Higher Education's Work Preparation Paradox

It doesn't matter who you ask -- the U.S. population, college freshmen, or parents of fifth- through 12th-graders -- they all say the same thing: the purpose of going to college is to get a good job. Getting a college degree is no longer enough.

A whopping 96% of chief academic officers at higher education institutions say their institution is "very or somewhat" effective at preparing students for the world of work. That's an awful lot of confidence, considering how U.S. business leaders and the American public judge higher education institutions on this same measure. Gallup found that a mere 14% of Americans strongly agree that college graduates are well-prepared for success in the workplace. And barely one in 10 (11%) business leaders strongly agree that college graduates have the...

It doesn't matter who you ask -- the U.S. population, college freshmen, or parents of fifth- through 12th-graders -- they all say the same thing: the purpose of going to college is to get a good job. Getting a college degree is no longer enough.

A whopping 96% of chief academic officers at higher education institutions say their institution is "very or somewhat" effective at preparing students for the world of work. That's an awful lot of confidence, considering how U.S. business leaders and the American public judge higher education institutions on this same measure. Gallup found that a mere 14% of Americans strongly agree that college graduates are well-prepared for success in the workplace. And barely one in 10 (11%) business leaders strongly agree that college graduates have the skills and competencies that their workplaces need. There is clearly a massive disconnect between higher education and the marketplace in terms of what it means to be prepared for work...