The Skills Gap Is Good News for Homeschoolers
Employers say they're having trouble finding skilled workers.
Have you heard of the skills gap? If you're a homeschooler, you should think about it, because it could present an employment opportunity. The term skills gap has been around for several years now. Knowing what it means could position you or your student for a desirable job.
What Is the Skills Gap?
As many as 45% of employers report that they have trouble finding employees who possess the skills they need. At the same time, around 40% of recent college graduates report that they can't find a job that uses their degree. In addition, around 20% of college graduates are still underemployed after 10 years. (For more about these statistics, this report from Burning Glass Technologies is helpful.)
Economically, this gap between employer needs and employee education doesn't make sense. If job openings exist, college graduates should be expected to be complete their education well-prepared to fill open positions. Instead, employers feel that undergraduate programs are failing to teach necessary skills or that students are simply failing to learn those skills. Whatever the reason, the term skills gap refers to this unmet need of employers.
How Homeschoolers Could Benefit from the Skills Gap
Many corporations are doing away with college requirements in favor of proven skills.
For bold and motivated homeschoolers, the skills gap presents an opportunity. Because many employers are frustrated by the inconsistency of college graduates, it’s becoming increasingly common for businesses to no longer require a college degree. Google, Apple, and IBM are three of the largest corporations that no longer make a college education a requirement for employees. Among many of the corporations that still require a college education on paper, the requirement is frequently ignored when applicants demonstrate that they possess skills or experience required to do the job.
This means that homeschoolers, because of the increased flexibility and customization available to them, have an advantage in the job market. Students in traditional schools (whether high school or college) are required to follow strict curriculum for a set numbers of hours. Courses of study are typically discrete from each other, and have more to do with satisfying benchmarks of standardization than aiding the individual students in the development of their skills or the pursuit of their life goals. While these in-demand skills sought by employers are sometimes taught in school, they take a back seat to the standardized coursework. Even in college, where one would think that technology is thoroughly introduced, the digital proficiency that employers desire is glossed over for most students. The ability of homeschoolers to break free from models of mass education means that forward-thinking families can develop skills demanded by employers while they are still in high school.
The Value of Early Skill Development
Homeschoolers can get ahead in the job market by learning in-demand skills.
For example, homeschoolers can easily become more proficient in technical skills than their traditionally-schooled peers. As many as 80% of business executives are concerned about the digital skills gap. (This report from the Progressive Policy Institute shares key metrics.) Specifically, these employers are finding that their employees lack the necessary amount of technology proficiency.
From my vantage point as a college instructor who teaches hundreds of freshman every year, I can attest to the fact that the majority of high school graduates that I work with are ill-prepared to utilize even basic workplace technology, including internet navigation, word processing, or electronic spreadsheets. Homeschoolers can easily begin developing proficiency with these kinds of skills in high school, whether they plan to go to college or immediately into a job. Many parents are already proficient in these areas and can teach their students. In the event that parents aren’t knowledgeable about the in-demand skills, the students could enroll in digital education via co-op classes, community centers, two-year colleges, or online programs (either paid or free).
When homeschoolers explore these in-demand skills, they don’t need to sacrifice other areas of study. Instead, the in-demand skills can be combined with traditional courses. Writing composition courses can feature basic proficiency in word processing, such as Google Docs or Microsoft Word. A math class can introduce fundamentals of Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. A history or literature course can overlap with learning about discerning internet research. If a homeschooling parent isn’t proficient in these areas, they can easily find classes or curriculum that will help. Membership sites such as LinkedIn Learning offer thousands of video courses that teach these subjects for a reasonable monthly fee. (Many parents would benefit from studying along with the student, both for their own enrichment and employability!)
I’m convinced that we’ve entered an era of disruption for both education and employment. Things are in flux and will continue to be for some time. While employers and higher education try to sort things out, homeschool families can be agile and creative in career preparation. I encourage families to look for ways that students can gain in-demand skills and become the best employees in the future economy.
