Job Outlook 2011: Career Preparedness Now Austin Forum February 18, 2011 Beverly Amer, Northern Arizona University

Why Career Preparedness is Important

Summary of Surveys & Reports

AAC&U Survey  Employers want: o Employees to use a broader set of skills o Colleges to help develop those skills AND in-depth skills/knowledge for a specific major or field o More 4-year college graduates  Employers support: o Assuring students are actually acquiring skills/knowledge o Using real-world settings to apply knowledge o Projects, active learning, research and evidence-based analysis o Emphasis on ethical decision-making

AAC&U Survey  How well are we doing in preparing graduates for the challenges of today’s global economy? Percentage of employers who say improvement is needed: 68%

AAC&U Survey  What employers suggest we do: 84%: Require a significant project before graduation that demonstrates: - depth of knowledge in major AND - acquisition of analytical, problem-solving & communication skill 81%: Have students complete an internship or community-based project to connect classroom to real world

AAC&U Survey, cont. 81%: Help develop skill to research issues and develop evidence- based analysis 73%: Set expectations for ethical behavior and support learning through debate of tough issues 60%: Challenge students to learn about cultural and ethnic diversity

Action Plan  What am I already doing well?  What needs attention?  Who has a great idea to share?

National Association of Colleges and Employers: Job Outlook 2011  College Hiring Forecast: “GOOD” o Up 5% for 2011 grads over last year o Up 23.5% in West  Low Demand For: o International students and associate degree graduates – less than 19% plan to recruit

Top Five Majors  Accounting  Finance  Electrical Engineering  Computer Engineering  Mechanical Engineering  General Business Management is 6 th  Other Computer-Related fields rank 7 th, 8 th, and 9th

What Employers Are Looking For  Strong emphasis on GPA as an interview screen o 75% of employers use a GPA screen  On resume’ – choosing one candidate over another o Leadership position o Major o High GPA (3.0 +) o Extra-curricular activities o School attended o Volunteer work

What About Work Experience?  72.4% prefer someone with relevant work experience o Internships count here

Skill Most In Demand? Communication o Students using on-campus practice interview services found positions ahead of those who didn’t  Other attributes near the top: o Strong work ethic o Initiative o Interpersonal skills o Problem-solving and analytical skills o Teamwork skills

Oddly Enough…  Attributes employers list as MOST LACKING in college graduates? o Communication skill o Flexibility/adaptability o Initiative o Problem-solving and analytical skills o Teamwork skills o Strong work ethic o Note: technical and computer skills seem to be acceptable

Bureau of Labor Statistics:  Of the projected increase in jobs, 96% will be in service industries o Largest in terms of growth:  Professional and business services  Health care and social assistance

Action Plan – part 2 What are my students getting? o Oral Communication Skill o Written Communication Skill o Problem Solving/Critical Thinking o Teamwork o Innovation/Creativity o Knowledge Acquisition o Quantitative & Statistical Analysis

Why I Teach Communication Skills  “I submitted the wrong one, i will attach it to this file, oh and i put average next to the average cause it didnt make sence not to, and im sorry if i was just meant to tell you and you would forget about that one but i dont know if i will be here in the morning to check my but ya i will just attach it to this file, well see you tomorrow”

Cengage Resources  Visit the Interactive Learning Center  Ask your sales rep about: Portfolio Projects for Soft Skills 2e  Other titles in the Cengage family of products

Sources  AAC&U “Raising the Bar” o  NACE “Job Outlook 2011” o (membership or fee required)  Bureau of Labor Statistics o “Employment Projection: ”