ERIC Number: EJ1215419
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: N/A
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0024-1822
EISSN: N/A
What Really Matters for Employment?
Watson, C. Edward; McConnell, Kathryne Drezek
Liberal Education, v104 n4 Fall 2018
Higher education broadly and liberal arts institutions specifically are experiencing a range of critical challenges, not the least of which are shifts in what today's undergraduates choose for their major. For instance, data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) reveal that, since 2008, there has been a precipitous decline in the number of students choosing the humanities as their major. It has been theorized that "students fled the humanities after the financial crisis because they became more fearful of the job market," but that ultimately raises questions regarding what really matters to employers, what curricular choices faculty and administrators should make on their campuses, and how students should position themselves to be best educated in light of employment trends and employer expectations. This article discusses how data from multiple sources regarding employer expectations suggest that the knowledge, skills, and abilities developed by a college education in general, and study in humanities and related fields specifically, are ideally suited for the needs and expectations of employers today and into the foreseeable future.
Descriptors: Liberal Arts, Education Work Relationship, Employer Attitudes, Higher Education, College Graduates, Skills, Knowledge Level, Ability, Experiential Learning, Educational Experience
Association of American Colleges and Universities. 1818 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20009. Tel: 800-297-3775; Tel: 202-387-3760; Fax: 202-265-9532; e-mail: pub_desk@aacu.org; Web site: http://www.aacu.org/publications/index.cfm
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A