Slow employment growth after the "Great Recession" of 2008 has been blamedby employers on the mismatch between their needs and the skills held by jobapplicants. This has led to fears that recent college graduates might become a"lost generation" unable to advance in the current economic climate. Recent yearshave seen the convergence of two demographic trends. First has been a shift in thenation’s economy from dependence on the conversion of raw materials to goodsto a knowledge age dependent on the conversion of data to valuable information.Second has been the arrival of the "millennial" generation in higher education andthe workplace. Employers in today’s economic climate prefer adaptable employeeswith thinking, communication, innovation, and process skills over those withfocused job-based training. However, today’s college students want explicit rulesto govern their decisions and expect grades based on work quantity instead ofquality. Three Mason faculty and staff with experience and research expertise instudent learning, generational characteristics, and career services will discusshow faculty can help students develop the skills they will need in the workplace.
Underemployment in the Early Careers of College Graduates Following the Great Recession