There is an employee skill gap and higher
education isn’t doing enough to bridge it, according to the third Innovation
Imperative Poll conducted by Northeastern University. The survey found that 73%
of the business leaders who responded believe employees in the United States don’t
have all the skills they require, while 87% think most college graduates lack
the important skills needed to succeed.
Nationally, 54% of the business leaders
said they think the U.S. higher education system lags behind both developed and
emerging nations in preparing students for the workforce. Over the next 10-15
years, 27% of the leaders said they believe college graduates will be better
prepared to join the workforce, 32% predicted they will be less prepared, and
39% said they will be equally prepared.
Nearly all of the leaders (97%) said colleges
and universities in the U.S. must expand opportunities for experiential
learning and teach about entrepreneurship (89%).
“These
findings underscore a critical call to action for all of us in higher education
to innovate,” said Joseph E. Aoun, president of Northeastern. “Business leaders,
who are key partners for colleges and universities, want higher education to be
more experiential and want us to instill entrepreneurial qualities in our
graduates.”
