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There are so many things kids need to learn on their journey to adulthood. As moms we do our best to teach them how to do laundry, be wise with money, keep their room clean, manage their time, make good choices, resolve conflict, develop healthy friendships…the list is endless. Our biggest hope is that we teach them enough to launch into the world by their eighteenth birthday, and that college will give them the skills to succeed in the workplace.
Unfortunately, studies show things aren’t working out as well as we’d like.
This post is sponsored by Northwest University.
While 87% of new grads feel like they’re well-prepared for the workplace, only half of managers agree. Many employers identify that new hires lack both hard (technical) skills and soft (non-technical) skills necessary for workplace success. These are the skills they identify as most lacking, along with the percentage of managers who cited it as a problem:*
- Critical thinking/problem solving (60%)
- Attention to detail (56%)
- Communication skills (46%)
- Writing proficiency (44%)
- Ownership & leadership (44%)
- Data analysis (36%)
- Interpersonal skills/teamwork (36%)
- Industry-specific software like Salesforce, CAD, or Quickbooks (34%)
As parents, we can help our kids develop many of these skills with a little intentionality while they’re still in our home. We can ask to proofread emails to their teachers and give them feedback (not re-write them) on how to make them more professional and appropriate. We can give them responsibility for family projects or ask them to plan our next vacation. We can let them craft their own solutions to problems instead of stepping in. We can encourage them to take on service or volunteer work to develop responsibility.
But we can also coach them to consider colleges that will continue the work we’ve begun, and who are committed to producing well-prepared graduates into the workforce.
Northwest University just launched the Career Readiness Initiative to directly address the “skills gap” experienced by employers and new grads. The program strategically identifies workplace competencies and specific skills that employers expect their new hires to have – skills like professional communication, ethics, adaptive thinking, or conflict resolution. But Northwest University takes this effort further by granting endorsements to students who complete a series of courses to develop specific competencies. These are reflected on transcripts and students can include these endorsements on their resume to show employers they will be ready for the workplace on Day One.
It helps set them apart from the competition.
Ready to learn more? Get the details on how Northwest University takes extra care to ensure their graduates are ready for the workplace, and check out their list of undergraduate, graduate, and online degree offerings here!
*source: Payscale.com
