Sources: *Hart Research Associates. Forthcoming. Falling Short? College Learning and Career Success. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities. **Gallup. 2014. Great Jobs, Great Lives: The 2014 Gallup-Purdue Index Report. Washington, DC: Gallup.

AAC&U CENTENNIAL SYMPOSIUM America’s Global Future: Are College Students Prepared?

Connecting College Learning and Career Success

Employers prioritize liberal and applied learning for all college students. Nearly all employers (91 percent) agree that for career success, “a candidate’s demonstrated

capacity to think critically, communicate clearly, and solve complex problems is more important than his or her undergraduate major.”*

Nearly all employers (96 percent) agree that “all college students should have experiences that teach them how to solve problems with people whose views are different from their own.”

More than three-quarters (78 percent) agree that “all college students should gain intercultural skills and an understanding of societies and countries outside the United States.”

Employers endorse broad learning as essential to long-term career success. When hiring recent graduates, employers place the greatest priority on a demonstrated

proficiency in skills and knowledge that cut across majors. Of 17 outcome areas tested, written and oral communication, teamwork skills, ethical decision making, critical thinking, and the ability to apply knowledge in real-world settings are the most highly valued by employers.*

Confirming findings from four previous national surveys extending back to 2006, employers overwhelmingly endorse broad learning and cross-cutting skills as the best preparation for long-term career success. When asked in the latest survey, only 15 percent chose field-specific learning alone as the best preparation for long-term success.*

Employers strongly endorse an emphasis on applied learning and view student work on applied learning projects as valuable preparation for work. Students agree that applied learning projects are valuable. 73 percent think that requiring college students to complete a significant applied learning

project before graduation would improve the quality of their preparation for careers.* 60 percent think that all students should be expected to complete a significant applied

learning project before graduating.* 87 percent of employers agree that they are somewhat or much more likely to consider a

graduate as a job candidate if she or he has completed a senior project.* Gallup reports that college graduates who did internships, were involved in extracurricular

activities, and worked on a project that took a semester or more to complete were twice as likely to be engaged at work. Only 6 percent of graduates report experiencing all three of these things. About one-third report doing a significant project.**

89 percent of students agree that doing an applied learning project would increase their likelihood of being hired.*

Source: *Hart Research Associates. 2015. Falling Short? College Learning and Career Success. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.

Students feel more prepared in key areas than employers think recent college graduates are.

Proportions Who Believe They/Recent College Graduates Are Well Prepared in Each

Area*

Employers give college graduates low scoresfor preparedness across learning outcomes;students think they are better prepared.

42%

34%

43%

55%

44%

48%

59%

59%

57%

66%

65%

55%

62%

64%

62%

46%

64%

15%

16%

18%

18%

21%

21%

23%

24%

25%

26%

27%

28%

28%

29%

30%

37%

37%

Employers Students

Proportions saying they/recent college graduates are well prepared in each area†

†8-10 ratings on zero-to-ten scale

Working with othersin teams

Staying current on technologies

Ethical judgment and decision making

Locating, organizing, evaluating information

Oral communication

Working with numbers/ statistics

Written communication

Critical/analytical thinking

Being innovative/ creative

Analyzing/solving complex problems

Applying knowledge/ skills to real world

Awareness/experience of diverse cultures in US

Staying current on developments in science

Working with people from diff. backgrounds

Staying current on global developments

Proficient in other language

Awareness/experience of diverse cultures

outside US