What Students and Employers Both Need

Kevin and I are both college seniors at Michigan State University. Every year there are two giant career fairs, with over 200 companies. The crazy part is, every year the companies are the same. Year after year, big companies such as Ford, Chrysler, BP, and PepsiCo come to MSU—and every other university— hiring hundreds of new graduates.

So, why do they keep coming back? It is highly unlikely their businesses are growing by that much every year. It isn’t like the companies have all these new types of jobs every six months. If there are all these graduates, with technical degrees and the correct qualifications, why is it that these employers can’t fill positions? There is only one reason they need to constantly be hiring…

They aren’t retaining employees!

The employees they hire look good on paper, but the degrees they have only demonstrate their technical skills. Dozens of employer surveys confirm that graduates lack the soft skills to perform effectively.

These graduates are hired, start their new job, and then employers find that they can’t perform their job.  They are disorganized, don’t meet deadlines, and can’t communicate their ideas effectively.  So they are let go. This lack of soft skills has created a vicious cycle of hiring and firing.

Did you know…

• Of the top 57 skills identified by emerging sector employers, 95% are soft skills.
• According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 7 out of the top 10 skills employers want are soft skills, while technical skills ranked near the bottom.
• 20% of vacant positions go unfilled due to lack of qualified soft skills.
• Only 49% of graduates have the proper soft skills required by hiring managers.
• We all need soft skills to be successful in the workplace. This is said by entrepreneurs and CEOs across the world.

But, how is this relevant to you?

Your job is to prepare students for the work force. In today’s job market, technical skills are not enough! Study after study proves this to be true.

Here’s a simple fact: Learning & Soft Skills = Study Skills.

Soft skills are used in the workplace; study skills are used in school. But they are one in the same! No matter the setting, the skills are relevant.

Taking only 5-10 minutes a day will prepare your students for a job they might have in ten years. It makes no difference if your student wants to be a doctor, mechanic, engineer, or artist; soft skills are needed in every field.

This seems like an intimidating thing to teach since it carries that much importance. However, we have already mapped everything out for you. SOAR^® has crafted a done-for-you, brain-based curriculum, guaranteed to bring your students success. They even match up with the Common Core Anchor Standards (which happen to be study skills).

To learn more about the SOAR^® Study Skills curriculum, click here.

Sincerely,

Jessie & Kevin

EB 071817