Preparing Millennials for the 21st Century

Abstract

Slow employment growth after the "Great Recession" of 2008 has been blamed

by employers on the mismatch between their needs and the skills held by job

applicants. This has led to fears that recent college graduates might become a

"lost generation" unable to advance in the current economic climate. Recent years

have seen the convergence of two demographic trends. First has been a shift in the

nationââ¬â¢s economy from dependence on the conversion of raw materials to goods

to a knowledge age dependent on the conversion of data to valuable information.

Second has been the arrival of the "millennial" generation in higher education and

the workplace. Employers in todayââ¬â¢s economic climate prefer adaptable employees

with thinking, communication, innovation, and process skills over those with

focused job-based training. However, todayââ¬â¢s college students want explicit rules

to govern their decisions and expect grades based on work quantity instead of

quality. Three Mason faculty and staff with experience and research expertise in

student learning, generational characteristics, and career services will discuss

how faculty can help students develop the skills they will need in the workplace.