Many hiring managers say the post-secondary education system could better prepare students for the work force, according to a survey commissioned by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools and conducted by FTI Consulting.
"We want the institutions we accredit to focus on a student success model versus a sales model," says Dr. Al Gray, executive director of ACICS, which recently launched an effort that targets a series of workplace development problems regarding economic competitiveness, economic recovery and economic strength.
The survey shows that only 7 percent of respondents say the post-secondary education system does an "excellent" job preparing students for their careers. Fifty-four percent of respondents say it does a "good" job while 39 percent of respondents rank it as "fair" or "poor." Another 45 percent of respondents believe most students would be in better shape if their education specifically prepared them for the workplace.
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Respondents are also having trouble finding the right candidates for open positions. In fact, 54 percent of respondents say finding talent with the required skills and knowledge is difficult while only 16 percent of respondents say applicants are "very prepared" with the necessary knowledge and skills. Sixty-three percent of respondents report applicants being "somewhat prepared," and nearly one-quarter of respondents believe applicants are unprepared while employers say finding qualified applicants is becoming increasingly hard.
"ACICS-accredited institutions are focused on providing exactly the sort of workplace-appropriate skills that employees need to succeed in a tough economy," Gray says.
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