HARTRESEARCH

P e t e r D

A S S O T E SC I A

How Should Colleges Prepare Students To Succeed In

Today’s Global Economy?

Key findings from survey among 305 business leaders and 510 recent college graduates conducted

November 2 – December 5, 2006for

MethodologyMethodology Employers: 305 executives at companies that

have at least 25 employees, who report that 25% or more of their new hires hold at least a bachelor’s degree from a four-year college, conducted November 2 – December 5, 2006, margin of error = ±5.7 percentage points

Recent College Graduates: 510 people who graduated from a four-year college between 1997 and 2001, conducted November 13 – 19, 2006, margin of error = ±4.4 percentage points

70%

70%

73%

Employers On Importance Of College Employers On Importance Of College Education To Business And The Country Education To Business And The Country

% of employers who say colleges play a very important role

Ensuring U.S. ability to compete in the global

economy

Ensuring my company’s ability to compete

successfully

Ensuring U.S. companies’ ability to develop innovative

new products and services

* 76% believe innovation is a very important factor in the growth and strength of the U.S. economy.

Employers Express Concern About Employers Express Concern About Skill Level Of College GraduatesSkill Level Of College Graduates

63% of employers agree that “too many recent college graduates do not have the skills to be successful in today’s global economy.”

50%48%

49%49%

44%55%

59%39%

55%44%

53%46%

50%49%

Room For Improvement In Room For Improvement In College Graduates’ PreparednessCollege Graduates’ Preparedness

How well has college education prepared recent graduates in each area?

Recent Graduates Employers

Getting good entry level job

Long-term career success

Broad skills/knowledge to change career

Success in changing global economy

Success in entry level job

Advancement in my company

Contribute to company’s innovations

Extremely/very well Somewhat/less well

5%

11%

72%

56%

13%

22%

10%

11% Employers

Recent graduates

Balance of Broad Knowledge Balance of Broad Knowledge And Specific Skills PreferredAnd Specific Skills Preferred

Which of the following should be the main objective for our nation’s colleges and universities?

Focusing primarily on providing well-rounded

education

Focusing primarily on providing knowledge and

skills in a specific field

Focusing on providing a balance of both

Depends/not sure

Half Of Employed Recent Grads Expect Half Of Employed Recent Grads Expect To Always Work In Current FieldTo Always Work In Current Field

Three in four graduates who expect to remain in their current field (75%), as well as their colleagues who expect to change fields (73%), think a college education should provide a balance of a well-rounded education with knowledge/skills in a specific field.

14%

35% 51%

Not sure

Expect my job/career will always be in the

field in which I currently work

Expect I will change to another field at some

point in my career

Employed Recent Graduates(80% of all recent grads)

Employers: Top Priorities For Employers: Top Priorities For Increased Emphasis By Colleges Increased Emphasis By Colleges

% saying colleges should put more emphasis on each learning outcome

70%

70%

72%

73%

73%

73%

76%

82%Science and technology

developmentsTeamwork skills in

diverse settings

Applied knowledge inreal-world settings

Written/oral communication

Critical/analytical thinking

Global issues

Information literacy

Creativity/innovation

Employers: Other Areas In Need Employers: Other Areas In Need Of More Emphasis By Colleges Of More Emphasis By Colleges

% saying colleges should put more emphasis on each learning outcome

42%

46%

48%

53%

56%

60%

60%

64%Complex problem solving

U.S. role in the world

Quantitative literacy

Ethics and integrity

Cultural values/traditions

Civic engagement

Foreign language skill

Democracy/government

Recent Graduates: Top Priorities For Recent Graduates: Top Priorities For Increased Emphasis By Colleges Increased Emphasis By Colleges

% saying colleges should put more emphasis on each learning outcome

51%

52%

54%

55%

55%

56%

59%

67%Applied knowledge inreal-world settings

Science and technologydevelopments

Global issues

Critical/analytical thinking

Written/oral communication

Creativity/innovation

Ethics and integrity

Foreign language skill

Recent Graduates: Other Areas In Recent Graduates: Other Areas In Need Of More Emphasis By Colleges Need Of More Emphasis By Colleges

% saying colleges should put more emphasis on each learning outcome

Complex problem solving

Information literacy

Teamwork skills indiverse settings

Cultural values/traditions

Civic engagement

Democracy/government

U.S. role in the world

Quantitative literacy 34%

38%

39%

46%

46%

47%

48%

49%

Most Important Skills Employers Most Important Skills Employers Look For In New HiresLook For In New Hires

3%

9%

20%

21%

30%

33%

44%Teamwork skills

Critical thinking/ reasoning

Oral/written communication

Ability to assemble/organize information

Innovative/thinking creatively

Able to work with numbers/statisticsForeign language

proficiency

Which TWO skills/abilities are most important to you?

38%

37%

37%

10%

21%

4%

6%

Recentgraduates*

* Which two skills/abilities are most important to employers?

Employers

Real-World Application Of Knowledge Real-World Application Of Knowledge And Skills Is Seen As CriticalAnd Skills Is Seen As Critical

Employers: “They [students] learn the book knowledge: it’s all theory; it’s not

actual practice, and I do believe we need more practice.” Atlanta business

executive “I think internships do an amazing job in terms of educating people

versus your day-to-day everyday sitting in a class learning from a book.” Fairfax business executive

Recent graduates: 60% of graduates engaged in an internship.

88% rate it as very (56%) or fairly (32%) important in preparing them for their professional and career goals.

51% of graduates engaged in leadership of an on-campus student organization. 79% rate it as very (42%) or fairly (37%) important in preparing

them for their professional and career goals.

Educational Approach Assessment Educational Approach Assessment How important is it for today’s colleges and universities to provide the type of education

described below?

This particular approach to a four- year college education provides both broad knowledge in a variety of areas of study and more in-depth knowledge in a specific major or field of interest. It also helps students develop a sense of social responsibility, as well as intellectual and practical skills that span all areas of study, such as communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills, and a demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills in real-world settings.

26%

1%4%

69%

Employers

Not sure

Less/not important

Fairly important

Very important

* 76% of employers would recommend this type of education to a young person they know.

Educational Approach Assessment Educational Approach Assessment How important is it for today’s colleges and universities to provide the type of education

described below?

This particular approach to a four- year college education provides both broad knowledge in a variety of areas of study and more in-depth knowledge in a specific major or field of interest. It also helps students develop a sense of social responsibility, as well as intellectual and practical skills that span all areas of study, such as communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills, and a demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills in real-world settings.

31%

1%5%

63%

Recent Graduates

Not sure

Less/not important

Fairly important

Very important