The AI Skill Gap in Higher Education Still Needs to Be Bridged

College goers have reported an AI skill gap in their education and it’s worth exploring the implications of such an issue. A recent study by Cengage Group found that while a large number of recent graduates said their education had equipped them with the skills they needed for their first jobs, more than half of them stated they weren’t prepared for the increasing use of generative AI. Artificial intelligence has grown in importance within workplaces across the globe, and GenAI career readiness is a key consideration when hiring talent with the aim for long-term retention. 

If recent grads feel their AI readiness is below par, employers might have to take AI training into their own hands in order to support the proliferation of such skills within their organization. 

Image: Pexels

Is there an AI-sized Skill Gap in Our Education Systems?

The Cengage Group 2024 Graduate Employability Report released in July, has made out some important trends in education and its relevance to the workforce. According to the study, 73 percent of new grads stated their education was worth the cost compared to the 52 percent who felt the same last year. Only 23 percent of them expressed regret over their education choice compared to 30 percent in 2023, and these numbers suggest that recent grads are becoming more satisfied with the decision to pursue their education and see value in their degree. 

This is surprising considering other recent reports suggested that more and more Americans were predicting a decline in the value of a college degree. An earlier study by the Pew Research Center found that many Americans believed that a college degree was no longer as significant as it was 20 years ago. That study also found that those who completed their college education were more likely to consider it valuable so it does add up when you consider that the participants in the Cengage study were all recent graduates. 

The shift in the attitude could be due to the increase in training in favor of in-demand workforce skills that are helping graduates find work. 

Higher Education Helps Develop Workplace Skills

Around 57 percent of the grads reported that their colleges and training programs provided them with the skills needed to perform their first professional jobs. The respondents of the Cengage Group study stated that their education institutions were now providing work-related learning opportunities and creating courses that better aligned with the skills necessary for their future roles. Other forms of learning included resume reviews, mock interviews, and workplace etiquette training, and these students were also able to benefit from mentorship programs and networking events. 

These advances are great to see and should motivate more students to pursue a higher degree as a means to prepare themselves for joining the workforce. The real question here though is whether college education helps with AI readiness. Within the workforce, there is a prominent AI skill gap in most workers’ educations, which makes it harder for them to find work considering 58 percent of employers are looking to interview and hire those who have experience with AI.

Interestingly 48 percent of graduates reported that their institutions had provided them with courses on how to use GenAI applications which is a good number, but considering the importance of generative AI in the workplace, there is still a lot of work to be done in preparing the workforce for the evolving nature of the workplace. With 62 percent of employers expecting candidates to have some foundational knowledge of AI tools, there is a growing demand for those experienced with AI.

Employers Might Have to Step in and Bridge the AI Skill Gap in Their Workers’ Education

If a college education could guarantee AI readiness, then most of the graduating candidates would have nothing to work about, as finding work would be simple enough considering the dearth of AI experience among workers. However, this will require a significant shift in the mindset of institutions as many of them discourage the use of any form of AI.

This approach is largely prompted by students’ tendency to use AI for college coursework, which blocks any real learning from occurring. Outside of this specific issue, institutions will eventually have to shift their syllabus and courses to orient towards GenAI career readiness to equip their students with the necessary skills fully.

Until grad students come with AI readiness already equipped in their arsenal, it will fall to employers to set up systems to train new workers on the basics of AI. Hiring from a limited pool of candidates can become very competitive and time-consuming, which means they will have to set up quite an extensive hiring system to find the right candidate for each role. Other applicants who are a perfect fit excluding the AI-based skill gap in their education, will be left waiting in the job market as a result. 

If GenAI career readiness is not something that can be found organically just yet, employers can benefit greatly from hiring internally and making the most of experienced candidates in-house. Once that’s done, these employees will be in a better position to help with the upskilling of incoming employees who have completed their higher education and have all the other workplace skills necessary to adapt to their roles quickly. 

The post The AI Skill Gap in Higher Education Still Needs to Be Bridged appeared first on The HR Digest.

Source: New feed