Connecting Student Learning Outcomes to Skills that Employers are Seeking

Melissa Cline-DouthittCourtney Abboud

How do you connect curriculum to workplace competencies?

Foundations of Excellence

Foundation’s institutions promote student

understanding of the various roles and purposes of higher

education, both for the individual and society.

These roles and purposes include knowledge acquisition for personal

growth, learning to prepare for future employment, learning to become engaged citizens, and

learning to serve the public good.

Jefferson’s Mission

Jefferson Community and Technical College fulfills its Mission by promoting excellence in programs and services in support of educational opportunity, lifelong learning, and student achievement as expressed in the following goals:• Support the attainment of regional and statewide educational goals through data

informed and inquiry driven strategies to increase retention rates and completion of credentials (Associate Degrees, Diplomas and Certificates).• Maximize student achievement through an institutional commitment to effective

teaching and support services.• Enhance workforce readiness and economic development of the community by

providing seamless educational opportunities through agreements with adult education, secondary school systems, postsecondary institutions, community groups, and business and industry partners.• Provide an inclusive, accessible, and safe learning and working environment.• Exercise responsible stewardship of the College’s human, fiscal, and physical

resources.

What is employability?

A set of achievements – skills, understandings and personal attributes – that

make graduates more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen

occupations, which benefits themselves, the workforce,

the community and the economy.

Academic

Personal/Life

Experience

Work Experience

Information about the knowledge gap between classroom learning and the workplace

• “We don’t have a jobs crisis in the world, we have a skills crisis”

according to a 2012 Forbes article.

• 45% of US employers say lack of skills is the “main reason” for entry-level

vacancies.

• Only 42% of worldwide employers believe new graduates are adequately

prepared for work.

• Further, according to NACE, it takes the average graduates at least 6

months to obtain employment after graduation. College graduates

struggle to articulate the transferable skills desired by employers.

Stats about working students• People often assume that students work approximately 10-15 hours a

week.

• A 2013 U.S. Census report determined that 71 percent of US college

undergraduates were working in 2011. Of that number, one in five

undergraduates were working at least 35 hours a week year-round.

• Community colleges often work more hours than four-year students, and

adult learners usually work additional hours to meet their family’s financial

needs.

JCTC Adult Student LearnersIn Fall 2012, there were over 8300 Adult Student Learners at JCTC...58% of total student body!

• Downtown – 66%

• Southwest – 42%

• Technical – 68%

KCTCS Systems Office Report

How can faculty support students in their career pursuits?

How can faculty find a connection between the classroom and the student’s current work?

EmployabilitySkills

What are the essential skills graduates must demonstrate to future employers?

What are employability learning outcomes?

A statement of what a learner is expected to know, understand and/or be able

to demonstrate at the end of the course that enhances

employability.

Employability learning outcomes assist students in recognizing

and articulating how transferrable skills are developed

within the curriculum.

Example Employability Learning Outcome Statements

• The student will demonstrate effective verbal communication skills

through in-class participation and through completion of capstone

presentation.

• The student will exhibit the ability to work in a team structure by

collaborating on group projects and submitting a written evaluation of

his/her teamwork performance.

• The student will demonstrate computer competencies through 1)

utilizing presentation software when completing semester presentation

and 2) utilizing Blackboard 1-2 times a week.

What are the benefits of including employability learning outcomes in your course?

• Can act as a benchmark for assuring quality and efficiency in higher education.• Provides a framework for understanding the application of

coursework in an unambiguous way to open up education to a wider audience. • Connection to work allows employed students to discover and

construct knowledge for themselves.• Recognizes student achievement outside of the classroom.• Community employers understand not only what students KNOW…

but also what they can DO.

Additional Method to Demonstrate Link Between Curriculum and Employability

• Assignments• Class Activities• Service Learning• Referrals to CREW Center