Is High School Meant to Be Job Training? 🎓🦅
Apparently, it isn't working...
A recent survey of hiring managers exposed a collective option that few high school graduates are prepared to enter the workforce straight from school. Should that be considered a bad thing? But first the news…
COLLEGE NEWS
No reset like a tuition reset: While the the national discount rate for first-time, full-time undergraduates at private colleges recently rose to over 56%, many applicants are still intimidated by high sticker prices. That’s why schools like Whitworth University have been resetting–AKA slashing by half–their costs of attendance. We can only hope more schools feel ready for a reset.
International admission overhype? One U.S. political party has been relentlessly attacking both students from abroad seeking American higher education and the institutions that admit them. But are international students crowding local kids out of college? The data suggest otherwise.
To virtue, knowledge for free: Smith College announced The Next 150 Pledge: free tuition for families earning less than $150k. For all other families that qualify for aid, Smith will meet need with no loans. There’s just one catch: you have to get into Smith. ;)
🏆 December SAT & ACT dates are approaching quickly! If you’re not already working with a prep expert, prep with me and my team at Chariot Learning!
BIG IDEA
High school graduates more concerned about economics than education tend to favor options that lead to more immediate payoffs ranging from trade school or apprenticeship to military service to just entering the work force. Those who instead enter higher ed may be cash-negative for a while and maybe even incur substantial (or crippling) debt but ultimately outstrip their peers in terms of lifetime earnings. In most instances, though, high schoolers fully expect to enter professional life sooner or later.
Are they ready, though?
Maybe not, or at least that’s the gist of the new report, The New Hire Readiness Report 2025: Insights from Hiring Managers on Entry-Level Workforce Preparedness. This joint study from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and College Board surveyed 500 hiring managers nationwide, most of whom have low regard for the work readiness of current high school graduates:
Four in five (84%) surveyed hiring managers agree that most high school students are not prepared to enter the workforce.
A strong majority (80%) agree that current high school graduates are less prepared to enter the workforce compared to previous generations.
These hiring managers cite trade schools (40%) and 4-year colleges (37%) as ways to acquire early-career skills.
The vast majority (92%) said there should be more business courses in high school.
The last point certainly explains College Board’s participation in this study, considering the recent announcement of the new AP Career Kickstart program featuring offerings in AP Business with Personal Finance and AP Cybersecurity.
That said, this report may not provide as much incentive for students to adopt these new AP courses as College Board thinks. Generally, AP courses are taken by college-bound students, whereas those planning to stream right into the workforce focus on more practical vocational-technical programs.
Also, the interviewed hiring managers also promoted soft-skills such as critical thinking and communication (which should be on the informal syllabus at any high school) and real-world experience (which is tough to earn when in class). But insights like these–as thin as they are–can help inform ways for faculty and staff to better support the inevitable entrance of their graduates into the work world. Just don’t give up on the education part in favor of job training!
NAME THAT SCHOOL
Think you know a lot about colleges? Try to guess this institution of higher education. (Find the answer at the end of the newsletter.)
Founded in 1867 under the Morrill Act to provide agricultural and mechanical education
This R1 research institution leads in fields like energy, neuroscience, and forensics
The school’s Health Sciences Center plays a vital role in delivering care to rural communities across its state.
Home to one of the only Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) systems in the U.S.—a fully automated mini-monorail that connects different parts of campus on-demand.
The school’s buckskin-clad mascot carries a real rifle that fires blanks at games.
APPLICATION ACTION STEPS
🎓 Understand why you should fill out the FAFSA.
🎓 Look at which schools slight the Common Data Set.
🎓 Learn how to complete the Education section of the Common App.
🎓 Consider how parents can support rather than derail the admissions process.
HOTLINE
Do you have any burning questions to ask or want to share an issue, article, or resource our readers should know about? Dial up the College Eagle hotline through this easy form. We appreciate you!
NAME THAT SCHOOL ANSWER
Kicking things off with the WVU rallying cry of “Let’s Go!” the president of West Virginia University recently delivered the school’s first State of the University address. Go, Mountaineers!