Universities Fail to Deliver – Students Left Holding the Bag

Marketing and Public Relations Undergraduate students are less prepared than ever to enter the workforce. As these two industries rapidly change so too should the education system that supplies the industry with the human resources to do the job. The education system has long been known as a slow turning ship, but it seems as though most universities have forgotten their primary job. Many talk about providing a high level of education for their students. Sure, that’s important. But how would you define a high level of education? Is it a seal of approval from an Ivy League school? As a hiring manager, I say no. The job of educational institutions is to provide us with the next generation of thought leaders. Which means that students need to learn complex problem solving and most importantly how to think for themselves. When you add in the recent shifts in the marketing and public relations industry, many recent graduates are entering the workforce and immediately figuring out that their shiny new education depreciates much like the value of a new car as you drive it off the lot. Of course, after paying thousands of dollars for their education, students are left scrambling to learn the latest and greatest on their own so they can get a job to pay back all of those student loans. If you are an educator challenge yourself and your students to raise the bar and get the most out of their educational experience.

What are the schools missing that the rest of are dying to hire?

• Millennials (Generation Y) That Get Relationships – This has long been the critical piece in the puzzle. That hasn’t changed, but the facilitation of relationships has. People expect you to be where they are, to connect with them, to hear them. Not vomit your marketing messaging on them, which parlays nicely into my second point.
• Millennials That Get Social Media – I’m not talking about avid Facebookers here, I’m talking about graduates that not only understand the tools of social media, but can apply it to our business to help develop relationships. As Chris Brogan, brilliantly stated at Web2.0, how can we extend experiences and relationships and how do we develop relationships that yield? They may not have all the answers as recent graduates, but if they are at least thinking about it they are leagues ahead.
• Millennials That Break the Rules- These are the students that can think for themselves, play devils advocate, and constantly challenge what doesn’t make sense. Good enough is never good enough. They try to solve problems and have a decent idea of how to execute their solution. They aren’t scared to speak up, but know how to do it professionally.

How can professors go beyond the syllabus and teach young students marketable skills?

1. Put Down the Textbook – Go beyond definitions; get your students reading business books with real world examples. Show them videos and blogs from influencers. Use tools like Skype to get these influencers talking to your students and asking questions.
2. Stop Vomiting Information – Standing in front of the room with a slide deck isn’t going to develop thought leaders it will develop clones and rebels. Facilitating a discussion on a topic is far more difficult, but it will allow students to start thinking for themselves and learn how to problem solve.
3. Let your Students Lead – Present your students with real-world problems that companies are facing and ask them to try and solve them. Guide their thought process, point out fallacies and easy answers, challenge them to do something new.
4. Educate Yourself – Go to industry conferences in your specialty. While I’m sure the conferences for educators are great, sitting and mingling with a crowd of business people will give you a whole new perspective on what companies are looking for that you can take right back to the classroom.