Adapting in a changing world

Before the pandemic, there were 6.3 million open jobs in the United States that could not be filled. Now, there are more than 11 million.

“There’s a whole bunch of people who want to work, but there’s all these skills they have to have,” said Mark Perna at his event Oct. 26 at Southwestern Community College. “This is where we sit today because we cannot connect the dots effectively enough between education, employment and economic development.”

Perna has devoted his career to empowering educators and employers to unleash the potential of today’s young people. He is a speaker, best-selling author and weekly contributor to Forbes Magazine.

Education

“I believe that we are reaching a crisis of epic proportions in education,” Perna said. “Everybody’s had enough. Everybody’s done. Everybody’s burnt out. Everybody’s exhausted. There isn’t the bandwidth anymore to do any more.”

The younger generation, specifically Generation Z, 8 to 25-year-olds, will be responsible for the future of the nation; however, Perna says they require a human connection to move forward.

“Our educational system system has dumped so much onto our administrators, our counselors, our teachers, our paraprofessionals, our special needs people, etc... that we largely across America today no longer have the time, the effort and the bandwidth what is non-negotiable to young people - the human connection,” Perna said. “This is creating a crisis of epic proportions.”

Perna cited a study in December finding 54% of educators in America reported considering quitting their job in the previous 30 days. Thirty seven percent said they thought of leaving education all together.

“You cannot simply take someone who leaves education today and replace them with someone else who isn’t credentialed or certified to do it,” he said. “Educators today are leaving in record numbers, and we are getting to a point where young people today aren’t even going into education because the people they are modeling to see what they want to do for the rest of their lives are not happy.”

Harvard University recently announced the closing of their undergraduate education program due to a low number of enrollment.

Competitive Advantage

While a robust academic knowledge is important to having a leg up on the competition, Perna said it’s not the only piece and it’s not the most important piece.

“Here’s where the world’s different. There was a time in America where you could have just robust academic knowledge, now you have to have technical competencies - things you can do with your head or your hands, and then probably the most important - professional skills.”

Commonly called soft skills, professional skills include things like punctuality, work ethic, problem-solving, critical thinking, flexibility and more.

The Wall Street Journal did a survey of CEOs, hiring managers and human resource executives across North America. They found 92% valued professional skills over academic knowledge and technical competencies. Yet, 89% said they’re the hardest things for them to find.

“We’re not connecting the dots,” Perna said. “We’re not creating the pipelines necessary.”

Connecting the Dots

“Young people are dealing with a myriad of things today that are unprecedented,” Perna said. “They will not move forward unless their human needs are met.”

Respect and trust are the building blocks of a human connection. Perna said the three things young people are asking of their educators, parents and employers are: Do you hear me? Do you see me? Do I matter?

“The answer to all three of these questions has to be yes,” he said. “Generation Z is the first generation that their resting pulse does not care how much you know until they know how much you care. They live it as their mantra.”

After High School

A Strada-Gallup survey of college students found only 34% of students believe they will graduate with the skills and knowledge to be successful in the job market and the workplace. Only half believe their major will leave to a good job.

Perna spoke at Harvard University about the push to make students college and career ready. “It’s taken hold in our country,” he said. “There’s one problem. People read it like a pathway. We should be making kids college, then career ready in this country.”

The shift from “college and career ready” to “career ready” makes room for other pathways like technical degrees, certificates, apprenticeships, the military or entering the workforce.

Education data reports 40% of all college students drop out.

“I’m a tremendous fan of a four-year degree if what you want to do in life requires one,” Perna said. “But there are far too many young people becoming disengaged and they’re carrying the debt along with it.”

Nerd Wallet reports the average U.S. household with student debt owes $57,520. In a Business Insider survey with millennials, 83% said it was a mistake attending an expensive college.

“Make it known in your community that there is no one way to be successful in America, there are lots of ways to be successful,” Perna said. “It matters less where you start after high school, it truly only matters where you end.”