Many of the differences were related to skills both students and employers believe are necessary. For example, 65 percent of the students felt their writing skills were strong enough for the professional world. But only 27 percent of employers said college students were well-prepared with that skill.
Another example is the students’ ability to work with persons with whom they have little in common. The study showed 55 percent of students felt they were well prepared in this area. But only 18 percent of employers felt the same.
Debra Humphreys is the senior vice president for academic planning and public engagement at the Association of American Colleges and Universities. She says there are several reasons why these differences in opinion exist.
For one thing, she says, the beliefs of both employers and students are unrealistic. Employers are not valuing the skills students offer as much as they should, she says. Also, students may feel they are more prepared than they actually are.
Another reason is that the American economy has changed and employers are asking more of their employees than ever before, she says. Technology helps workers do more with less. The current generation of college students is highly skilled with technology. But there is a limit to what employers can expect from a young person with little professional experience, Humphreys says.
She adds that some college professors or other faculty have not given enough thought to how the classes they will teach will help students find jobs or be good employees.
"We have to do a much better job of talking to students much earlier about what employers are expecting, so that students themselves know earlier in their college careers that these are things they need to work on more than once and over time they need to hone these skills. And then I also think we don’t do a very good job in higher education of really intentionally helping students prepare for and make that transition from college to career.