SKILLS NEEDED IN THE 21st CENTURY WORKPLACE: A COMPARISON OF FEEDBACK FROM UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS ALUMNI AND EMPLOYERS WITH A NATIONAL STUDY

The purpose of this research was to determine what skills alumni from Richard Stockton College of New Jersey (RSC) and regional employers think are important for the workplace. The results of the RSC study were compared to results from the report, College Learning for the New Global Century, sponsored by the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Managing time, speaking/oral communications skills, and having strong interpersonal skills were in the top five skills identified by both employers and alumni of The Richard Stockton College. A statistically significant greater percentage of employers who participated in the study commissioned by the Association of American Colleges and Universities identified knowledge of global issues as being an essential learning outcome compared with the employers and alumni surveyed in the RSC study who identified knowledge of global issues as being a very important or important skill for the workplace. The lower priority given to global issues and international perspectives by employers and alumni in this study may have been due to the location of their workplaces. Respondents to the surveys were located primarily in the central and southern areas of New Jersey where industries and corporations had a regional rather than an international focus. Faculty in the School of Business should consider incorporating those skills identified as important or very important by the majority of alumni and employers into the curriculum as well as emphasizing global issues in their courses.