C. M. Rubin and Charles Fadel
Employers want to hire people with 21st-century skills and they can't find enough qualified candidates. The problem, says Charles Fadel, Founder of the Center for Curriculum Redesign, is that our education system "is biased for college entrance requirements via tests such as the SAT which are partially obsolete, and never reflected particularly well the needs of employability." So given the dramatic transformations we are seeing in the workplace, what are the most effective ways to close the increasingly widening education-to-employment gap?
Q: Charles, how do you respond to employers' concerns that students don't have the skills needed to be productive in their companies?
A: For the past two decades, employers have stated that they are looking for employees able to display the "4 C's": to think Critically as well as working Creatively, and able to Communicate and Collaborate on a systematic basis. This is the framework we developed at the Partnership for 21st Century Learning (P21).
We have seen surveys done by, among others, the Conference Board and P21, and BIAC at OECD, highlighting that the 4 C's described above matter more than ever for employability the world over. This is not a new need, but it has been growing in importance as competition and time-to-market pressures intensify.
It is fair to say that employers expect from schools and higher education systems that students be ready for the world of work as well as the world of life. They go hand-in-hand and there's nothing wrong in educating for both employability and life.
This is a false dichotomy as we need to educate for all levels of the Maslow pyramid: we need to take care of physiological needs, but also safety, love/belonging, and self-actualization.
Q: What would you say to a recent graduate who worked hard at a very expensive institution and who has not been able to find full-time work with good benefits?
A: First, I'd say, "you have all my sympathy, I am sorry the system did not offer you better guidance, particularly given the price you paid. Brands matter, of course, but so do real skills, and the present system is focused on passing college, not really on employability."
Then I'd say, "if you are still in college, make sure that you do many internships and projects with industry. And regardless of whether before or after graduation, realistically and honestly document how you have developed those real skills via each course, so you can discuss that during your interviews."
Q: Let's talk about skills. What are the essential skills being left out of curriculum or that are not getting enough emphasis in curriculum?
A: First, let's be clear in indicating that this is about skills, not character qualities. The skills we are talking about are: creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. They are essential for both the world of work and success in life.
Now of course, present-day education achieves a certain amount of that, with varying degrees of success. Firstly, there is the assumption that teaching a discipline will necessarily foster higher-order thinking skills. It is mostly unfounded, as fast and broad coverage of materials typically supercedes the deeper learning that needs to occur.
Secondly, pedagogy needs to change -- for instance, it is hard to imagine how a passive listener would learn how to communicate and collaborate.
