Connecting to a New Generation

1
Connecting to a New Generation

• Dr. Phil Gardner
• CERI at Michigan State University
• May 10, 2007
• California Community Colleges

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Todays Quick Agenda

• A little about todays young adults
• The world they face in terms of employment
• The employers that will pursue these young folks
• Skills and the challenge of educating them

3
Background on this Generation
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An Ambitious Generation

• The Clueless
• The Aimless
• The Motivated but Directionless
• The Motivated and Directed

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What Do We Know About Them

• Special
• Sheltered
• Confident
• Achieving
• Educated

• Entitled
• Lack Social Skills
• Fear failure
• Pressured
• Averse math science low persistence

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A Few More Traits

• Passive
• Obedient
• Conventional
• Team/Community
• Affluent

• Demanding want accommodations
• Pushes the limits
• Pierced tattooed
• Conforming
• Not confident

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Their Best Ally
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Dont Take Your Mom to Work

• Oh, the things parents do!
• obtain information on company
• submit resumes
• promote child to company for positions
• attend career fairs
• harass company if dont hire
• making interview arrangements
• negotiating salaries and benefits
• Oh, even more amazing things parents do!
• helping complete work assignments
• when disciplined, talk to parent before
  supervisor
• pressure from parents inside company

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Implications of This Generation at Work

• They have attitude!
• They will job surf hoping to find best fit.
• They identify with work differently than their
  elders.
• They can rely on their parents for support.

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Jobs What will be available to them?
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Jobs The Big Shift
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Implications

• Sourcing find lowest cost labor at highest
  quality
• Education substitutions
• Technology impacts productivity and
  opportunities
• Skill levels expectations accelerate as move away
  from the mean

13
Looking Ahead

• Safer (?) Areas
• Health Care In-Person Services Real Estate
  Financial Services/Insurance Security Retail
• Challenged Areas
• Art Design Sales Architecture Life Sciences
  Management Accounting Engineering IT
• Leading Sectors
• Entertainment Health Life Sciences High end
  Engineering and IT -- whats at the ends of the
  curve

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The Innovators

• Entertainment Electronic Arts. Netflix
• Retail eBay, Costco Wholesale, Interactive
  Group, WPP Group, Ameritrade
• Biotech GenProbe, Pfizer(?)
• Consumer Electronics Apple, Samsung Electronics
• Internet Google, YouTube, Yahoo!
• IT/Electronics IBM, Flextronics, Nvidia, Intel,
  Taiwan Semiconductor, JDS Uniphase

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More Innovators

• Software Infosys Technologies, SAP, EMC,
  Microsoft (?)
• Communication Nokia, Vodafone Group, Comcast
• In the mix
• Agriculture Monsanto
• Trucking Fedex, UPS
• Financial Citigroup
• Retail Inditex, HM
• Automotive Toyota
• Oil BP

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BLS Continued

• Fastest Growing Occupations
• Medical Assistants
• Network Systems/data communication analysts
• Physician assistants
• Social Human Services assistants
• Home Health aide
• Medical Record/health information technicians
• Physical Therapist aides
• Computer Software eng. Applications, systems
  software
• Physical therapist assistants

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BLS continued

• Largest growing occupations
• RNs Truck Drivers (h, l)
• Postsecondary teachers Receptionists
• Retail sales person Security Guards
• Customer service reps Office Clerk
• Food prep/serving Teacher Assistant
• Cashiers Human Health Aide
• Janitors, cleaners Home care Aide
• General operations managers
• Wait staff Landscaping
• Nursing aides Medical Assistants

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Its All About Skills and Competencies
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Skills

• Mastery core
• People Skills
• Entrepreneurial
• If not one will work for one
• Concept/Innovation Skills
• Critical Thinking

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Skill Usage The Funnel
Communicate Orally Think Analytically Acquire
Learning Evaluate Alternatives Creative
Solutions Teamwork Leadership Utilize
technology Grasp Realities
Apply Learning Writing Effectively Teamwork Grasp
Realities Workplace Acquire Learning
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Dos and Donts

• Employers will fire a new hire for
• Unethical behavior
• Low work commitment
• Improper use of technology
• Being late for work or late assignments
• Failure to follow instructions

• Employers place a premium on
• INTEGRITY
• INITIATIVE
• INNOVATION

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Educational Challenge

• Producing Folks who can think critically
• Literacy
• Paradox of Choice
• Building Community of Practice
• Negotiating
• Reflecting
• Creating

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Implications

• College Career Professional
• When does your work really begin?
• Early career and self development practice
• Post-graduation counseling (from 4 year school)
• Leave to community colleges and private consults
• What happened to college and finding self?
• Prolonging path to adulthood without reflection
  and integration
• Centers for reflection
• Finding fit in a dynamic workplace
• Assisting with fit
• Society
• Can we really afford to have so many young people
  unattached to the labor force?