The question of how schools can best prepare students to enter the workforce is raised constantly in settings from classrooms to boardrooms; the answer, however, remains elusive. Employers increasingly critique the preparation of incoming graduates, with only 11 percent agreeing that students have the skills and competencies 1, 2, 3, 4 needed to succeed in the workplace. Statistics like these have spurred some to reassess the U.S. systems of K–16 workforce preparation. The rapid changes in the workforce 5, 6, make it challenging to reach consensus on what skills students should have when leaving high school. What does it mean today to be “career ready,” and how can such a complex and evolving concept best be assessed and supported?
To address these very questions, REL Appalachia recently brought together representatives from all ten RELs as well as nationally renowned experts to map the national career-readiness landscape. On July 23, in Arlington, Virginia, REL staff and career-readiness experts came together to discuss how educators and researchers in each region are addressing the development and measurement of career readiness, and shared ideas for how to improve and sync these efforts nationally. The table below includes links to more information about the REL projects featured during this discussion.
Prior to this convening, REL AP conducted a comprehensive literature scan on career readiness, organized around two simple questions: “What should we measure?” and “How should we measure?” The scan outlines considerations for selecting or developing a career-readiness framework and provides resources and strategies for sifting through the array of tools available for measuring career readiness in ways that are valid, reliable, fair, and useful in different contexts.
Common themes across the nation
During the workshop, REL representatives discussed the work they are pursuing to support development of career readiness in their regions, and career-readiness experts—David Conley, professor, University of Oregon; Amy Loyd, associate vice president, Jobs for the Future (JFF); and Scott Solberg, professor, Boston University—presented on their work. Several common themes emerged from these presentations:
- Defining the core competencies associated with career readiness
Across the regions debate is active about which interpersonal, intrapersonal, and cognitive competencies constitute career readiness. Although some key career competencies—such as collaboration and communication skills—appeared repeatedly across state and expert frameworks, no clear consensus has yet emerged on a full set of competencies. - Cultivating early career awareness and planning
Educators across the states used to view career exploration as an activity primarily for technical education students in high school. Now, educators increasingly see career exploration as an important tool that can be introduced in late elementary or middle school to engage parents and students, inform course selection, and guide work-based learning experiences. - Partnering with employers and providing quality work-based learning experiences
Nationally schools and employers are increasingly providing students with work-based learning experiences (job shadows, internships, apprenticeships) to help them develop key competencies, build their referral network, and make more informed choices about their future. However, tracking and measuring the quality of work-based learning experiences is an ongoing challenge. - Aligning to local labor markets
Over the past few decades Americans have become less mobile; the typical adult lives only 18 miles from his or her mother.7 The fact that many young adults stay close to their hometowns underlies the importance of fostering an education system that is well aligned to the local labor market.
Next steps
Building off of the day's discussion, REL AP released a full summary of the event and common themes and plans to host a webinar to provide practitioners with resources for measuring and supporting students' career planning and readiness.
Footnotes:
1 Lippman, L., Ryberg, R., Carney, R., & Moore, K. (2015). Workforce connections. Key “soft skills” that foster youth workforce success: Toward a consensus across fields. Washington, D.C.: Child Trends, Inc. Retrieved from https://www.childtrends.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/2015-24WFCSoftSkills1.pdf.
2 Manpower Group (2016/2017). U.S. Talent Shortage Survey. 11th annual talent shortage survey. Milwaukee, WI: Author. Retrieved from https://www.manpower.us/Website-File-Pile/Whitepapers/Manpower/2016-Talent-Shortage-Whitepaper.pdf.
3 Rosenberg, S., Heimler, R., & Morote, E-S. (2012). Basic employability skills: A triangular design approach. Education and Training, 54(1), 7–20. Retrieved from https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/ 00400911211198869/full/html.
4 Grasgreen, A. (2014). Ready or Not. Washington, D.C.: Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from https://www.inside highered.com/news/2014/02/26/provosts-business-leaders-disagree-graduates-career-readiness freeingthetextbook2018.pdf.
5 Carnevale, A., Jayasundera, T., & Gulish, A. (2016). America's divide recovery: College haves and have-nots. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University, Center on Education and the Workforce. Retrieved from https://cew. georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/Americas-Divided-Recovery-web.pdf.
6 English, D., Cushing, E., Therriault, S., & Rasmussen, J. (2017). College and career readiness begins with a well-rounded education: Opportunities under the Every Student Succeed Act. Washington, D.C.: American Institutes for Research. Retrieved from https://www.air.org/resource/college-and-career-readiness-begins-well-rounded-education-opportunities-under-every.
7 Bui, Q., & Miller, C.C. (2015, December 23). The typical American lives only 18 miles from mom. New York Times, December 23, 2015. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/12/24/upshot/24up-family.html.
