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Employer Quotes

The quotes below are from employers in this industry: Financial Services

They are talking about this topic: Educational Partnerships

 

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Employers express concern that current teaching methods, particularly online courses, are inhibiting the development of students' soft skills.

Employer Quote Region
"The other thing I wanted to say about online teaching—I do online teaching, too—and the class size for my online class has doubled because of budget cutbacks. I used to assign a lot more writing in my online classes than I do now because I simply can't assign the same amount of writing when I have twice as many students. There just aren't enough hours in the day. So, online education is potentially good because students will become better writers because everything they do is written, and they're writing more, but we have to maintain quality. We can't just say online is the answer, and we're going to put 150 students in an online section, because they're not going to get the same kind of education. Not only won't they get the soft skills, but they won't get the writing skills. As we move forward and we think about this as a partnership between those of you who hire students when they graduate, we need to understand that there are quality measures that are impacted by budget decisions in higher education." Metro
"Educator: This is super interesting to me. I'm really glad I'm here, and I want to say that there's a temptation from the university point of view...that there's a conflict between majors and Liberal Arts curriculum. There's a tendency to have the majors grow and grow and grow and shift Liberal Arts curriculum to online. I think your soft skills are not going to be developed if you increase through, let's say, one more course in software or one more course in a technical area because that means you're getting one less class in literature or one less class in critical thinking. So, I just wanted us to think about what happens if you force young people—particularly at some schools where you're taking working-class kids and turning them into middle-class kids—if they are taking their first two years online where they're not meeting professors and they're not learning how to have those soft skills. Those are learned in classrooms, in small groups, and in office conversations with the professors. So, I think we need to bear that in mind. We're talking about preparing students to succeed in business, but some of that is learned in small classes where maybe a working-class kid for the first time is meeting that educated faculty member, meeting people from around the world. So, I think we need to think about that as we move forward as a higher education institution. How do we maintain those soft skills? How do we maintain funding for the core function of the university the first two years, where you learn to read, where you learn to write, where you learn to listen?

Employer: Fascinating. I had never thought of that, but he's right. He's right. Those soft skills just make or break someone, and my comment about whether I have trouble hiring accountants or bookkeepers, and the answer is usually no. But the problem in my industry—because most people in nonprofit, of course, aren't accountants or finance people—they're psychologists and chemical-health counselors. And accountants and their worlds don't mesh very well. So, they have to have those soft skills to be able to work with people that don't think like them, and so you're right. That was just really fascinating."		 Metro
"Employer 1: I think that's where our shortage usually is—in those soft skills. If they're doing everything online and not having the ability to take classes that are more interactive and that have a team environment and that create the opportunity to work in small groups, then that's something that we have to teach once they get here. And we don't want to take the time to do that. We expect that that should be a part of their learning environment prior to getting to us. Understanding prioritization, time management, leadership—all of those things that I think are very core in the first couple of years at school—and if they're doing everything online, they're not getting that interaction with their counterparts. They're not learning how to work with others that may not work the same way that they work. So, that's a huge component.

Employer 2: I do a lot of teaching online, and I feel that one of the biggest things I struggle with is getting students to understand that the emails they write are a big reflection of who they are.

Employer 3: You've got that right.

Employer 2: And you can say it over and over: You've got to make this clearer, or you've got to check your spelling. And it is amazing how hard it is for them to recognize it. You read an email and you kind of know who that person is from how they've phrased that email. It's really a struggle. It is.

Employer 1: One of our huge components is the writing component. So, we do a lot with the area high schools and even some of the area colleges in terms of job-shadow events and e-mentoring programs. And, certainly that is the first thing that comes across, right away, when they send you an email and it's all in text language, and you're trying to understand what they're trying to tell you. But that's the first impression that I get and that employers get. So, I want to emphasize the importance of writing skills because we do get cover letters and we get emails from potential applicants that are not appropriately written—they're more like texts. And for anyone here that has teenagers, you know that's how they tend to communicate. So, I feel for you guys, because they do want online classes. It's easier for them. But that's not what they necessarily need. So, part of it is marketing. They're going to sign up for schools that offer that, but it's so important they get out there and do that socialization and professionalism piece and not turn everything into a text. They have to learn it, because by the time they get to us, if they haven't, they're not going to get hired."		 Metro