2. Speakers Moderator Ronald A. Crutcher
President
University of Richmond
Lynn Pasquerella President, AAC&U
Lenore P. Rodicio
Executive Vice President and Provost
Miami Dade College
C. Edward Watson
Chief Information Officer and Associate Vice President for Quality, Advocacy, and LEAP Initiatives
AAC&U

3. Use Q&A for: Panel discussion Use Chat for: Technology support
#AACUemployers
Slides and recording will be posted online:

4. Fulfilling the American Dream:
Liberal Education and the Future of Work
Key findings from surveys of business executives and hiring managers conducted May-June 2018
Conducted on behalf of
12360
Note: vertical expressions for subgroups except where noted
with support from
Report freely available at

5. Selected Highlights from the Report
Employers on the Value of College
Their Sense of Recent Graduates’ Preparedness
Employers’ Priorities for College Learning
Their Views on Transcripts and ePortfolios
Employers and Professional Development

6. Survey Methodology 501 business executives 500 hiring managers
Executives at private sector and nonprofit organizations, including owners, CEOs, presidents, C-suite level executives, vice presidents, and directors
500 hiring managers
Non-executives (directors, managers, supervisors, office administrators) whose current job responsibilities include recruiting, interviewing, and/or hiring new employees
Companies that have at least 25 employees and
Report that 25% or more of their new hires hold either an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree.

7. Employers on the Value of College

8. Employer Confidence in Colleges and Universities
This is higher than confidence in colleges and universities among adults nationwide:
45%
54%
(January 2018, Gallup)
63%
63%
37%
37%
Business executives
Hiring managers

9. Confidence in Colleges/Universities, by Region
Have a great deal/quite a lot of confidence in colleges/universities
Business executives
Hiring managers
BY REGION
Northeast
65%
60%
South
67%
63%
Midwest
69%
71%
West
53%
59%
Q.3
Significantly different from all executives or all hiring managers.

10. Importance of Completing a College Education
82%
75%
25%
18%
Business executives
Hiring managers

11. Evaluation of Whether a College Degree Is Worth the Time and Money Involved
88%
85%
Business executives
Hiring managers

12. Sense of Recent Graduates’ Preparedness

13. Satisfaction with Recent Graduates’ Ability to Apply Skills and Knowledge They Learned in College to Complex Problems in the Workplace
74%
71%
Business executives
Hiring managers

14. Proportions of Recent College Grad Applicants Who Have Full Set of Skills/Knowledge
Succeed in entry-level positions at the company
= 57% all/most have
= 60% all/most have
Advance/be promoted within the company
= 34% all/most have
= 25% all/most have

15. Employers’ Priorities for College Learning

16. Very Important Skills for Recent College Graduates We Are Hiring

17. Would be MUCH More Likely to Hire Recent Grad with this Experience
Much/ somewhat more likely
93% 94%
72% 83%
82% 72%
81% 81%
80% 76%
71% 78%
54% 47%

18. Employers’ Views on Transcripts and ePortfolios

19. (in addition to resume and transcript)
Usefulness of College Transcripts in Evaluating Recent Graduates’ Potential to Succeed
Usefulness of College Work ePortfolio in Evaluating Recent Grads’ Potential to Succeed
(in addition to resume and transcript)
81%
78%
51%
48%
Business executives
Hiring managers
Business executives
Hiring managers

20. Employers and Professional Development

21. Does your company provide professional development; if so, what is its main focus?
79%
79%
Business executives
Hiring managers

22. Types of Professional Development Company/ Organization Provides

23. Company / Higher Education Partnerships
Business executives
Hiring managers

24. Ways Company Partners with Colleges / Universities
Business execs
Hiring mgrs
Offer service learning, internships, apprenticeships to students
30%
32%
Leaders/staff serve on boards to advise on curriculum development
20%
17%
Employees are adjunct faculty to teach courses our company needs
18%
15%
Company sponsors a scholarship at a college or university
Collaborate to develop industry-specific degrees or credentials
16%
13%
Host college/university course(s) at company’s location
12%
11%

25. Implications for Community Colleges and Workforce Training Programs
Lenore P. Rodicio, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President & Provost
Miami Dade College

26. Key Learning Outcomes in Workforce Training Programs
Two key strategies:
Align general education courses to skills courses
Embed key learning outcomes throughout the curriculum
It’s not a question of either/or but of both/and.

27. Applied Learning in Workforce Training Programs
Service learning and project-based learning
Research experiences
Internships
Apprenticeships
Key to the success of these applied learning experiences is co-development with 4-year transfer partners and industry partners.

28. Implications for the Pathways Movement
If we are to develop meaningful pathways that ensure not only degree attainment but key skill attainment, we need to ensure:
Intentional inclusion of learning outcomes and general education courses
Clearly articulated applied learning opportunities
Progression of learning that highlights students’ ability to take on the challenge of more complex learning

29. Implications for 4-Year Colleges and Universities
Ronald A. Crutcher, D.M.A.
President
University of Richmond

30. General Reactions
Employers, hiring managers, and business leaders know what they want
College degree is still a critical credential for new hires
Time and cost of pursuing a college degree pays off

31. Lifelong Learning
Employers perceive a gap in the skills needed for the first job, and those needed to advance
We must prepare students to be lifelong learners
Degree attainment should not be a box-checking exercise
Curriculum design and implementation should center lifelong learning as a desired outcome

32. Employer-College Feedback Loop
Employers need to communicate with colleges and universities about their needs, and not just through employment reports
Career services staff should be proactive in seeking employer feedback and incorporating it into career preparation and program design

33. Professional Development
Requires investment from both colleges and universities AND employers
Students want to work for companies ready to invest in them
84% indicated that the “opportunity to develop job-specific skills” was the most important attribute they sought from potential employers (NACE, 2017)
Colleges and universities need to invest in professional development programs and opportunities for their students

34. High-Impact Practices and Experiential Learning
Internships are a vital component in the hiring decisions of employers – a differentiator among similarly qualified applicants
Career services units have to be prepared both to help students effectively search for and apply to internship AND to accept them
Accepting low-paid or unpaid internships is not possible for many low-income students
Commit to access for all students to internships- The Richmond Guarantee
Active cultivation of alumni network is crucial

35. Use Q&A for: Panel discussion Use Chat for: Technology support
Slides and recording will be posted online:

36. Moderated Discussion #AACUemployers
Moderator
Ronald A. Crutcher
President
University of Richmond
Lynn Pasquerella President, AAC&U
Lenore P. Rodicio
Executive Vice President and Provost
Miami Dade College
C. Edward Watson
Chief Information Officer and Associate Vice President for Quality, Advocacy, and LEAP Initiatives
AAC&U