Employers and Higher Education in US – Broad learning is essential and participation in internships or apprenticeships gives an edge they say

Employers continue to endorse broad learning as essential to long-term career success.

When hiring, executives and hiring managers place a high priority on graduates’ demonstrated proficiency in skills and knowledge that cut across majors, and hiring managers are closely aligned with executives in the importance that they place on key college learning outcomes.

As noted above, the college learning outcomes that both audiences rate as most important include oral communication, critical thinking, ethical judgment, working effectively in teams, written communication, and real-world application of skills and knowledge.

The report summarizes selected findings from two parallel national surveys—one of 501 business executives at private sector and nonprofit organizations and another of 500 hiring managers whose current job responsibilities include recruiting, interviewing, and/or hiring new employees. Both executives and hiring managers express a higher degree of confidence in colleges and universities than does the American public. They also agree upon the value of college and believe that it is both important and worth the investment of time and money.

Business executives and hiring managers indicate that participation in applied and project-based learning experiences—particularly internships or apprenticeships—gives recent college graduates an edge.

Internships and apprenticeships stand out as the applied learning experiences most highly valued by employers: 93 percent of executives and 94 percent of hiring managers say that they would be more likely to hire a recent graduate who has held an internship or apprenticeship with a company or organization.
When considering a job candidate, large majorities of business executives and hiring managers say that completion of other types of applied and project-based learning experiences would give a recent graduate an advantage in the hiring process.
While both audiences value applied experiences and real-world skills, only 33 percent of executives and 39 percent of hiring managers think that recent graduates are very well prepared to apply knowledge and skills to real-world settings.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at via Fulfilling the American Dream: Liberal Education and the Future of Work | Association of American Colleges & Universities