69ý

School & District Management Report Roundup

Study Pinpoints Educator-Employer Disconnects

By Sarah D. Sparks — December 11, 2012 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

Despite efforts to improve college and career readiness, students, educators, and employers around the world still largely exist in “parallel worlds,” never really aligning the skills students learn in class with the ones they need after graduation, according to a new study by the McKinsey Center for Government.

The report released last week identifies obstacles at critical junctures of a student’s school-to-career path. For example, nearly a third of those who graduate from high school never enroll in college because of the expense. Of those who do enroll, about 60 percent of students say they wanted on-the-job training and hands-on job skills, but fewer than half had courses that met those goals. Once they graduate, 25 percent to 40 percent of students found they were unable to get a first job related to their college major. That matched employers’ experiences; 69 percent of employers reported difficulty in finding job candidates with the right skills. Effective training programs around the world had two common traits, the study found. First, educators and employers worked together with businesspeople helping to design curricula and place students in internships. Second, teachers and employers worked with students “early and intensely” to prepare them for a job.

Stakeholders Views on Job-Market Readiness

BRIC ARCHIVE

SOURCE: McKinsey Survey, August-September 2012

Researchers for the center, part of the international London-based research firm McKinsey & Co., surveyed students, education providers, and employers in nine countries: Brazil, Germany, India, Mexico, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. They also analyzed case studies of more than 100 education-to-work programs in 25 countries.

A version of this article appeared in the December 12, 2012 edition of Education Week as Study Pinpoints Educator-Employer Disconnects

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
AI and Educational Leadership: Driving Innovation and Equity
Discover how to leverage AI to transform teaching, leadership, and administration. Network with experts and learn practical strategies.
Content provided by 
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
Investing in Success: Leading a Culture of Safety and Support
Content provided by 
Assessment K-12 Essentials Forum Making Competency-Based Learning a Reality
Join this free virtual event to hear from educators and experts working to implement competency-based education.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

School & District Management Spooked by Halloween, Some 69ý Ban Costumes—But Not Without Pushback
69ý are tweaking Halloween traditions to make them more inclusive to all students.
4 min read
A group of elementary school kids sitting on a curb dressed in their Halloween costumes.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management 69ý Take a $3 Billion Hit From the Culture Wars. Here’s How It Breaks Down
Culturally divisive conflicts in schools have led to increased legal and security costs, as well as staff time spent on the fallout.
4 min read
Illustration of a businessman with his hands on his head while he watches dollars being sucked down into a dark hole.
DigitalVision Vectors
School & District Management Opinion The Blind Spot More Educators Need to Recognize
A simple activity in a training session caused a chain reaction that strengthened an educator's leadership for decades to come.
5 min read
Screen Shot 2024 10 29 at 9.19.10 AM
Canva
School & District Management Opinion 9 Ways 69ý Can Improve Life for Teachers and 69ý
Educators suggest low-cost strategies to improve the education experience for teachers and learners alike.
8 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week