How Universities are Preparing Graduates for the Workforce
In recent years, US universities have recognized the need to better prepare their graduates for the workforce. The rapid shift to remote learning during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the lack of office etiquette and soft skills among students. As a result, universities are now offering special handouts, workshops, and even how-to dinners to help bridge this gap.
The Changing Landscape of Office Life
The fear of disruption in education is not limited to universities alone. New graduates, too, are concerned about the transition from academia to the workplace. They worry about collaborating with peers, making face-to-face presentations, and building personal networks. The expectation gap between the scientific world of research and the practical world of work can be daunting for many graduates.
Universities Respond with Assistance
To address these concerns, universities are taking proactive steps to support their graduates. For example, Michigan State University has started asking companies to provide explicit guidance on the first day of a new hire, including instructions on what to wear and where to have lunch. They also give students tips on how to handle networking conversations, such as recognizing signs of boredom and knowing when it’s time to move on.
Miami University has taken it a step further by organizing a dinner with senior executives to teach proper dinner etiquette. This opportunity allows students to learn how to eat quickly, politely butter their bread, and hold conversations on neutral topics. These skills are valuable in professional settings and can make a significant difference in one’s career.
Additional Training from Employers
Companies are also recognizing the need to provide additional training for new college graduates. Deloitte and PwC in the UK, for example, have committed to offering extra training in presentations and effective communication. According to Jackie Henry, managing partner for people and purpose at Deloitte UK, there is a greater need for employers to provide essential professional and work-related skills that were not previously required.
Challenges of Distance Learning
The shift to distance learning during the pandemic has raised questions about the effectiveness of online education. While some believe online classes may work better for larger introductory courses, smaller classes suffer from the lack of in-person discussions. A survey conducted at City College of New York found that students reported varied experiences with online learning, depending on the nature of the course.
For younger students, the data is less positive. Students who experienced distance learning during the pandemic reported lower scores in reading and math compared to their peers who had pre-pandemic education. Even students with only short periods of online learning fared worse academically. The impact of distance learning on educational outcomes is still a topic of debate and further research is needed.
Gen Z’s Perspective on Office Work
Interestingly, the experience of distance learning during the pandemic seems to have made younger workers more willing to embrace office work. Gen Z employees, in particular, have expressed a greater preference for working in an office compared to their millennial counterparts. A report by Morning Consult found that almost 90% of Gen Z employees who prefer working in an office reported higher productivity.
Expanding on the Topic: The Importance of Soft Skills in the Workplace
In addition to the challenges universities and companies face in preparing graduates for the workforce, there is a growing recognition of the importance of soft skills in today’s professional world. While technical skills are crucial for job performance, it is the ability to communicate, work in teams, and adapt to changing environments that can differentiate one’s success in the workplace.
Soft skills encompass a wide range of abilities, including effective communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, teamwork, leadership, and time management. These skills are not typically taught in traditional academic settings but can make a significant impact on an individual’s career progression.
With the rise of remote work and virtual collaboration, the need for strong soft skills has become even more pronounced. Effective communication becomes essential when team members are not physically present in the same location. Problem-solving and critical thinking skills are important for navigating complex challenges and finding innovative solutions.
Employers are increasingly recognizing the value of soft skills and incorporating them into their hiring and training processes. The ability to work well with others, adapt to change, and demonstrate emotional intelligence are qualities that employers often seek in potential candidates.
To develop and enhance soft skills, individuals can seek out professional development opportunities, such as workshops, seminars, and online courses. These programs can provide valuable insights and practical strategies for improving communication, teamwork, and leadership abilities.
In conclusion, universities and employers are taking proactive measures to address the gaps in education that have been identified during the pandemic. Special handouts, workshops, and training programs are being offered to prepare graduates for the workplace. The importance of soft skills, such as effective communication and teamwork, is increasingly recognized by employers. As the world of work continues to evolve, continuous learning and development of both technical and soft skills are crucial for success.
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US universities are offering special handouts, workshops and even how-to dinners to help prepare new graduates for the workforce, amid fears that education will be disrupted for years—including a rushed move to distance learning in the early months of the COVID pandemic – has left students lacking in office etiquette and soft skills.
The universities are not alone in this fear. Everyday office life and the changed expectations between science and the world of work also worries the students. New graduates expressed concerns about collaborating with peers, making face-to-face presentations, and building personal networks Wall Street Journal. One student even shared his surprise that office deadlines were harder to push than college assignment deadlines.
The universities are trying to help. Michigan State University asks companies to provide explicit guidance on the first day of a hire, including what to wear and where to have lunch, the reports Wall Street Journal. The school also gives students tips on how to handle a networking conversation – including looking for signs that the other party is getting bored and it’s time to move on.
Miami University even organized a dinner with senior executives to learn proper dinner etiquette, said a recent graduate of the Ohio-based school Wall Street Journal. Advice includes: how to eat quickly, how to politely butter your bread, and how to hold a conversation on neutral topics.
Additional training
In addition, companies offer additional training to new college graduates to bring them up to speed.
Earlier this year, the British arms of Deloitte and PwC said they would give They hire additional training for presentations and how to interact in meetings.
“There is a greater need for employers to provide training in essential professional and work-related skills that were not required in previous years,” said Jackie Henry, managing partner for people and purpose at Deloitte in the UK Financial Times. “Many [new employees] are used to working in isolation, so they struggle with teamwork.”
It’s not just Americans and Europeans who fear a return to regular office life. A smile coach in Japan told this New York Times that their business was booming after the government relaxed its face mask-wearing guidelines earlier this year.
Some CEOs, like Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Salesforce’s Marc Benioff, believe now New employees need a few hours of presence in the office to acquire the necessary skills.
“Engineers who either joined Meta in person and then went remote or stayed on-site have, on average, performed better than people who joined remotely,” Zuckerberg said wrote in a memo earlier this year. (Meta will dictate it three days office time every week, starting in September.)
distance learning
It’s not yet clear whether distance learning has resulted in poorer educational outcomes overall during the pandemic.
In higher educationOnline classes may work better for large introductory classes, while the lack of in-person discussions hurts smaller classes, they say a survey of students at City College of New York to be published in late 2021.
For younger students, the data is less positive. Students from the time of the pandemic report lower values in reading and math than their pre-pandemic peers, with larger declines among students with longer online courses. Still even students with only short periods of distance learning fared worse.
Still, Gen Z’s experience with distance learning may have made them more willing to work in an office than their slightly older peers.
Younger workers in general report a greater preference for personal work than their millennial peers. According to this, almost 90% of Gen Z employees who want to work in an office report higher productivity a report from April by Morning Consult.
https://fortune.com/2023/06/16/college-graduates-office-culture-dress-codes-email-soft-skills-training/
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