Employers report that a large portion of recent college graduates are struggling in the workplace. Managers are dealing with poor work ethic, lack of taking personal responsibility, and poor communication skills – both verbal and written.

What can colleges do?

Most schools are already challenged by shrinking resources and having to do more with less. College career centers are doing all they can to simply see that their graduates can write a presentable resume and get through a job interview. Who has time to teach students the “soft skills” that they will need to be a success in their jobs after graduation?

The fact is that doing nothing is not an option. Soaring tuition debt has made students and their families more demanding in terms of the outcomes they expect to get from a college education. And it’s clear that the government at several levels has started to scrutinize just what these students are getting in return for their tuition dollars.

How can we help these students not just get jobs, but hang on to them and be successful?

A three step approach

In “Hard Truths about Soft Skills,” Alfred Poor draws on the results from a broad range of research and studies, looking at the current situation from the point of view of college staff, employers, and recent graduates themselves. He then lays a foundation that explains some of the reasons why the current generation of college students are fundamentally different from those of 10 or 20 years ago. And then he helps develop practical strategies that can be adopted campus-wide to help give these students the skills and behaviors that their employers expect and that will bring satisfaction and success in their jobs.

How to use this program

Alfred Poor can present this program in different formats to meet your specific needs. It works well as a keynote or breakout presentation for faculty and staff development events or professional association conferences and meetings. It also can be presented as an interactive workshop if more time is available, where participants will get reference materials and the opportunity to develop their own campus-wide strategies to address these issues.