Colleges urging their students to break out of their comfort zones and engage with the community are developing core soft skills, a trait today's employers believe graduates don't posses.
Colleges striving to create career-conscious students are faltering, and all stakeholders are responsible, according to a whitepaper by WGU Labs, an affiliate of Western Governors University working to improve student outcomes.
Nine out of 10 Gen Z high school graduates who are either pursuing or pursued a non-degree alternative, like credentials, report being satisfied with their decision, according to a survey from the American Student Assistance and Jobs for the Future.
A report by Momentive found that students believe AI renders their critical thinking skills obsolete, echoing similar alarms other professionals have sounded about the powerful technology.
Recent state legislation and partnerships have greatly improved institutions' abilities to pump out a skilled workforce by improving student resources and offering flexible. affordable bachelor's degree attainment opportunities.
For high schoolers who are still eager to enroll in college, both parents and students are more motivated to apply to a college or university whose programs best align with students' career interests, not the academic reputation of the school.
According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, colleges can anticipate a substantial rise in STEM enrollment as a 10.8% bump in growth in the field is predicted by 2031.
Part of why women feel limited in their career choices has to do with a disconnect between aptitude and interest, along with lingering stereotypes about what industries they are "expected" to enter after high school, the report suggests.