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Bringing Community Voices Together: The Role of Higher
Education in Building the Workforce, and the Society, We
Want
National Talent Dividend MeetingApril 8, 2014
Introduce community dialogues/forums as a tool to generate buy-in, connect varied players and provide a foundation for future work
Point you to resource materials to conduct education and workforce forums
Conduct a mini-forum Provide take-home materials to use in your
communities
Goals for this session:
Generate community buy-in De-politicize a complex topic Make connections among varied players
Make sure everyone is on the same page
Provide a framework and foundation for future work
Why start a community-wide dialogue?
Encouraging Involvement Formal Groups Informal Groups Youth to Seniors Ethnic groups
Reach out through existing and trusted
organizations
Businesses & business organizations
Professional associations Civic/service
organizations Neighborhood
associations Education organizations Churches Non-profits
Resources for Starting a Dialogue
Everyday Democracy
Public Agenda
Civic Enterprises
Videos
Part of a National Conversation
Kettering Foundation focuses on strengthening democracy
Foundation develops discussion materials on a wide range of topics – from Social Security to violence in schools
What is the role of higher education in the community?
What trends are impacting higher education in the community?
What is the community doing well? What areas could use improvement? What are your priorities?
Starting a Community Conversation
A Mini-Forum:Shaping Our Future
The Role of Higher Education
Name and affiliation
One word that comes to mind when you think about the future of higher education in your community
A concern?A trend we need to pay attention to?An opportunity we should take advantage of?
Introductions
Promoting Global Competitiveness Broadening Student Perspectives and Enhancing Soft Skills
Providing Access and Opportunity
Three Key Roles
Globalization has re-written the rules of competition – our competitors are making huge investments in human capital
The talent bar is rising – while a HS diploma prepared you for 75% of jobs in 1973, today almost 75% require more skills
Employers are sending the message that graduates aren’t prepared
Expectations for ROI for our education and workforce development dollars are increasing
Role of Higher Education in Global Competitiveness
What role should higher education play in helping the community stay competitive? Should this be different for public vs. private institutions?
Are grads meeting business needs? What about research vs. education roles? What are the schools in the region doing to
interest students in pursuing higher education in STEM fields?
What are your thoughts about majors that don’t lead directly to jobs?
Should state funding be based on job outcomes?
Global Competitiveness Discussion
Global Competitiveness Assessment
What is our community doing well?
What could our community be doing better?
“In the past we would have said we wanted men who were physically fit, educated and disciplined. Now, we want someone who wants to belong to a value-based group, who can communicate, who is inquisitive, and who has an instinct to collaborate.” Martin Dempsey, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
“What makes a new graduate stand out from equally qualified competitors is evidence of the ‘soft skills’ needed in the workplace. Employers prize skills such as communication skills, the ability to work in a team, and problem-solving skills.” NACE Job Outlook 2013
Role of Higher Education in Developing Soft Skills
What role should higher education play in helping students develop soft skills – even if this doesn’t lead directly to a job? Should this be different for two-year vs. four-year institutions?
How important do you think it is for higher education to provide students with opportunities to learn about other cultures?
Do you think institutions should incorporate the teaching of ethical principles into their courses?
Should service-related work/learning be required?
Soft Skills Discussion
Soft Skills Assessment
What is our community doing well?
What could our community be doing better?
Rising costs and debt are a major concern More than two-thirds of the workforce in
2020 and nearly half of the workforce in 2030 is already working today
More than one in seven young people are neither working nor in school
The tools for learning and skill acquisition are changing – particularly online learning
Role of Higher Education in Ensuring Access and Opportunity
What percentage of young people in the community go on to post-secondary education? What role should higher education institutions play in helping students overcome barriers?
What role should higher education play in “recovering” adult learners?
What role should online courses play in increasing access to higher education? Benefits and downsides?
What about competency-based models to reduce time to a degree? Benefits and downsides?
How well-coordinated are K-12 and higher education in terms of helping to ensure preparedness?
Access and Opportunity Discussion
Access and Opportunity Assessment
What is our community doing well?
What could our community be doing better?
What else about higher education do you think is important that we haven’t talked about?
Higher education institutions can’t do everything. Do you think they should focus their attention on one particular option – and if so, which one?
We’ve talked about potential areas for improvement in each of the three areas of discussion. Is there any consensus about which two or three might be good starting points in terms of action in the community?
Next Steps
What are your views on the role of higher education?
Have they changed at all as part of this dialogue? Do you see ways to work together? What are you willing to do?
Please complete the questionnaire and give it to the moderator before you leave.
Thank you!
Questionnaire
We’d be glad to help you with planning and getting the materials you need:
Linda Hoke(919) [email protected]
Ted Abernathy(919) [email protected]
Interested in Holding a Forum in Your Community?
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