Most of us have fibbed once or twice about being proficient in Excel or
Powerpoint to get a job, only to later learn the skill on the clock and
get a couple grey hairs while at it. But Gen Z feels it doesn't need to be
that way, if only they were better trained for the skills employers want.

While much ado has been made about Gen Z needing to sharpen their soft
skills in the wake of the pandemic, if you ask them, that�s not really
where the issue lies. They�re more focused on catching up on increasingly
important technical abilities. Nearly half (48%) said they want more hard
skills training at work, compared to the 33% who said they want more soft
skills training, finds Adobe's newly-released survey of more than 1,000
Gen Zers.

The pandemic has hampered everyone's social skills, but it's especially
apparent in the office as we renegotiate how and where to work. Managers
are particularly worried about the newest kids on the block, fearful that
attending school during lockdown and graduating into a remote world curbed
developing their soft skills in things like communicating and networking.
Some Big Four consulting firms are offering etiquette classes to help
bridge the deficit, which include lessons such as �non-verbal
communication, storytelling, and presentation skills, as well as
leadership skills tailored for hybrid working,� EY, one of the consulting
firms, told Fortune.

But the skills employers think their most junior employees need versus the
ones they actually need aren�t aligning. Just over a quarter (28%) of Gen
Zers told Adobe that their current role isn�t addressing their entire
skill set and full potential. It�s not surprising, considering that the
generation feels that America has failed to prepare them for the
workforce. More than a third feel their education didn�t give them the
digital skills they need to ascend the corporate ladder, per a Dell
Technologies� international survey. And a little over half (56%) admitted
to having basic to no digital skills education.

Gen Z might have grown up with a phone in hand and a computer in the
house, but that doesn�t mean they were trained to use these devices in a
way that their bosses are now expecting. Part of this is due to
underfunding in education systems. �There�s a glaring gap in accessibility
and application of tech education resources between lower-income and
affluent students�a gap that was widened by the pandemic,� Rose Stuckey
Kirk, chief corporate social responsibility officer, wrote for Fortune.
�And we know this gap is more than an academic or social justice issue.�

Between the pandemic disrupting soft social skills and the hard skills
shortcomings in the education system, it seems that employers need to up
skills training overall�especially since they�re increasingly focusing on
skills-based hiring. From LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky to Condoleezza Rice,
many people have increasingly praised the benefits of looking at a
candidate�s abilities over their education, touted as a more equitable way
of getting greater talent.

Many Gen Zers, who are shaping up to be the most educated cohort, have
been told that college is the secret to success. And it is, in some
experts' eyes. But it�s become less appealing (and accessible) to some Gen
Zers thanks to the extreme price tag attached to it; especially if they
feel they haven�t learned the hard skills that employers are now seeking.

With a pandemic that challenged soft skill development, an underinvested
school system that failed to properly educate children on technical
skills, and an overpriced college pipeline that doesn�t always lead to a
career, Gen Z seems stuck between a rock and a hard place. Perhaps
training them on their hard skills will help them dig their way out of
their predicament.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Jim
14 hours ago

Underfunding education? My grandmother went to a one room school house.
Her civics education made mine pale in comparison. If "educators" would
stop chasing fads in education and stick with tried and true methods, kids
would be a lot better off. My local HS has probably changed math
"systems" 5x in the past 20 years...yet math scores continue to sink.
Concentrate on the basics, and on critical thinking and life
skills...ignore the fads and the "social consciousness" stuff and the kids
will thrive. Don't, and they will continue to fall short in basic skills.

CBig
12 hours ago

Some of the poorest performing schools spend the most per student. It is
not funding it is the choice of courses offered in high school. No gender
studies or other socially woke courses help students. Feelings are less
important than facts.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bosses-getting-gen-z-skills-130000821.html