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Not long after arriving to the new country, the Puritans saw the need to establish an educational institution for their sons to prepare for the ministry.
Harvard was founded on September 8, 1636, in Cambridge, MA. It is the oldest American learning institution.

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William and Mary, Yale, Princeton,  Rutgers, University of Pennsylvania, etc. followed Harvard with basically the same ideology and the same culture. Students were as young as 14 yrs. old and qualified professors were hard to find.

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As the country and higher education system took shake there was unrest, rebellion, and defiance of the old ways. The country had its political challenges and the same spirit spilled over to the colleges. Young men, many sons of the founding fathers, displayed the same spirit of questioning authority. But, the underlying factor was a need for change.

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Movements like the Age of Enlightenment and the Great Awakenings gave license to the people to think for themselves after centuries of darkness. The enlightenment movement pushed the boundaries of thought and reason, while doing away with a belief in God. The awakenings inspired many to have a personal relationship with Jesus and revived faith. Many denominations were born and with them, the establishment of religious colleges.

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After the Civil War, colleges in the South were war-torn and needed help rebuilding. The government stepped in to help rebuild the schools.  The Morrill Act, which granted land to schools to help them financially if the offered agriculture and engineering studies, opened the door to many more students. The demographics continued changing and education no longer belonged to only the elite.

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Colleges were established and would meet the needs of many.  The first schools tried to hang on to a classical education; the land-grant colleges tried to meet the needs of the agriculture sector; the community colleges covered the needs of those whom had to stay close to home.  The government saw the need to provide public education for children.  As the country evolved and found an identity so did our higher education institutions.

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The work and dedication of those before us is seen throughout the decades. Change swept in as the needs, attitudes, demographics, and leadership transformed.
A glimpse of the famous Yale Report of 1828 gives insight of the thoughts and feelings of those who dedicated their life to educating young minds. Their eloquent response in defense of a liberal education and of holding high standards in American higher education gives a glimpse of what those before us worked to attain.

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Since the 1980s, obtaining a college degree has been encouraged.  Teachers, counselors, and parents have instilled in young people that the natural progression after high school is college.  "In 1937, just 15 percent of high school students went on to higher education..." (Hanford, 2011, para. 1).  Most jobs did not require a degree; today, 60 percent of employers require a bachelors with a growing preference for a masters. (Hanford, 2011).

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Six years ago, obtaining a college degree was a must. The trend was that higher degrees were to be desired. But, now in 2017, it appears things may have changed. Employers like Google do not care if their hires have a college degree.  "They look past academic credentials for other characteristics that better predict job performance" (Newman, 2017. para 4). What seems to be more important than a four-year degree is the skill set needed to perform. "As these graduates enter the workforce and reveal that they do not have the required skills to excel in their jobs, employers are beginning to discount the degree signal as well" (Newman, 2017, para. 4)

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The question looming over many in higher education, employers, and politicians is whether students are being adequately prepared for the workforce.   The question is asked of both the community colleges and the four-year universities.  The answer to that question, for many is a resounding "no."  First of all, there are many students majoring in areas with no links to the labor market like Humanities and Philosophy.  (Hora, 2017). Second, students who learn the information in their area of interest may have all the book knowledge that is available, but almost useless if they do not know how to apply it or use it.

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In a report by MoneyWatch in 2016, many employers shared that new graduates are not ready for the workplace.  Graduates are lacking critical thinking skills, attention to details, writing skills, and public speaking skills. (Berr, 2016). Hiring managers are seeing that graduates are missing:
communication skills, leadership, ownership, and teamwork. "Younger people defer to a quick text or Snapchat rather than a phone conversation or letter," says Katie Bardaro, vice president of PayScale (Dishman, 2016, pg. 1).

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There is an obvious disconnect with obtaining knowledge and applying it.  When several employers from Wisconsin were asked what skills they are looking for in their employees they confirmed they are not looking for stand-alone skill sets.  "Instead, they are part of a larger whole that comprise a person's habits of thinking, behaving, and problem-solving, or what one electronics instructor called 'habits of mind' that he was trying to cultivate in his students." (Hora, 2017, para. 18).
The needs involve "inter- and intra-personal competencies as employers desire skills technicians who can also communicate, work in teams, and adapt to new situations" (Hora, 2017, para. 19).

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The issues present have unfolded over time, but especially in the last two decades with the boom in technology. Many young people forfeit human encounters for short, impersonal encounters via technology much to the detriment of their social and communication skills.
Liberal education opened many areas of study "not relevant for the workplace" with majors in the arts and humanities that do not prepare students for the labor market (Hora, 2017).  While these may be perceived as good contributors to our society and education, we are now seeing the negative results.
A huge push for college degrees has left a gaping hole in the trades. Because a college degree is considered more prestigious, and because the natural progression after graduation is to go to college, the trades have been pushed to one side.

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For some time, many have argued in favor of a change to the traditional lecture mode of teaching.  The call is for classroom instruction to have more "hands-on, active, and engaged form of teaching and learning" (Hora, 2017, para. 25).
Besides active learning, there is a need for work-based learning in the form of apprenticeships and internships (Hora, 2017).
In June of 2017, President Trump signed an executive order for a Task Force to "identify strategies and proposals to promote apprenticeships" (Exec. Order No. 13801, 2017). President Trump further states "apprenticeships provide paid, relevant workplace experiences and opportunities to develop skills that employers value" (pg. 1).

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A generation that cannot communicate will be disastrous.  Good communication is needed to avoid miscommunication.  The art of personal touch, with eye contact, body language, and an opportunity to show compassion is needed in every aspect of our existence.
If we do not start encouraging students to pursue trade careers, our country will experience a shortage in electricians, plumbers, other much needed trades.
Lastly, millions of Americans will continue to be underemployed or stuck in low paying jobs because of job mismatch (Lennon, 2014).

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This trend will impact the Student Learning and Development.
Because certain skills are missing in these new graduates, the learning goals and outcomes need to be critically analyzed.  Changes in instruction modes and in curriculum must emphasize more soft skills embedded in the  course learning objectives.  The soft skills should be conjoined to the program knowledge so the skills can engrained in one element.
This is the competency that can make the necessary impact on fulfilling what employers desire from new graduates.

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Berr, J. (Writer). (2016, May 17). Employers: new college grads aren't ready for workplace. MoneyWatch. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/employers-new-college-grads-arent-ready-for-workplace/.
Dishman, L.  (2016, May 17).  These are the biggest skills that new graduates lack.  Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/3059940/these-are-the-biggest-skills-that-new-graduates-lack.
Exec. Order No. 13801, 3 C.F.R. 82 (2017).
Hanford, E. (2011). The value of a college degree.  Retrieved from http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/tomorrows-college/dropouts/value-of-college-degree.html.
Hanford, E. (2011).  Quitting college.  Retrieved from http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/tomorrows-college/dropouts/value-of-college-degree.html.
Hora, M. (2017, February 1).  Beyond the skills gap.  National Association of Colleges and Employers. Retrieved from http://www.naceweb.org/career-readiness/trends-and-predictions/beyond-the-skills-gap/.
Lennon, C. (2014).  Lack of skilled workers threatens economic growth.  U.S. News. Retrieved from https://www.usnews.com/news/stem-solutions/articles/2014/10/30/lack-of-skilled-workers-threatens-economic-growth-in-stem-fields.
Newman, J. (2017, June 15). Four reasons why college degrees are becoming useless.  Retrieved from http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/article/four-reasons-why-college-degrees-are-becoming-useless.

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This is a great short video with helpful tips to engage the millennials in the workforce. It does not directly relate to this assignment, but it helps us learn more about this generation.

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5 Important Moves to Engage Millennials in eLearning

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Which are the learning habits of Millennials and how can you inspire them and keep them engaged in eLearning? Discover 5 useful tips towards helping them achieve their learning goals!