Help alumni develop the Skills of the Future.

Graduation caps being thrown in the air — Austin Blanchard on Unsplash

How many times do alumni come to you to tell you that they can’t get a job but they don’t know why?

You know it’s because they lack Skills of the Future, but how do you (1) promote to individuals what they need to know and (2) help them close those gaps?

According to SHRM’s “The Global Skills Shortage” report, Business and HR leaders view the skills shortage as a top concern that needs to be addressed. Among HR professionals, 75% of those having difficulty recruiting believe there is a skills shortage among their applicants. The market knows there is a problem.

We conducted a focus group with one university’s alumni where we asked one anonymous question, “Do you think you have the skills you need to be employable in the “new economy” in the next 5-10 years?”

For those who answered “not sure”, we asked why not.
For those who answered “no”, we asked how you know and what are you doing about it.
For those who answered “yes”, we asked how you know, what those skills are, what they did to attain them, and what they will do to maintain and enhancement them if they change over time.

***These skills are not often taught in higher ed and can’t be learned with courses***

My assumption going into the focus group was that most people would say “no, they don’t have the Skills of the Future”, but be a little lost about what to do about it.

I was shocked to find that the majority of participants said “yes”, they have the skills they need, but yet none of them could describe a single one of those skills.

We believe that this perceptual gap is the single biggest obstacle you face with success in your role.

You can’t fix a problem you don’t know you have. Becoming self-aware is the first step. That’s becoming aware of the Skills of the Future they need, how their skills compare to them, and what skill gaps they really have.

The assessment instruments you use to align preferences with possible jobs aren’t bad, it’s just likely they don’t motivate people to take action to close skill gaps. You need a solution that puts the focus smack where it belongs – on self-awareness and targeted action. Action that can actually address these Skills of the Future, which you can’t learn by watching videos.