2. OVERVIEW
Millennials are expected to compose
the largest workforce in U.S. history.
But are they prepared?
In October 2013, Bentley University
commissioned KRC Research to conduct
the Millennial Preparedness Study to define
the preparedness gap that millennials face
in today’s workplace.
Insights from the study—which represents the
single most comprehensive survey on millennial
preparedness in the workplace—are helping
inform the PreparedU Project, a collaborative,
dialogue-driven initiative that seeks solutions
to the preparedness gap.
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3. THE RESEARCH
Do millennials feel prepared for their first job and career? Is the higher education
model successfully preparing graduates with the skills and experience they
need to be workforce-ready? What is the business community’s role in shaping
millennials’ success?
There’s an apparent preparedness gap between students, employers, and higher
education. That’s why we launched the PreparedU Project and partnered with
KRC Research to develop this groundbreaking study, which included:
KRC Research conducted 3,149 interviews among nine unique audiences. Fieldwork took place between October 17 and October 25, 2013.
The survey was conducted online and took an average of twenty-nine minutes to complete. The margin of sampling error for the total
sample is +/- 1.75 percent at the 95 percent confidence level, and is larger for the 9 audience sub-groups.
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4. DEFINING PREPAREDNESS
The preparedness gap exists in part because there is no common definition about what
preparedness is—and that gap is most evident between businesses and students.
HOW IS IT DEFINED?
WHAT IS PREPAREDNESS?
“Preparedness means having
the skills-based knowledge
necessary to do the job, but also
the discipline, maturity, and social
skills necessary to succeed.”
BUSINESS
DECISIONMAKER
24%
PARENT OF
A COLLEGE
STUDENT
“Having prior work
experience is a must. Helps the
individual gather a work ethic,
learn to work with others, and
with time management.”
EDUCATION
23%
SKILLS
17%
PERSONAL TRAITS
16%
15%
“A prepared graduate would come
out of college prepared to learn and
play their part of the team.”
PARENT OF A HIGH
SCHOOL STUDENT
EXPERIENCE
WORK ETHIC
10%
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OTHER

5. MEET THE STAKEHOLDERS
Each participant had their own story to tell.
Each has a unique perspective.
BUSINESS DECISION-MAKERS
Those with hiring influence for businesses
CORPORATE RECRUITERS
Those who actively recruit employees
HIGHER ED INFLUENTIALS
Those who influence curriculum in higher education
PARENTS OF STUDENTS
Those with one or more children who are currently
enrolled in a four-year accredited college or university
and parents of high school juniors or seniors
COLLEGE STUDENTS
Those who currently attend an
accredited four-year college or university
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
Those who are currently a junior or senior
RECENT COLLEGE GRADUATES
Those who graduated within the past five years
GENERAL POPULATION
Americans over the age of 18
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6. BUSINESS
DECISION-MAKERS
say work ethic
is part of the
definition of
preparedness.
Co-Founder,
Chief Creative Optimist,
Life is good
of business decision-makers give colleges and
universities a “C” or lower on preparing recent
college grads for their first jobs.
half
than
more
61%
One in five BDMs include
personal traits as part
of the definition of
preparedness.
41%
of business people
give even the grads
they have hired a
grade of “C” or lower
on being prepared.
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7. 61%
RECRUITERS
of corporate recruiters give
recent college graduates a
“C” on preparedness for
their first jobs.
say hard and soft
skills are equally
important for success
in the work force.
Only 9 percent give them an “A.”
Recruiter,
Hollister Staffing
68%
say that it’s difficult for their organization
to manage millennials.
62%
Six in 10 say they wish
students had developed
more soft skills in college.
say that retaining
millennials is an issue
for their organization.
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8. HIGHER ED
INFLUENTIALS
62%
give recent college grads a
“C” or lower on preparedness
for their first job, the fourth
highest of any audience.
Nine in 10 of higher ed influentials agree
it’s possible for colleges and universities to
increase efforts to help prepare students for
their first job without harming education
quality or raising tuition.
Higher education should provide quantifiable
outcomes, such as high job placement,
graduation rate and job retention rate.
% AGREE
Recent College Students
80%
High School Students
Professor, Bentley University
78%
Parents
76%
Corporate Recruiters
73%
Business Decision-Makers
71%
Higher Ed Influentials
64%
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9. Four in 10 strongly agree and 87 percent
strongly or somewhat agree that parents
should encourage their children to take
business courses because they teach skills
applicable to any career.
62%
PARENTS
of parents of college students believe
the education and preparation that
their son or daughter is gaining is
worth the cost. 38 percent disagree.
29% of parents of
college students give
their own child in
college a “C” or below.
Father of a high school student
63%
of parents of high
school and college
students give recent
grads a grade of
“C” or lower on
preparedness for
their first jobs.
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10. of college students give
recent college graduates
a grade of “C” or lower.
COLLEGE STUDENTS
of millennials believe that
older generations don’t
understand them.
41 percent of college
students give a grade of
“C” or lower to colleges
and universities on how
well they are preparing
recent college graduates
for their first job.
Student,
Berklee College of Music
Student, Boston College
of college students
are confident that
graduating from
college is a sign
that someone is
prepared to enter
the work force.
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11. HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
agree that it’s the role
of higher education to
provide outcomes like
job placement.
Three in four agree that a
college diploma is a sign
that someone is likely to
be successful in his or her
first job.
Student, Medford High School
agree that a skills
assessment test would
be useful to help figure
out their college major
and career path.
feel a college degree
guarantees success in life.
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12. RECENT COLLEGE GRADS
75%
agree that it’s the role
of higher education to
provide outcomes like
job placement.
Nearly four in 10 recent
college graduates grade
their OWN level of
preparedness as a
“C” or lower.
College Graduate,
St. Michael’s University
of recent college graduates say
that unpreparedness is a real
problem among their own cohort.
Recent college graduates blame their lack of
preparedness on:
60%
Themselves
42%
Their Colleges & Universities
Their High School
18%
Their Parents
15%
Businesses
13%
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13. SOLUTIONS
How can students, parents,
higher education and businesses
work together to close the gap?
It’s a team effort, after all.
Using research from the Bentley
Preparedness Study, we explore
four possible solutions to bridging
the preparedness gap.
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14. 16 SOLUTIONS WERE TESTED
AGREE
DISAGREE
Students must commit to being life-long
learners both inside the classroom and beyond.
94% 6%
College learning must incorporate and blend
together academics and hands-on learning.
94% 6%
Colleges need to incorporate cutting-edge
technology throughout their campuses to familiarize
their students with the latest tech capabilities
90% 10%
Colleges & universities must improve career services
by understanding what business look for in internships,
resumes, cover letters, and interviews.
87% 13%
Parents should encourage their children to
take business classes because they teach skills
that can be applied to any career.
86% 14%
Colleges and universities need to work harder at
defining proper fit for applicants via counseling
and/or skills and interests testing.
85% 15%
Business professionals enter the classroom as lecturers
to impart their real-world expertise to students.
85% 15%
Career services must begin freshman
year of college for all students.
85% 15%
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15. 16 SOLUTIONS WERE TESTED
AGREE
DISAGREE
Colleges and universities need to develop and implement
more programs to encourage women to pursue business
education & leadership opportunities.
84% 16%
Students must realize that a combination of business
skills and arts and sciences will help them land jobs and
advance throughout their career.
84% 16%
Internships need to be mandatory for students
in order to gain real-world experience.
82% 18%
Businesses should work with colleges/universities
to update and revise business curriculum.
78% 22%
Students must prepare to be “prepared” by beginning
their college career — on Day One — with a clear set of
goals and objectives for their education.
74% 26%
Colleges and universities need to integrate liberal arts and
business courses into a single curriculum.
70% 30%
Business classes should be mandatory in all colleges
and universities for all majors.
65% 35%
More students should go to graduate school to become
more prepared for their FIRST JOBS and their careers.
61% 39%
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16. SOLUTIONS
ROLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Colleges and universities need to
combine academics with hands-on
learning and technology.
PROFESSOR PERSPECTIVE
SOLUTIONS IN ACTION
Colleges Need to Help
Kids Hit the Ground
Running
Internships:
Career 101 Training
agree that college
learning must
incorporate and
blend together
academics and
hands-on learning.
“Higher education
should ensure
that graduates have
problem solving and
communication skills,
and strive to instill
critical thinking
and responsible
citizenship.”
of higher education
influentials strongly
agree and that
they are a part
of the solution.
Professor, Bentley University
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17. SOLUTIONS
ROLE OF PARENTS
Parents should play an active role in encouraging
their children to take business classes.
SOLUTIONS IN ACTION
Reasons Why You Should
Consider Business
Degrees For Your Child
Prep Your Kids For A Life
of Change
85%
PARENT PERSPECTIVE
“It’s one thing to
educate a child with
facts and figures. I am
trying to teach my son
to seek understanding—
use rational thinking,
ask smart questions
and encouragement to
challenge himself.”
of all respondents strongly
or somewhat agree that as
a solution, parents should
encourage their children to
take business classes because
they teach skills applicable to
any career.
Father of a high school student
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18. SOLUTIONS
ROLE OF BUSINESS
Businesses should partner with colleges and
universities in developing business curricula while
imparting “real-world expertise” to students.
SOLUTIONS IN ACTION
Mazda Works with
Students to Improve
Customer Experience
Ernst & Young Transforms
Curriculum to Reflect
Industry Trends
87%
of total respondants
think businesses
need to work with
higher education
to improve career
services.
BUSINESS DECISION-MAKER PERSPECTIVE
Four in 10 Business
Decision-Makers
agree strongly they
should do their part
and work with higher
education to provide
students with realworld advice.
“The millennials
that we’re hiring
today measure and
weigh—very heavily—
the meaning behind their
work, as opposed to
the salary, schedule
or benefits.”
Co-Founder,
Chief Creative Optimist, Life is good
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19. SOLUTIONS
ROLE OF STUDENTS
Students must commit to being life-long learners
both inside the classroom and beyond.
SOLUTIONS IN ACTION
Commit to Adopting
Technology
Hard-Won Lessons for
Those Starting a Career
of students and recent
college graduates agree
that they are putting the
onus on themselves to
be prepared.
RECRUITER PERSPECTIVE
“My advice to
students? Work
hard, always use
good judgment and
seek mentorship…
be humble, it will
pay off.”
of higher education
influentials strongly
agree with this solution.
Recruiter, Hollister Staffing
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20. GET INVOLVED
These eight individuals have lent
their faces and voices to our project.
From college grads to corporate
recruiters, each has a unique role in
finding solutions to the preparedness
gap. While their voices are heard here,
yours is just as important.
Tell us what preparedness
means to you.
Here are a few thought starters:
Did you feel prepared for your first job after college?
What about your career?
How does the preparedness problem impact you?
What piece of advice would you give to educators as
they prepare a new generation for the work force?
How can businesses help?
JOIN THE CONVERSATION. FOLLOW @BENTLEYU