Recent graduates who went directly into the workforce also say they weren’t prepared for the workforce.

Many graduates are surprised to find out that they don’t have the necessary skills and knowledge to be successful at a well-paying job. Most say they would have worked harder and wish more had been expected of them in high school.

• High school graduates are not ready to meet the demands of their employers:
• Only 14 percent of high school graduates in the workforce are confident that they are generally able to do what is expected. (Achieve)
• 54 percent of those who didn’t go to college told Public Agenda that high school teachers made it easy to do just enough to get by. (Public Agenda)
• 48 percent of those without a college degree say their high school teachers and classes should have done a lot more to prepare them for college-level work or the workplace. (Public Agenda)

• Students do not have the skills necessary to succeed on the job:
• Nearly 40 percent say that there are large gaps in at least one subject or skill area. (Achieve)
• More than half feel that there are some gaps in their science preparation. (Achieve)
• Nearly half say that there are gaps in their oral communication skills, 45 percent struggle with research and nearly 40 percent feel they are not producing the kind of writing expected of them. (Achieve)
• Nearly half (49 percent) of all non-college bound students say that high school left them unprepared for the work habits expected in the workforce. Additionally, 45 percent say they have gaps in the computer skills expected of them. (Achieve)

• Students who faced high expectations and took challenging courses in high school are better prepared than others:
• 75 percent of workers who did a great deal of writing in high school feel well prepared for the quality of writing expected in the workforce. (Achieve)
• 72 percent of non-college bound students who faced high expectations in high school feel that they are well prepared for the expectations of the workforce, whereas only 36 percent of those who faced low expectations say the same. (Achieve)
• Among graduates in the workforce, those who faced low expectations are 14 percent more likely to say that they are not on a path to get the kind of job they hope to have in five to 10 years than are students who faced high expectations (42 percent versus 28 percent). (Achieve)
• Workers who took Algebra II or higher are even more likely to say they are prepared for the math they will face at work, as 68 percent who took the course feel prepared for the math they are expected to do at work. (Achieve)

• Non-college bound graduates could have worked harder and now recognize the need for higher education:
• Almost 80 percent of those without a college degree could have paid a lot more attention and worked harder in high school. (Public Agenda)
• Knowing what they know today, if non-college students could do high school over again, 72 percent would take more challenging courses. (Achieve)
• More than four out of five (84 percent) graduates not currently in college believe that they will need more formal education or training to achieve what they hope for in life. More than half (52 percent) say they plan to attend college within the next year, and another 26 percent plan to take classes sometime further down the road. (Achieve)
• Knowing what they know today about the working world, 77 percent of respondents would have worked harder and applied themselves more. (Achieve)
• If high schools raised standards, graduates say they would be able to meet them. Eighty percent say that they would have worked harder if their schools had demanded more of students, set higher academic standards, and raised expectations of how much coursework and studying would be necessary to earn a diploma. (Achieve)

• Coursework needs to be more relevant to the real world:
• 97 percent of non-college students say that providing opportunities for real-world learning and making coursework more relevant would improve things, including 76 percent who say that this would improve things a great deal. Ninety-five percent of employers agree, including 49 percent who say this would improve things a great deal. (Achieve)