Dive Brief:

• The Chronicle of Higher Education profiles the mad dash from colleges and universities to realign their academic offerings with workforce development needs, which companies suggest are not being filled because institutions are lacking focus on skill development. 
• Pennsylvania higher education officials note that while 43% of working adults hold a higher education credential, an assessment of workforce needs reveals that 57% of jobs require them, yielding a double-digit deficit in the number of qualified professionals statewide needed to meet industrial demand. 
• Skeptics say that the skills gap question is a phantom issue, suggesting that many of the jobs being posted now require credentials that are not overtly required for the job to be performed, or not possessed by workers currently in similar positions.

Dive Insight:

While it is the role of colleges to stimulate innovation and inspiration in graduates, the industry is also bearing the burden of fine-tuning workforce training for graduates. In most respects, that training is created by the work ethic of students willing to find and secure internships while enrolled to better prepare for their future careers. 

Given the diminishing effectiveness of career development centers on campus and student disinterest in using them, college leaders should consider ways to bring more workforce development straight to campus. Edward Waters College's criminal justice program has the benefit of a police substation on campus, and Arizona State University engages students in its business holdings in a variety of areas. These are two examples where campuses can account for students' shortcomings or lack of knowledge about how to position themselves for career success after graduation.