5 answers
Benz
Student
Rock Hill, South Carolina
2
Questions
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Reimagining Workforce Prep: What One Change Would You Make?
If you could start a movement to make one change in how we prepare students for the workforce, what would it be, and why is it so important? #Fall24
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5 answers
Aman Kumar
Software engineer
161
Answers
Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Updated
Aman’s Answer
Hi Benz,
What a thought-provoking question! If I could start a movement to make one significant change in workforce preparation, it would be to integrate comprehensive internship programs into the educational curriculum right from high school through college. This isn't just about giving students a taste of the working world; it’s about fostering real-world skills and connections that can significantly ease the transition from classroom to career.
By embedding structured internships as a core part of the learning experience, students not only gain practical skills but also invaluable industry contacts and insights that can guide their career paths. For instance, in Massachusetts, the state has successfully implemented the Massachusetts Career Development Institute initiative, which offers students opportunities to engage in meaningful internships during school hours. This model not only enhances students’ resumes but also ensures they are job-ready by the time they graduate.
With businesses struggling to find qualified workers, it's crucial that we align educational outcomes with the actual needs of the workforce. This change would address the skills gap directly, enabling students to be competitive while offering employers a more prepared workforce. Plus, it gives students a chance to explore different career fields, allowing them to make informed decisions about their futures. It’s high time we value hands-on experience as much as theoretical knowledge.
Best,
Aman
What a thought-provoking question! If I could start a movement to make one significant change in workforce preparation, it would be to integrate comprehensive internship programs into the educational curriculum right from high school through college. This isn't just about giving students a taste of the working world; it’s about fostering real-world skills and connections that can significantly ease the transition from classroom to career.
By embedding structured internships as a core part of the learning experience, students not only gain practical skills but also invaluable industry contacts and insights that can guide their career paths. For instance, in Massachusetts, the state has successfully implemented the Massachusetts Career Development Institute initiative, which offers students opportunities to engage in meaningful internships during school hours. This model not only enhances students’ resumes but also ensures they are job-ready by the time they graduate.
With businesses struggling to find qualified workers, it's crucial that we align educational outcomes with the actual needs of the workforce. This change would address the skills gap directly, enabling students to be competitive while offering employers a more prepared workforce. Plus, it gives students a chance to explore different career fields, allowing them to make informed decisions about their futures. It’s high time we value hands-on experience as much as theoretical knowledge.
Best,
Aman
Maya Singh
Product Manager
7
Answers
Washington, Washington
Updated
Maya’s Answer
Hi Benz,
In terms of workplace preparation, I would love to see some curriculum around workplace tooling skill-up. Back in my day, that would have looked like skilling up on tools like Excel and PowerPoint. However, for you it might look like learning how to use AI based tools to make meeting scheduling more efficient or writing technical documents etc... In the future, who knows what tools may exist, but school is a great time to learn how to use these common workplace tools and systems.
Bonus answer: I'd also recommend students learn how to effectively design documents and presentations to create more compelling communication in the workplace. This is a skill that often goes overlooked, however, it can make a big difference in getting your message across. Similarly, learning how to communicate with different types of audiences is a great skill to have. You can do that through both written and verbal communication, but it is very important.
In terms of workplace preparation, I would love to see some curriculum around workplace tooling skill-up. Back in my day, that would have looked like skilling up on tools like Excel and PowerPoint. However, for you it might look like learning how to use AI based tools to make meeting scheduling more efficient or writing technical documents etc... In the future, who knows what tools may exist, but school is a great time to learn how to use these common workplace tools and systems.
Bonus answer: I'd also recommend students learn how to effectively design documents and presentations to create more compelling communication in the workplace. This is a skill that often goes overlooked, however, it can make a big difference in getting your message across. Similarly, learning how to communicate with different types of audiences is a great skill to have. You can do that through both written and verbal communication, but it is very important.
Denise Heffron, PSM, PMI-ACP, PMP
Experience Strategy
38
Answers
North Aurora, Illinois
Updated
Denise’s Answer
If I could start a movement to make one significant change in how we prepare students for the workforce, it would be to integrate comprehensive career skills training into the core curriculum throughout all levels of education. This training would encompass practical skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, teamwork, digital literacy, financial literacy, and emotional intelligence.
Why This Change is Important:
Bridging the Skills Gap:
- Many employers report a gap between the skills students acquire in school and the skills needed in the workplace. By integrating career skills training into the curriculum, students can develop competencies that are directly relevant to their future careers.
Adaptability and Lifelong Learning:
- The modern job market is constantly evolving due to technological advancements and economic changes. Teaching students how to learn, adapt, and upskill themselves is crucial for their long-term career success.
Enhanced Employability:
- Students who possess strong soft skills, such as communication and teamwork, along with technical skills, are more attractive to employers. This can lead to higher employability rates and better career opportunities.
Holistic Development:
- Focusing on emotional intelligence and mental health prepares students to handle workplace stress and interpersonal relationships better, leading to a more balanced and fulfilling professional life.
Real-World Application:
- Practical skills training can include internships, project-based learning, and collaboration with industry professionals, giving students hands-on experience and a clearer understanding of what to expect in the workforce.
Financial Independence:
- Financial literacy education can empower students to manage their finances effectively, make informed decisions, and achieve financial independence sooner.
Closing Socioeconomic Gaps:
- By providing equitable access to career skills training, we can help level the playing field for students from diverse backgrounds, giving everyone a better chance to succeed regardless of their starting point.
Why This Change is Important:
Bridging the Skills Gap:
- Many employers report a gap between the skills students acquire in school and the skills needed in the workplace. By integrating career skills training into the curriculum, students can develop competencies that are directly relevant to their future careers.
Adaptability and Lifelong Learning:
- The modern job market is constantly evolving due to technological advancements and economic changes. Teaching students how to learn, adapt, and upskill themselves is crucial for their long-term career success.
Enhanced Employability:
- Students who possess strong soft skills, such as communication and teamwork, along with technical skills, are more attractive to employers. This can lead to higher employability rates and better career opportunities.
Holistic Development:
- Focusing on emotional intelligence and mental health prepares students to handle workplace stress and interpersonal relationships better, leading to a more balanced and fulfilling professional life.
Real-World Application:
- Practical skills training can include internships, project-based learning, and collaboration with industry professionals, giving students hands-on experience and a clearer understanding of what to expect in the workforce.
Financial Independence:
- Financial literacy education can empower students to manage their finances effectively, make informed decisions, and achieve financial independence sooner.
Closing Socioeconomic Gaps:
- By providing equitable access to career skills training, we can help level the playing field for students from diverse backgrounds, giving everyone a better chance to succeed regardless of their starting point.
Will Xue, CFA
Manager at PwC
102
Answers
Updated
Will’s Answer
Hey Benz,
Great question!
Personally speaking, I would suggest fostering critical thinking and AI (mostly GenAI) literacy to prepare the future workforce.
As AI becomes more prevalent, critical thinking will be more important than ever to get the most out of the AI collaboration. While AI can assist in contents generation, summarization, augmentation, etc., humans are still expected to critically evaluate the AI-generated output. The reality is, only a very small portion of us will be working on the algorithms or large language models turbo-charging the Chatbots, every single user needs to craft effective user prompts and provide necessary input data in order to solve their own problems.
Although majority of us are not creating or fine-tuning the underlying models/transformers, it's important that we all understand the ethical implications, limitations of those GenAI tools for responsible usages.
Great question!
Personally speaking, I would suggest fostering critical thinking and AI (mostly GenAI) literacy to prepare the future workforce.
As AI becomes more prevalent, critical thinking will be more important than ever to get the most out of the AI collaboration. While AI can assist in contents generation, summarization, augmentation, etc., humans are still expected to critically evaluate the AI-generated output. The reality is, only a very small portion of us will be working on the algorithms or large language models turbo-charging the Chatbots, every single user needs to craft effective user prompts and provide necessary input data in order to solve their own problems.
Although majority of us are not creating or fine-tuning the underlying models/transformers, it's important that we all understand the ethical implications, limitations of those GenAI tools for responsible usages.
Steven Davis
Business Owner
5
Answers
Iowa City, Iowa
Updated
Steven’s Answer
I want to underscore one aspect of Denise's answer as I find this extremely important in early career preparation and development (also unfortunately optional in many curricula and therefore a risk for students that don't recognize the importance):
* Real-World Application *
As an employer of entry-level engineers, and having run an internship program for 18 of our 20 years of existence as a business, I can confidently say that a critical component to developing your career and relevant skills includes having experiences outside of the classroom (internships, real-world projects in collaboration with industry, project based learning mentored by professionals, etc). I still see some graduating seniors that apply to work with me in an entry level position without anything on their resume to indicate they have done work outside of the classroom. This is a red flag for me, and I can rarely justify giving them a position. I do often, however, attempt to convince them to take a post-graduation internship because of the value it can provide. For those that engage with us in that, most end up becoming more employable and find a position shortly afterward, or we sometimes even convert them from interns into employees.
If you want help finding opportunities for project based learning that you can participate in, let me know. I also suggest you consider just making your own opportunities by starting a side-project that you can work on your own. Use that project to make connections and build your skills in communication, networking, and collaboration!
Contact local resources for opportunities in Project Based Learning
Start your own project
Contribute to an existing open-source project or other community developed initiative.
* Real-World Application *
As an employer of entry-level engineers, and having run an internship program for 18 of our 20 years of existence as a business, I can confidently say that a critical component to developing your career and relevant skills includes having experiences outside of the classroom (internships, real-world projects in collaboration with industry, project based learning mentored by professionals, etc). I still see some graduating seniors that apply to work with me in an entry level position without anything on their resume to indicate they have done work outside of the classroom. This is a red flag for me, and I can rarely justify giving them a position. I do often, however, attempt to convince them to take a post-graduation internship because of the value it can provide. For those that engage with us in that, most end up becoming more employable and find a position shortly afterward, or we sometimes even convert them from interns into employees.
If you want help finding opportunities for project based learning that you can participate in, let me know. I also suggest you consider just making your own opportunities by starting a side-project that you can work on your own. Use that project to make connections and build your skills in communication, networking, and collaboration!
Steven recommends the following next steps: