Employers are disappointed in the skills and knowledge of the workers that high schools produce.

By and large, employers are unhappy with the skill levels of recent graduates. They are especially concerned about graduates’ abilities to think critically, communicate well and perform basic math tasks.

• High school graduates often are not ready for entry-level positions:
• The most common types of jobs for which employers hire recent high school graduates with no further education include labor; construction; and skilled trades (38 percent) and services, including food service, personal services and cashiers (34 percent). (Achieve)
• Employers estimate that 39 percent of recent high school graduates with no further education are unprepared for the expectations that they face in entry-level jobs, which is identical to the proportion of non-college students who say that they have gaps in their preparation. (Achieve)
• Recent graduates are not prepared to advance in the workplace:
• Employers also estimate that 45 percent of graduates are not adequately prepared for the skills and abilities they need to advance beyond entry level. (Achieve)
• Only 18 percent of employers say that most recent high school graduates with no further education are prepared for advancement in their company, which is only 8 percent more than those who say the same thing about applicants who don't have a high school diploma. (Achieve)
• High school graduates do not have the skills they need to succeed:
• 40 percent are inadequately prepared in math. (Achieve)
• 38 percent are inadequately prepared for the quality of writing that is expected. (Achieve)
• 41 percent of employers are dissatisfied with graduates’ ability to read and understand complicated materials. (Achieve)
• 42 percent are dissatisfied with their ability to think analytically.
• 39 percent are unhappy with graduates’ ability to apply what they learn to solve real-world problems. (Achieve)
• 34 percent are unhappy with graduates’ oral communications skills. (Achieve)
• High school coursework needs to be more relevant to work:
• A majority (95 percent) of employers say that providing opportunities for real-world learning and making coursework more relevant would improve things. (Achieve)