Industrial Distribution

Jack Keough

New workers are ill-prepared
October 9, 2006

If you’ve recently hired a high school or college graduate and you’re disappointed with their work ethic, their ability to communicate effectively, or their personal accountability, you‘re not alone.

A new report shows that recently hired employees from high schools and universities are sorely lacking in much-needed workplace skills—both academic as well as “advanced.” 

The report, conducted by the Conference Board and three other business research organizations, was designed to examine employers’ views on the readiness of new entrants into the U.S. workforce. The results were based on the responses of more than 400 human resource professionals.

“The future workforce is here and it is ill-prepared,” the report concludes.

The findings reflect employers’ growing frustration over the preparedness of new entrants to the workforce. Employers, the study says, expect young people to arrive with a core set of basic knowledge and the ability to apply their skills in the workplace.

The reality is not matching the expectation.

“It is clear from the report that greater communication and collaboration between the business sector and educators is critical to ensure that young people are prepared to enter the workforce of the 21st century,” says Richard Cavanaugh, president of the Conference Board. “Less than intense preparation in critical skills can lead to unsuccessful futures for America’s youth, as well as a less competitive U.S. workforce. This ultimately makes the U.S. economy more vulnerable in the global marketplace.”

Nearly three-quarters of the survey participants cite deficiencies among incoming gradu-ates in “applied” skills such as professionalism and work ethic, defined as “demonstrating personal accountability, effective work habits such as punctuality, working productively with others, time and workload management.”

The findings also show a major problem with employees’ writing skills, whether they have a high school or college degree.

More than half of the respondents say critical thinking and problem solving skills are “very important” for graduates’ successful job performance, yet nearly three-quarters of respondents rated recent hires as deficient in critical thinking.

“Clearly business has a stake in the problem and can play a role in helping to solve it,” says Donna Klein, president and CEO of Corporate Voices for Working Families, a sponsor of the study. “Many business leaders across the country are already actively engaged in efforts to address the skills gap through a variety of initiatives, including efforts to improve academic outcomes through partnerships with schools, partnering with schools or community based organizations that run mentoring programs, providing internships, job shadowing and summer job opportunities.”

“Through these and other initiatives,” Klein says, “business can help ensure that the work-place of the future has the full range of skills needed to be successful as they enter the work-force of the 21st century.”

Have you recently hired some high school or college grads? How are they working out? We’d like to hear from you.

Posted by Jack Keough on October 9, 2006 | Comments (2)