An article, Public May Not Trust Higher Ed, but Employers Do, was included in the August issue of Inside Higher Ed, discusses the perspective that employers have of higher education and the skills that employers highly value when hiring new graduates. In particular, two skills identified are critical thinking and oral communication.
Both of these skills are part of the knowledge and skill areas which make up the Interstate Passport Learning Outcomes. Interstate Passport Network member institutions build Passport Blocks which are menus of courses that teach towards learning outcomes based on nine knowledge and skill areas. When a student completes the courses in the block with a minimum grade of C or better, the students earns a Passport, an early milestone of completion on the way to a credential. The student has also achieved competency in key skills and knowledge areas valued by employers.
More information about employers what employers are looking from college graduates can be found at the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) recently released report by Hart Research Associates, “Fulfilling the American Dream: Liberal Education and the Future of Work.”