Why Education Is Everyone’s Business教育是大家的事兒

格雷戈里·克勞福德 王勣

In 1967， more than 85% of students said their college education was important for “developing a meaningful philosophy of life，” according to a report by the Higher Education Research Institute. That number dropped below 40% in 2003， while “being very well off financially” soared. According to the Career Leadership Collectives 2020 National Alumni Career Mobility Survey， the top motivations to pursue a bachelors degree were “career success，” “financial gain” and “career aspiration requirement.” Aspiring college students and their families are looking for career success as a return on their investment.

In my experience and observation as the president of a university， current students generally reject the dichotomy of meaningful lives versus financial success. They seek connection and integration of work and life， just as many companies have adopted a triple bottom line that considers people and the planet alongside financial success.

I believe most students career goals and aspirations are congruent with higher educations historic mission to empower reflective， productive， liberated individuals who positively elevate others. But this approach calls for extensive collaboration with the business community that not only understands its workforce needs but also benefits most from graduates equipped to be effective contributors immediately. I describe the steps of this process as explore， prepare and connect. Business participation is vital at every stage.

Explore

From day one of their college exper-ience， students should pursue structured opportunities to learn about various careers and global workforce needs while they consider their skills， abilities， interests and passions. This exploration aims to identify options where careers align with personal ambitions and fields that will help guide the students major， minor， elective courses and other choices during college. Successful exploration includes the elimination of some options as the student learns more about themselves and careers. The critical thinking skills required for such deliberation and decision-making are part of the educational experience—habits that will ele-vate their lives， including their career.

To help， universities can provide students with career assessment instruments and employment outlook resources designed for interest-career matching. Students should engage career advisors and mentors early and often， in addition to their academic advisors， rather than waiting until their junior or senior year after they have declared a major （a common trend Ive observed in the past）. Universities can also connect students with alumni in considered fields to discuss their careers and help students explore options and opportunities.

Business leaders can welcome students conducting such exploration and offer conversations about career and job-shadowing1 opportunities where the student can witness the work in real life and real-time.

Prepare

Students must prepare to engage the workplace—no matter what career they wish to pursue—to present themselves effectively to potential employers and in their specific field by mastering the knowledge， skills and broader qualifications for a career.

In the past， I found preparation often meant acquiring a fixed set of information and technical capabilities that could be the foundation of success from ones first job to retirement. In a far more dynamic world and workplace， accelerated by the lessons of a global pandemic， I believe preparation includes intangible mindsets and habits， such as openness， optimism， empathy， teamwork and the agility to pivot from failure to success. Universities should strive to shape a certain kind of person， not just a certain skillset： someone who is empowered to succeed in life and career.

To help students engage the workplace more practically， universities can assist students on how to develop a professional résumé， prepare cover letters and create an effective social media presence and personal brand. Universities can also establish co-curricular certifications to help students upskill beyond their academic majors. This could include business acumen2， design thinking， innovation and creativity certificates， for example， that may benefit all students and， in particular， those in non-business majors.

Businesses can help students prepare with activities like mock interviews that include non-obvious or challenging questions conducted by seasoned recruiters. Organizations can also share insights on the best approach to their particular industry. Looking for an internship or job in accounting， for example， is different from looking for a position in education.

Connect

The past view that the diploma is the ticket to a persons first job might no longer be accurate today. From my perspective， the value of networking goes beyond the cynical， “Its not what you know; its who you know.” Instead， I believe its more a matter of who knows the student than whom the student knows. This personal component highlights the fact that modern success requires more than interchangeable quantified skillsets. Far from a cog in the machine3， an employee is paid to think， problem-solve， devise effective processes and work well in teams with diverse backgrounds and expertise. Higher education can help instill the cultural competency， entrepreneurial initiative， innovation， empathy and collegiality that make life and work more meaningful and career accomplishments more satisfying.

Universities can foster this kind of connection by hosting career fairs and organizing internships， research experiences and other hands-on activ-ities in real-world settings. They can partner with companies for projects that have an immediate impact where both students and faculty can keep up with emerging areas. They can bring business leaders into the classroom for informal networking events to share their experiences and wisdom.

Businesses are vital collaborators for this level of students development. Leaders can find creative ways to expand engagement as well. In addition to C-suite executives for campus visits and recruiters for career fairs， company researchers can be involved in classroom projects， and company managers can oversee internships.

The world and the workplace look very different than they did in the past—and they will continue to change. Universities must adapt in order to thrive in this dynamic environment， and close engagement with businesses is essential for success. A college campus is no longer an isolated place where students spend four years before they are handed off to the workforce. Career exploration， preparation and connection are necessary for students， universities， businesses and societies to flourish at their fullest potential， personally and professionally.

1967年，根據(jù)高等教育研究所的一份報告，超過85%的學生表示，他們的大學教育對“形成有意義的人生觀”很重要。2003年，這一數(shù)字下降到40%以下，而認為大學教育實現(xiàn)“經(jīng)濟富足”的人數(shù)卻猛增。職業(yè)領導力集團“2020年全國校友職業(yè)流動性調查”顯示，攻讀學士學位的三大動機是“職業(yè)成功”“經(jīng)濟收益”和“職業(yè)抱負需求”。有抱負的大學生尋求事業(yè)成功，他們的家人也希望教育投資獲得回報。

根據(jù)我作為一所大學校長的經(jīng)驗和觀察，現(xiàn)在的學生往往拒絕將有意義的生活和經(jīng)濟上的成功一分為二。他們追求工作和生活的密不可分，就如同許多公司采用了三重底線原則，將財務目標與人類和地球的福祉放在一起考慮。

我相信，大多數(shù)學生的職業(yè)目標和抱負與高等教育的歷史使命是一致的，即賦能于善于反思、卓有成就的自由個體，而這些個體積極幫助他人提升。但這種教育模式需要與商界開展廣泛的合作，商界不僅了解它的勞動力需求，也從那些能夠立即成為有效勞動力的畢業(yè)生身上受益最大。我將這一過程描述為職業(yè)探索、職業(yè)準備和建立關系。這一過程中每一個階段，企業(yè)的參與都至關重要。

職業(yè)探索

從大學生活的第一天起，學生就應該結合自己的技能、能力、興趣和愛好，積極參與學校安排的實習項目，來了解各種職業(yè)和全球勞動力的需求。這一探索旨在確定職業(yè)選擇和專業(yè)領域，職業(yè)的確定要與個人抱負一致，專業(yè)的確定則有助于指導學生在大學期間主修、輔修、選修等各項學習內(nèi)容。成功的探索包括學生對自己和自身職業(yè)有了更多的了解之后，放棄一些選擇。這種深思熟慮和做出決策所需要的思辨技能是教育體驗的一部分，這將提升他們的生活質量，包括職業(yè)生涯。

大學可以為學生提供職業(yè)評估工具和就業(yè)前景資源，這些工具和資源是為匹配興趣和職業(yè)而設計的。學生們除了向學業(yè)導師請教之外，應盡早且經(jīng)常向職業(yè)顧問和導師咨詢，而不是等到大學三年級或四年級選擇專業(yè)以后再這樣做（這是我過去觀察到的一種常見趨勢）。大學還可以幫助學生與就業(yè)意向領域里的校友建立聯(lián)系，討論職業(yè)生涯規(guī)劃，幫助學生探求各種選擇和機會。

商界領袖會歡迎進行這種職業(yè)探索的學生，并能夠提供職業(yè)和見習機會的交流，讓學生在現(xiàn)實生活中實時體驗工作。

職業(yè)準備

學生們必須為工作做好準備——無論他們希望從事什么職業(yè)——通過掌握職業(yè)知識和職業(yè)技能，獲取更多樣的職業(yè)資格，向特定領域的潛在雇主有效展示自我。

在過去，我發(fā)現(xiàn)職業(yè)準備往往意味著掌握一套固定的信息和技能，這可能是一個人從第一份工作到退休獲得成功的基礎。世界日新月異，職場風云變幻，而全球大流行病加速了這些變化;我相信，職業(yè)準備包括無形的心態(tài)和習慣，比如開放、樂觀、同理心、團隊合作，以及從失敗轉向成功的靈活性。大學應該努力塑造一種特定的人，使他們有能力在生活和事業(yè)上取得成功，而不僅僅是培訓某些技能。

為了幫助學生更有效地進入職場，大學可以指導學生撰寫求職簡歷，準備求職信，創(chuàng)建有效的社交媒體形象和個人品牌。大學還可以推出輔助課程認證，幫助學生提高專業(yè)以外的技能，例如商業(yè)頭腦、設計思維、創(chuàng)新和創(chuàng)造力方面的認證，這些證書可能會讓所有學生受益，特別是那些非商業(yè)專業(yè)的學生。

企業(yè)可以幫助學生準備模擬面試等活動，由經(jīng)驗豐富的招聘者提出有深度或具挑戰(zhàn)性的問題。相關組織還可以分享進入其特定行業(yè)最佳辦法的見解。例如，尋找會計行業(yè)的實習或工作與尋找教育領域的職位是不同的。

建立關系

過去認為文憑是一個人第一份工作的敲門磚，現(xiàn)在看來，這一觀點可能不再正確。在我看來，人脈的價值超越了這一玩世不恭的論調：“重要的不是你知道什么，而是你認識誰?！毕喾吹兀艺J為重點在于誰認識這個學生，而不是這個學生認識誰。個人的因素凸顯了這樣一個事實，即現(xiàn)代成功需要的不僅僅是可互換的量化技能組合。員工絕不是無足輕重的人，而是被支付薪水去思考、解決問題、設計有效的流程，并在具有不同背景和專業(yè)知識的團隊中很好地工作。高等教育有助于培養(yǎng)文化能力、創(chuàng)業(yè)主動性、創(chuàng)新精神、同理心和合作精神，從而讓生活和工作更加有意義，使職業(yè)成就更令人滿意。

大學可以通過舉辦招聘會，組織實習、調研和其他實踐活動來培養(yǎng)這種產(chǎn)學研關系。它們可以與公司合作，開展效果立竿見影的項目，讓學生和教職員工都能跟上新興領域的步伐。它們可以邀請商業(yè)領袖走進教室，參加非正式的社交活動，分享他們的經(jīng)驗和智慧。

對于學生在這個層次上的發(fā)展，企業(yè)是大學至關重要的合作者。領導者也可以找到富有創(chuàng)意的辦法來加強學生實習的參與度。除了校園訪問的企業(yè)高管和招聘會的招聘人員外，公司研究人員還可以參與課堂研究項目，公司經(jīng)理可以監(jiān)督實習。

如今的世界和職場看上去與過去大不相同了——它們會繼續(xù)改變。大學必須適應，才能在這個不斷變化的環(huán)境中茁壯成長，而與企業(yè)的密切聯(lián)系是成功的關鍵。大學校園不再是學生被送入職場前與世隔絕四年的孤島。就個人和職業(yè)發(fā)展來看，職業(yè)探索、職業(yè)準備和建立關系對于學生、大學、企業(yè)和社會發(fā)揮最大潛力是必不可少的。

1 job-shadowing影子實習，指新手跟著有經(jīng)驗的員工觀察、學習一段時間，了解如何完成工作中的各項具體任務。

2 business acumen商業(yè)頭腦。

3 a cog in the machine（大機構中的）小職員;不可或缺但無足輕重的人，小人物。