Bridge That Gap Case Study In College

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Introduction
College education is an essential component toward a successful career. However, according to the New York Fed Magazine, recent college graduates have been struggling in securing a job in their field of study. Moreover, graduates who find a job are either being paid the minimum wage or they are in a job in which acquiring a degree is not a requirement. A labor economist of the Center for Economy and Policy Research in Washington, John Schmitt, made an investigation that demonstrated the unemployment rate from college graduates fell from 6.4 in 2009 to 5.6 in 2013. There are many factors leading this situation where graduates finding increasingly difficult to enter the labor market. Yet, it is important to visualize and understand …show more content…

Besides the company’s inconsideration in hiring graduates, another important circumstance as to why students have a hard time entering the workforce is that they do not pursue enough preparation during their college years. In a study for the report “Bridge that Gap” the author surveyed 2000 students enrolled in college and 1000 recruiters. The results displayed a wide gap between the student’s opinions against the employer’s opinions on the qualifications in recent graduates. For example, in “writing to communicate ideas or explaining information clearly” there was a 22% gap and the widest gap was presented in “prioritizing work” with 27% difference displaying that employers agree that college student are not enough qualifies because of their irresponsibility to prioritize and organize their work such as, managing projects, working within teams and ability to communicate with their …show more content…

Students need to have the initiative and should not take only what is handed to them inside the classroom. Real experience and skill’s acquisition managers are looking for comes far from what you can learn in school. “The central goal is to get students out of the classroom and into the real world so they can feel and see the entire work process" said Randy McPherson, the director of counseling services and college preparation for the Tennessee’s schools, "Otherwise, they don't really grasp what a day looks like or what a job entails." (http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/01/30/19internship_ep.h32.html). In other words, this preparation increases the student’s experience and skills in their resumes and in real-life. Unfortunately, sometimes is not the student’s irresponsibility as to why they do not participate in this skill-building activities. Students often struggle to afford college, therefore, they need to work in order to pay for their tuition, books or their loans. In other circumstances, students have a family or dependents to support. For that reason, they may find increasingly difficult to find time for joining internships or attending presentations and workshops. Another important factor is the distraction work can have in their studies which could lead them to lose focus