Bridging The Gap: Higher Education & Career Readiness

By Suzanne McDonald

College is a time for students to develop skills that will fully prepare them for their future careers, right? Well, in theory, but nowadays students are finishing their degrees and then left to apply for “entry-level” jobs that require them to have skills they never learned before. This gap in learning is one of the reasons that many students are left without jobs following graduation.

The NACE has identified eight competencies that constitute “career readiness,” they include:

Professionalism/Work Ethic
Oral/Written Communication
Critical Thinking/Problem Solving
Teamwork/Collaboration
Leadership
Digital Technology
Career Management
Global/Intercultural Fluency

There were some inconsistencies when comparing the percentage of employers that rated recent graduates proficient and the percentage of students who considered themselves proficient. These inconsistencies represent the skills gap that is prevalent among recent graduates. According to NACE, students considered themselves much more proficient in the eight competencies than employers. The only competencies that varied were digital technology and teamwork, which are both skills that are heavily emphasized during most student’s undergraduate careers. Based on these insights, it’s clear that there is still room for improvement for graduates in terms of career readiness since most employers found graduates to be least proficient in the most essential areas.

The ROIinU course helps students elevate their skills to the next level and works to fill the gap that was created between college and career. With the help of ROIinU, students can jumpstart their successful career with the most employer-sought-after skills — ones they likely didn’t get to during their college career. For more information, visit ROIinU.com.