The Chronicle of Higher Education on March 4, 2013 (http://chronicle.com/article/The-Employment-Mismatch/137625/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en#id=overview)
reports on a new survey of employers, who complain (as they regularly do) about the poor qualifications of the college graduates they hire: “While fresh hires had the right technical know-how for the job, said most employers in the survey, they grumbled that colleges weren't adequately preparing students in written and oral communication, decision-making, and analytical and research skills. “
What do they expect? About 52 per cent of American undergraduates receive degrees in specific vocational fields, most often in business, management or accounting. Another substantial group majors in engineering, and related fields such as computer science. Many employers require a degree for entry level positions. That means they exclude a lot of promising talent, esp. majors in the liberal arts and sciences. But the cluster of skills that employers complain are lacking are more likely to be found in the liberal arts and sciences than in vocational fields. That comes clear from studies such as that by Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa
http://www.ssrc.org/workspace/images/crm/new_publication_3/%7Bfcfb0e86-b346-e111-b2a8-001cc477ec84%7D.pdf.
Before they complain, employers might take a closer look at their hiring practices.
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