Closing the Skills Gap With Dynamic Partnerships

AACSB brought together Deloitte and Quinnipiac University School of Business to analyze skills gaps and explore solutions through focus groups involving diverse participants, including recent graduates and frontline managers. Here are some key insights from the study:

• A disconnect exists between the skills employers seek and the qualifications of recent graduates due to rapid technological advancements, evolving industry demands, and shifting educational paradigms.
• Employers are increasingly considering nontraditional candidates without college degrees, although a degree remains a key pathway to financial success and signals foundational knowledge for innovation.
• The specific skills that employers find lacking are not always clear, nor are actionable steps for stakeholders—including employers, educators, and students—to bridge the gap.
• Addressing the skills gap requires moving beyond a traditional approach of training, placing, and retaining talent, instead emphasizing adaptable education and robust partnerships across industries.
• Dynamic partnerships that align education with industry needs can enhance productivity, foster innovation, drive economic resilience, and improve wages and living standards in an ever-changing labor market.