IT Graduates Not "Well-Trained, Ready-To-Go"

coondoggie writes "There is a disconnect between students getting high-tech degrees and what employers are looking for in those graduates. Employers agree that colleges and universities need to provide their students with the essential skills required to run IT departments, yet only 8% of hiring managers would rate IT graduates hired as 'well-trained, ready-to-go,' according to a survey of 376 organizations that are members of the IBM user group Share and Database Trends and Applications subscribers."

Comments

Education vs. Training

[overshoot]

Many, many years ago the HR manager who hired me for my first job had a sign on his wall:

A four-year degree means a man is trainable.

Universities are not trade schools. Employers who are expecting any new employee to be instantly productive are deluded.

Last week I interviewed a candidate with a Masters degree and 20 years of experience in the industry. We'll probably hire her, but we figure that she could be productive in three months and won't be worried if she takes six [1].

[1] That's net. In other words, she'll be doing useful work fairly soon, but by the time she's 100% up to speed we'll have invested three to six months of her terminal productivity getting her oriented, etc.