Better Preparation Is Needed For Success - 2087 Words

Better Preparation is Needed for Success in Higher Education Laura L. Criddle Siena Heights University Better Preparation is Needed for Success in Higher Education There is a growing concern for the level of preparedness students moving on to college achieve either through high school or entry level courses. A study prepared by Greene and Winters (2005) found nationally only 34% of the students who graduated from high school were found to be college ready. This indicates two thirds of the student body enrolled in college lack the essential skills necessary to move on to their career study of choice. This can present a difficult scenario for technical instructors who may now need to teach outside of their scope of†¦show more content†¦The challenges facing these students may be compounded exponentially if they are working fulltime jobs which may leave very little time for additional core course studies. The lack of college readiness is also of growing concern due to the increasing demand for technically trained individuals.  "The U.S. Department of Labor projections indicate that nearly 50% of all new jobs created between 2008 and 2018 will require some form of postsecondary award or training† (Shultz and Stern, 2013, p. #). Changes in technical skills demanded in the work place today have created fast paced and industry specific courses which leave very little time to address core competency deficiencies (reading, writing and arithmetic) in the classroom. If a student is unable to comprehend required college level material or perform pre algebraic calculations necessary for a skilled trade, instructors are forced to either leave those students behind or carve out already limited additional time for them after class. Some of the deficiencies that can affect success in college could be discovered during the admissions process; however, there is great debate as to how well the traditional admissions format works for today’s college demographics. A change may be imperative for students to not only be admitted but to be successful in the completion of their chosen field of study. Conley (2014)