Relevant Education Will Bridge the Gap...

Currently:
Employers are struggling to fill high-paying positions. Survey after survey shows that employers are desperate for employees who can think critically, manage themselves, be organized, learn new information, and trouble-shoot problems. This situation will only get worse; according to economic forecasting, the next several years will be prosperous, but growth will be dramatically stunted by the lack of qualified candidates in the workforce. Schools simply churn out students who have only learned how to answer pre-determined questions.

• Time Magazine, November, 2013: The Real Reason New College Grads Can’t Get Hired – …”the problem with the unemployability of these young adults goes way beyond a lack of STEM skills. As it turns out, they can’t even show up on time (or) organize a team project…” they don’t have soft skills!
• Oakland County Workforce Development Skills Needed Assessment Project – Of the top 57 skills listed by emerging sector employees, 95% are soft skills!
• 2013 State of St. Louis Workforce Report
• Lack of Soft Skills Negatively Impacts Today’s U.S. Workforce– Senior Executives Say U.S. Skills Gap Much More Than Dearth of Technical, Computer Skills
• NACE – Qualities Employers Want– 7 out of Top Ten Skills Listed Are Soft Skills; Technical Skills Placed at Bottom of the List
• Annual Talent Shortage Survey from Manpower Group–20% of vacant positions go unfilled due to lack of qualified soft skills.
• Bridge the Gap: Analyzing the Student Skill Index – Only 49% of graduates have the proper soft skills required by hiring managers; STEM-majors are slightly more prepared, with a 55% satisfaction rating over a 42% satisfaction rating for non-STEM majors.
• Oakland County Economic Outlook 2014-2016 – Oakland County is a national leader in business development and economic prosperity. According to this report, prepared by the Institute for Research on Labor, Employment, & the Economy from the University of Michigan, opportunity is expected to expand dramatically, causing serious reductions in quality workforce (pgs 17-24). (30-year history of this report has a 1.7% error margin.)

The Solution:
Education that is relevant to… workplace needs.

The data listed above clearly outlines the urgent need to make education relevant to the skills employers needs in the workplace. Even on the edge of a severe economic recession, 20% of job openings remain vacant due to a lack of soft skills.
In education, “soft skills” and “study skills” are used synonymously:
The Cost of NOT Teaching Soft Skills