Beyond the Skills Gap
Preparing College Students for Life and Work
Matthew T. Hora with Ross J. Benbow and Amanda K. Oleson
cloth, 272 Pages
Pub. Date: November 2016
ISBN-13: 978-1-61250-988-4
Price: $62.00
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paper, 272 Pages
Pub. Date: November 2016
ISBN-13: 978-1-61250-987-7
Price: $31.00
Add to Cart
How can educators ensure that young people who attain a postsecondary credential are adequately prepared for the future? Matthew T. Hora and his colleagues explain that the answer is not simply that students need more specialized technical training to meet narrowly defined employment opportunities. Beyond the Skills Gap challenges this conception of the “skills gap,” highlighting instead the value of broader twenty-first-century skills in postsecondary education. They advocate for a system in which employers share responsibility along with the education sector to serve the collective needs of the economy, society, and students.
Drawing on interviews with educators in two- and four-year institutions and employers in the manufacturing and biotechnology sectors, the authors demonstrate the critical importance of habits of mind such as problem solving, teamwork, and communication. They go on to show how faculty and program administrators can create active learning experiences that develop students’ skills across a range of domains. The book includes in-depth descriptions of eight educators whose classrooms exemplify the effort to blend technical learning with the cultivation of twenty-first-century habits of mind.
The study, set in Wisconsin, takes place against the backdrop of heated political debates over the role of public higher education. This thoughtful and nuanced account, enriched by keen observations of postsecondary instructional practice, promises to contribute new insights to the rich literature on workforce development and to provide valuable guidance for postsecondary faculty and administrators.
Praise
So few commentators on the so-called ‘skills gap’ give serious thought to the purposes of higher education, or to the teaching and learning environments needed for today's students. The book goes beyond ideology to offer a deeper understanding of the challenges that face higher education institutions and faculty.
— Michael Bastedo, professor and director, Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education, University of Michigan
Beyond the Skills Gap cuts through the agendas and talks to the people on the front lines to find out how best to provide the skills that both individuals and employers need. An important guide for policy makers and practitioners.
— Peter Cappelli, George W. Taylor Professor of Management and director, Center for Human Resources, The Wharton School, and professor of education, University of Pennsylvania
Hora delivers a breath of fresh air to the conversation about skills gaps. Focusing on Wisconsin, this research demonstrates the need to revisit how the framing of higher education, as well as teaching and learning, influence educational attainment and workforce development goals.
— Valerie Lundy-Wagner, associate research director, Jobs for the Future, and affiliate researcher, Center for Analysis of Postsecondary Education and Employment
The book successfully contributes new and productive information to ongoing debates surrounding the value and purpose of higher education. As such, it is a useful resource for researchers, faculty, policy makers, and employers interested in improving teaching, workplace training, and higher education policy.
— Gregory C. Wolniak & Kimberly Maes, Teachers College Record
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About the Authors
Matthew T. Hora is an assistant professor in adult teaching and learning in the Department of Liberal Arts and Applied Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and a research scientist at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research. Ross J. Benbow is an associate researcher with the Wisconsin Center for Education Research at University of Wisconsin–Madison. Amanda K. Oleson is an education scholar particularly interested in research and policies related to PK–20/workforce pathways.