Study: Almost half of today's workforce believes college degrees prepare them for the job interview, not the job

BOSTON, Oct. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- While most college grads believe their college educations were worth the cost, many of them say their degrees did not help much when it comes to excelling in today's workforce. More than two-in five say that their college degrees helped only to get them in the door for a job interview -- or did not help them in their careers at all.

The first annual Workplace Confidence study, commissioned by the online learning destination, Skye Learning, found that almost half of workers surveyed (44 percent) don't think their college education played an important role in giving them the skills needed to succeed on the job.

The online survey, which probed the attitudes of 1,004 adults between the ages of 21 and 70 who have at least a high school diploma, also found high levels of job insecurity. Fewer than half (40 percent) of the survey respondents say they feel very secure at their current jobs, and about one-in-four (23 percent) say they need to upgrade their job skills in order to remain employable. 

Reflecting the perceived need for continuing skills training, many respondents say they have already earned certifications in a specific skill, occupation, technology, or industry, or some other non-academic credential related to job skills.

The survey also found that workers look to their employers for support and funding for professional development. Almost one-in-three respondents (31 percent) consider employee training to be the responsibility of the employer – and among young professionals between the ages of 21 and 30, this proportion stands at 45 percent.

Other key survey findings include:

Schools are seen to lag when it comes to preparing students for the workforce.
While a majority (56 percent) of respondents say their college educations were an important factor in preparing them for work, more than 40 percent disagree:

• 25 percent say their college degrees were mainly a credential that helped them get in the door for a job interview
• Another 17 percent say their college educations had no impact on their careers.
• Only 26 percent of respondents say their high school or college did an excellent job of providing them with the skills needed to succeed in the workforce.
• By contrast, schools are seen as doing better when it comes to teaching written and oral communications skills (31 percent excellent) and critical thinking skills (31 percent excellent).

Workers see their certifications as being as important – or even more important – than their college degrees.
Among those respondents who have already received one or more certifications in a specific skill, occupation, technology, or industry, fully four-in-five say their certifications are at least as important as their college degrees:

• 48 percent say their certifications are more important than their degrees
• Another 35 percent say their certifications are just as important

Workers see online skills training as a highly viable option.
In considering different options for continuing skills training, many workers see online learning as the way to go:

• A majority of respondents say that they would either prefer to receive training online (25 percent), or they see in-person and online training as equally preferable (29 percent).
• While a slim majority (51 percent) think that in-person training is more effective, a substantial number either see the two options as equally effective (32 percent), or else say that online training is more effective (13 percent).

Value of certifications
Almost half (46 percent) of the respondents in the survey sample – a group that is somewhat younger and better-educated that the overall U.S. workforce – say they have received one or more certifications in a specific skill, occupation, technology, or industry.

"With an increasingly competitive job market and new technologies playing an ever-larger role in the American workplace, we found that employees are concerned about their skill set when thinking about long-term employment," said Frank Connolly, Skye Learning's Director of Communications and Research. "As the future of work continues to evolve, it's essential for all employees to keep learning and improving their skills through training and retraining. Seasoned professionals and new workforce entrants alike will need to learn the crucial skills that will set them apart in a competitive job market."

Continued Learning with Skye
Launched this week, Skye Learning is an online learning destination offering fully online certificate programs, certification exam prep courses, ongoing professional credits, and micro-credentials. Through a variety of certificates and courses, Skye Learning aims to help today's workers become and remain competitive in the job market and confident at work.

Skye Learning's newly released website also offers a searchable certification database called CertSearch, that enables visitors to research valuable certifications in their industry that will help bolster their existing skill sets. A certification is a formal credential awarded to applicants who take and pass a certification exam, such as the PMP exam for project managers, the CFA exam for financial analysts, or the CISSP exam for cybersecurity professionals. Separately, a certificate is typically a collection of courses that, once completed, can validate a learner's drive and knowledge in the eyes of a hiring manager. The CertSearch database includes information on the certification level (advanced, core, or product-specific), the industry (finance, IT, project management, etc.), whether work-experience is required, and the renewal cycle.

"As the digital workplace continues to evolve at a rapid pace, we created Skye Learning as a resource for workers looking to use certifications and skill-building courses to future-proof their careers," said Sandra Slager, president of Skye Learning. "Our goal is to ensure that learning does not end at graduation, but rather, that all workers continue to learn new skills and earn new credits, ultimately allowing every employee to monetize the efforts they put into professional development training."

About the Methodology
Skye Learning's Work Confidence study was fielded by ResearchNow. The national sample included 1,004 U.S. residents ages 21 to 70 who were employed on some level (full-time, part-time, freelance, etc.), and who had completed a high school education or higher. The survey was conducted online between August 6 and August 9, 2018. The survey results have a margin of error of +/- 3.2 percent, at a 95 percent confidence level.

About Skye Learning
Skye Learning, a division of MindEdge Learning, is a Waltham-based online learning destination for new workforce entrants and professionals, offering fully online certificate programs, certification exam prep courses, professional credits, and micro-credentials. Skye Learning was launched from the idea that ongoing training can help workers of all ages future-proof their skills. Skye Learning courses are carefully curated and thoughtfully designed by experts and instructors to ensure course-takers learn concepts and earn credits quickly using a range of learning modalities from videos, readings, assessments, and case studies. Courses award combinations of IACET CEUs, PMI PDUs, CFRE credits, HRCI credits, SHRM credits, and (ISC)² CPEs to help course-takers maintain pre-existing certifications.

SOURCE Skye Learning

Related Links

http://www.skyelearning.com