The skill gap in University graduates.

A skill gap is a gap between the skills of a fresh university graduate and the skills he or she actually needs to perform a job. After completing a degree from a university, graduates look for a job. When companies hire them they often find a skill mismatch between what the graduates have and what they need for the job. To reduce the gap companies need to undertake extra training programs to onboard the employees. This training costs them time and money and the companies suffer in terms of productivity.?

Recently Coursera published a report called “Unbounded University” on the gaps between skills a university student has and the skills they need to join the workforce. They also measured the time required to fill the gap across a total of nine majors subjects from the Engineering, Science, and Business disciplines.?

According to Coursera, engineering students are trailing furthest behind in software engineering, statistical programming, and data management skills. According to Coursera, it would take an engineering student 48 days, or less than a semester on average to close the software engineering gap. The gap in the programming language is 28 days, and that of Web development is 19 days.

Obviously, companies are affected by the skill shortage. They want the right people at the right places.? But the scarcity of skilled people is making it a costly problem for the companies. This in turn affects the total supply chain of manpower where hiring, training, and retention are affected.

Coursera approached university professors and asked them about how they prepare their graduates for the job market. They described the approaches they take for their students to prepare for the industry from day one.

The University of Glasgow offers the students of the Public Health Program authentic assignments. In those assignments, students solve practical problems as part of their degree requirement. These are the tasks a graduate will be asked to do in her job. For example, a case study, research on a specific problem, or preparing a literature review on an important issue. Students master the theory in the university and when they solve real-life problems that enhance their learning. This experience makes them ready for the job.

Budapest Metropolitan University requires all of the students to attend a week-long workshop on team building, problem-solving, critical thinking, creative writing, communication, etc. at the beginning of each semester. These mandatory workshops or short courses help them acquire the necessary soft skills for a successful career. The university arranges the skill workshops according to the needs of the students. The freshmen and sophomores get the training on communication, team-building and the seniors need to attend the cv writing and job-interview workshops. Also, students get a chance to participate in an array of competitions.?

The skill gap compels companies to spend more money on training and education on top of their regular training programs. A greater collaboration of universities and industries is necessary to address the gap. Universities can align curriculum with market demand to ensure industry-ready graduates. This seems a good solution to reduce the skill gap and maintain competent graduates.