SEL plays an important role in preparing students for workforce readiness, equipping them with skills such as communication, problem-solving, and decision-making. #SELisEverybodysBiz #workforcereadiness
Madia Bellebuono, a University of Vermont graduate, spends her days in a Boston coffee shop scrolling through job openings on LinkedIn. Since earning her degree in strategic marketing and public communications in May 2024, she has applied for more than 300 jobs. Despite two internships, a strong GPA and looming student loans, she is unemployed. Bellebuono said she felt unprepared to enter the competitive job market. “I think the school could have done — and still can do — a better job preparing their students for the post-grad world,” she told CNN. “And not just focusing on the test that’s coming up next week or your grades.” The University of Vermont told CNN helping their students get started on their career paths is an important part of their educational experience. Bellebuono’s story isn’t unique. A recent study from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported the widest unemployment gap between new graduates and experienced degree holders since the 1990s. The unemployment gap is partly due to the increase in competition and changing employer expectations, said David Deming, professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. “What you’re seeing is a consequence of the success we’ve had in educating more people,” Deming told CNN. “Graduating college no longer gives you a leg up, as recent cohorts have seen the highest graduation rates ever.” Skill requirements for entry-level roles are higher today than a decade ago, he said. But the change has been gradual from year to year. The US economy added an average of 186,000 jobs per month throughout 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s similar to the pre-pandemic era but a slowdown from the blowout gains during the recovery. “Entry-level workers are continuing to have a challenging labor market, and their slowdown is a little bit worse than it is for others in the workforce,” Kory Kantenga, head of economics for LinkedIn Americas, told CNN. He also said job openings don’t always translate into hiring; there are often more job openings than unemployed people. “So there’s something employers are often looking for that they don’t necessarily find in the labor market,” Kantenga said. Around 58% of hiring managers said recent college graduates are unprepared for the workforce, according to a December survey from Intelligent, an online magazine focused on higher education. The challenges recent graduates face have placed universities under scrutiny, with increasing demands to ensure students see a greater return on their investment. Read more: https://cnn.it/4ju18Jc