Academic-Capital

Harvard School of Business released its 2013-2014 U.S. competitiveness report that unveils difficulties related to a lack of skills, employment opportunities, small business development, infrastructure and governmental effectiveness.   Highly skilled professionals, medium size businesses and large corporations have successfully weathered the effects of the recession but are leaving behind many in the skilled labor and middle class sectors of society. The results point to a divergence in society that may slow growth in the future and damage long-term American competitiveness.  The education system is seen as not meeting current needs for the development of new skills to create a stronger workforce. Companies desire to develop stronger internal skills training but have not yet matched this need within their policies.   Collaborating employment needs with the education system will help in narrowing the gaps between employers and school decision-makers. Two separate societies

Skills are the life blood of any economy. It is hard to do much without the skills to think it, make it and sell it. Businesses seek college graduates with general skills that raise their competitiveness. A study by Holtzman & Kraft (2011) compared and contrasted a study by the Richard Stockton College and one by the Association of American Colleges and Universities to come to conclusions about the skills needed in the 21 st Century. The essential skills of the 21 st Century employers identified as very important or important were: Interpersonal skills(100%); Time management (100%); Speaking/oral communications (98%); Ethical Understanding (98%); and, Adapting to change/being flexible (96%). Employer’s ratings were solicited through a survey response. There was an essential difference between the two studies.   When the participant’s businesses worked and sold within the local market they were less interested in graduates with a global perspective while those