are graduating with technical skills, their "soft skills" are lacking. These skills - from professional communication and critical
thinking to collaboration and time management - are seen as critical by employers, yet have not historically been taught with consistency or
prioritized.
A recent whitepaper commissioned by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), an
education nonprot that equips students with the necessary soft skills needed to be successful in college and their careers, highlights recent
partnerships between the business and education sectors to tackle this skills gap.
"Bridging
the Soft Skills
Gap: How Employers Can Partner with
Educators to Prepare Students for the 21st
C e n t u r y Wo r k f o r c e " o f f e r s p r a c t i c a l
recommendations for businesses to make an
impact and proles strategic partnerships being
successfully implemented across the country by
Nike, Ernst & Young, Wegmans, Wynn Las
Vegas, and the Northern Kentucky Education
Council.
According to a 2016 analysis by the Wall Street
Journal, 92 percent of nearly 900 surveyed
executives said soft skills were as or more
important than technical skills, yet 89 percent
reported some level of difculty nding
employees who have mastered these skills.
"With almost 6 million unlled jobs in America,
this lack of soft skills hurts workers, businesses
and the economy," says Cheryl Oldham of the
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's
Center for Education and Workforce.
"Businesses recognize the critical need for soft
skills and are working hard in their
communities to help students obtain the skills
they need to succeed in the jobs of tomorrow.”
A growing number of companies are focusing on
student education as a part of their business
strategy. By equipping students with the skills
for workplace success, they strengthen their
talent pipeline and create shared value. The
following insights from the whitepaper offers
successful approaches to collaboration between
the education and business sectors to help youth
become better prepared for their careers.
Investing
in classroom solutions empowers teachers to better help young people develop the skills they need in school,
work, and life. Since promoting soft skills is less about what is taught than how they are taught, access to hands-on methodology training for
educators is vital. Employers can help by ensuring that teachers and administrators across local schools have access to proven professional
development programs from established education nonprots.