As multiple industries face workforce disruptions, employers are taking a hard look at whether higher education is keeping up with their workforce needs. Graduates face a disconnect between what they can bring to the workplace and the skills employers say they need most.
According to a 2023 employer survey and report from the American Association of Colleges and Universities, only half of employers believe college graduates are “very prepared” for the workforce when it comes to skills like oral and written communication, critical thinking and complex problem-solving.
The problem lies in the fact that some colleges still treat workforce partnerships as a transactional exchange, instead specializing in credentials for specific jobs rather than equipping students with broader, adaptable skillsets through sustained employer partnerships with a shared purpose.
Employers have identified a need for more than just a steady stream of graduates with specific degrees—they need strategic partners capable of working with them to address workforce challenges. It’s not the number of graduates that should serve as the ultimate output for colleges but the skills that institutions equip their students.
To bridge the talent gap, higher education should take an approach less like a vendor and more like a design partner in its engagement with businesses.
An upskilling disconnect
The best partnerships work like supply chains. It’s not just about shipping parts but aligning production to meet demand.
They work together to diagnose challenges, identify opportunities, and develop tailored strategies to reach shared organizational goals. Colleges that embrace this mindset should do the same by actively engaging with employers to understand their evolving needs and delivering education and training programs that are customized to workforce demands—helping to promote and accelerate organizational growth.
By working more closely with local employers and organizations, colleges can pinpoint the industries and skills most vital to a region’s workforce. This collaborative approach allows institutions and employers to co-develop curricula, design industry-aligned credentials, and deliver collaborative education and training programs that prioritize career readiness over degree output.
The need for this shift is clear. Together with our parent organization, Strategic Education, Inc., we conducted a survey of 2,000 full-time, U.S.-based employees in 2024. The survey found that half of U.S. workers are worried about gaining the skills needed to advance their careers, despite 74% receiving upskilling opportunities from their employers.
It also revealed a significant disconnect between the upskilling opportunities employers provide, and the upskilling opportunities employees feel they need.
For example, of the U.S.-based full-time employees surveyed, 49% indicate feeling they could improve their technology skills to advance in their current job, 46% indicate they could improve hard skills, and 45% indicate they could improve communication skills. This disparity points to a major opportunity for colleges to step in and help provide more targeted, skills-aligned training.
Bridging the talent gap
The starting point is simple: talk to employers and workforce leaders and figure out what they need. Then, collaborate with them to design training programs that align with both employee aspirations and employer demands.
A company, for example, could have openings for specific roles like cybersecurity analysts, but the skills they need might extend beyond technical expertise to soft skills like problem-solving and collaboration. And they might not even realize it.
Too often, workforce training focuses solely on job-specific competencies while overlooking the critical communication, leadership, and thinking skills that allow employees to thrive and grow.
By providing clear, flexible pathways to both the technical and durable skills employees are seeking, institutions can position themselves as indispensable allies in workforce development.
Consider Charlotte, North Carolina, a city experiencing demand for technology skills across industries. To help address this regional demand, the city of Charlotte partnered with Strayer, where I serve as president, to help upskill their employees and meet growing workforce needs.
Strayer also has another partnership with Best Buy, the largest consumer electronics specialty retailer in North America. While providing employees with low-cost or free education is valuable, the real impact lies in designing programs that target specific, high-demand skills.
This ensures that investments made by both workers and companies translate into real career and business impact.
Thinking like market makers—organizations actively involved in shaping both supply and demand—enables colleges to broker stronger and more enduring relationships with businesses that can, ultimately, help generate better returns in the labor market for students.
By focusing on creating and sustaining partnerships that address the challenges of individual companies and industries, higher education can be a stronger bridge between education and the workforce—one that meets the needs of students, employers, and the broader economy.
