Today’s students are not ready for the workplace.
This is not a matter of opinion; it is a statement of fact. A long string of surveys and research studies have made this clear.
• Employers say so.
• College career center staff say so.
• Even recent college graduates say so.
In fact, the Career Advisory Board recently performed a study for the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) that asked college career center staff about their graduating students. Less than half of those surveyed thought that the majority of their students are well prepared to succeed in their first full-time job after graduation. And this is the view of the professionals whose job it is to help get these students to be successful after graduation.
The steps toward a solution:
We need to attack this problem on two fronts. Students need to be aware of the importance of the “soft skills” that are essential if they are going to succeed in their first job after college. And college staff and faculty need to coordinate their efforts to help their students understand these hard truths.
Alfred Poor addresses the needs of both of these audiences with programs that are filled with practical information that result in measurable outcomes. With humor and energy, he is a skilled teacher who can convey old-school concepts of initiative and responsibility backed by the latest research and analysis. He presents his message in a way that his audiences can take to heart and put into practice the moment they leave the room.
Alfred Poor’s programs for college audiences:
For students: SURVIVE the Corporate Jungle is a program suitable for a wide range of events, or as a stand-alone presentation. Based on the content from his book, “7 Success Secrets That Every College Student Needs to Know!” Alfred Poor presents a positive and upbeat view of what students can do to be successful in their first job after graduation. Click here for more information.
For staff and faculty: In Hard Truths about Soft Skills, Alfred Poor examines some of the rich information developed by recent surveys and studies, and provides an insightful analysis of the forces at work that make today’s students fundamentally different from those who graduated just 10 years ago. He then builds on this foundation to point the way that all aspects of campus life can work together to address the problems that so many of our recent graduates have faced. Click here for more information.
Hear Alfred Poor speak:
Alfred Poor will be the opening keynote speaker for the Intern Bridge August 2014 Career Services Online Conference:
