There is a lot of talk in our regional business community that students are not prepared to enter the workforce. One such organization, The Westchester County Association, is addressing the skills gap head on by overseeing a large regional grant to help put people together with employers who need each other, and by hosting boot camps to help fill skills gaps in the local Westchester County community, in coordination with our local colleges. This is a great help for many people whose skills do not currently match employer needs.
Frankly, though, for many years at The College of Westchester (CW), we prepare our grads for reasonable, measured success and consult with employers regularly to assess their needs and skills gaps in the local and regional workforce. This is a big part of what we do.
Part of this preparation discussion should also be about expectations that new college grads themselves have and how colleges help prepare new grads for the workforce while they are still in school. At CW, we offer comprehensive programs leading to focused career fields. Functions, such as job fairs, portfolio review days, meaningful internships, services and strategies for connecting employers and students about to graduate, are all keys for student development and graduate success. All of our students declare a major when they start school. At CW, it is actually rare for a student to change their major part way through, though it does happen occasionally.
Proper counseling at the front end of a student’s enrollment lifecycle helps them identify their professional goals, raw talents and preferences. Even though 60% of our students are of traditional age when they start college, they are able to choose a professional path, the right major and stick with it. Proper training nearing the end of a student’s college life includes customer service, interviewing and many other professional skills that most students do not encounter in the traditional classroom. All colleges and universities should do this.
I truly believe that it is key for a student to graduate prepared to enter the workforce, with not only a stellar education, but with specific understanding of what will be expected of them professionally. That understanding should encompass how a new grad fits into the corporate infrastructure, what specific skills and tasks their first job might actually entail upon graduation, as well as expectations about what it takes to be a contributing member of a business team and a reasonable understanding of timeline trajectory for professional success. This intense and practical knowledge can help grads connect the dots between employer expectations and their own graduate expectations. Better professional skills, proper expectations and a great attitude can aid both employers and new hires to make it all work well, from the very beginning of a graduate’s career.
In addition to what I have stated above, the need for a focused education that truly prepares students to take on very specific jobs with very specific skill set is a need that employers are very open to talking about. Our college advisory council is made up of corporate representatives from every major that we offer at CW. Connecting in this practical way with the corporate community helps us to keep aware of market and skills needs that are trending, in order to adapt curriculum so students are ready to meet those needs upon graduation.
With rare exception, most graduates who receive an associate or baccalaureate degree must know that they will not be promoted to a vice presidency immediately. It takes hard work and additional training to climb the corporate ladder. Being able to feel comfortable starting on the bottom rung and willing and able to take on those entry-level duties are the foundation of a wonderful career.
Let’s not confuse delusions of grandeur with dreams and plans. Every single one of us should dream, and dream big. The elbow grease, willingness, belief in self, and the training to get started is one key to long term success.