The importance of generic skills for life scientists is commonly recognised by employers, graduates, and higher education institutes. As it remains unclear which generic skills are relevant for different life sciences career paths, this study aims to give an overview to inform and inspire universities and students, by analysing 179 Dutch…

Community colleges have a strong history of providing vocational education and occupational training to meet changing workforce demands of local industries. In the Midwest, agricultural industries have expressed an expanding need for middle-skilled workers with postsecondary, pre-baccalaureate credentials. The 21st century agricultural landscape…

Are recent graduates with degrees in parks and recreation adequately prepared to secure full-time employment in municipal recreation? To answer this question, California Parks and Recreation Society members with position titles such as supervisor, manager, director and superintendent (n = 206) were asked: How can recent college graduates be better…

Responses from 255 (of 358) graduates with business degrees rated the importance of problem-solving, communication, and interpersonal skills to their current jobs. Resulting recommendations for employers include identifying precise skill requirements, attending to the motivating potential of jobs, and not expecting all graduates to need the same…

College graduates entering the labor force during 1990-2005 are projected to encounter increased competition for jobs requiring a degree; fewer college-level job openings are also predicted. (SK)

Describes a survey that compares entry-level job requirements to on-the-job performances of new hires. Looks at ways employers define job requirements, important skills for new hires, and compares performance requirements to preparedness. Reviews problems employers see in preparedness and ways schools can address these problems. (RJM)

The authors describe the labor force status, occupation, and graduate or professional school status in April 1985 of college graduates who received their bachelor's degrees between July 1983 and June 1984. The data were analyzed for the graduates as a group and for each of 20 major fields of study. (CH)

This document contains the findings of a national study of some 12,000 college graduates (who entered college in 1961 and had been working full-time for up to 10 years) to determine the utilization and value of higher education in employment. The focus of this report is the utilization in careers of the knowledge obtained in undergraduate study…

In the last 15 years, colleges and universities have sought creative ways to encourage the study of second languages and to add an international dimension to the college curriculum. More extensive international exchange, higher language enrollments, and more widespread inclusion of language study as a college entrance requirement have resulted. A…

This preliminary research examined employers' assessment of the general attributes of their new college graduate recruits. While some wanted more people with specific technical training, others preferred to train the employees themselves, especially for managerial positions. Still others felt college graduates were overrated as employees. (IS)

North Carolina employers were asked to evaluate the skills possessed by graduates of the state's educational institutions. The study also profiled any problems employers had in finding qualified applicants for positions. Baseline data were collected to profile education and training programs provided by employers. A random sample of 2,334…

Learning in the first professional job was examined in a study of 40 nurses, 27 engineers, and 16 accountants who were in their first full year of full-time employment after college in hospitals and firms located in the United Kingdom. Data were collected through the following activities: (1) interviews with the respondents; (2) 1- to 2-day visits…

The Alberta Learning 2001/02 Employer Satisfaction Survey assessed 2,003 Alberta employers' satisfaction with graduates from Alberta's learning system. The results and survey methodology were considered accurate within 2.2%. According to the survey, 40% of employers have hired recent graduates from Alberta's learning system. Employers that have…

This book, which is intended for professionals in the assessment/evaluation/measurement, vocational and technical education, and educational psychology communities, contains 16 papers examining specifications of work force competencies and assessment of competencies. The following papers are included: "Review of Workforce Readiness…

The different situations confronting young labor market entrants in different European countries may be described in terms of the following models: (1) the conditions of labor market entry are basically tied to the nature of the qualification acquired in initial training, experience accumulated in the labor market plays a very secondary role, and…