Off-campus UNL users: To download campus access dissertations, please use the following link to log into our proxy server with your NU ID and password. When you are done browsing please remember to return to this page and log out.
Non-UNL users: Please talk to your librarian about requesting this dissertation through interlibrary loan.
Employer Reports of Skills Gaps in the Workforce
Abstract
Skills gaps in the workforce are a common conversation in the current value proposition of higher education. Colleges are expected to help students prepare for a world-class workforce while maintaining the integrity of the academic mission. Employers have similar but different opinions on the preparation of college graduates. This exploratory study took an in-depth look at the perceptions of sixteen employers in a region of the Midwest on questions about the perception of hiring managers about the skills gap in the workforce. Questions focused on work readiness, common challenges, and opportunities that exist to combat these hiring challenges. The themes that emerged from the study provide a foundation for future research with employers and conversations on skills gap in addition to providing guidance to colleges. Five themes emerged from the study: corporate strategy, role of the university, experience, applicant skills, and career management. Recommendations include developing formal relationships between the employer and the university, supporting lifelong learning for new hires, hiring based on the potential for learning and offering more internships. The participants presented ideas and suggestions for best practices and noted how to best connect students to opportunities.
Subject Area
Educational administration
Recommended Citation
Kaiser, Samantha K, "Employer Reports of Skills Gaps in the Workforce" (2019). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI22585137.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI22585137