ConclusionGiven the economic, political, <strong>and</strong> social context of globalization, academic, business, <strong>and</strong> governmentalleaders around the world have taken a keen interest in reexamining the role of higher education in work<strong>for</strong>cedevelopment over the past decade. Indeed, this paper has examined how four countries—Brazil, Mongolia,Ukraine, <strong>and</strong> the United States—each with different economic, political, <strong>and</strong> social circumstances, areconfronting a universal challenge: learning how to adjust to <strong>and</strong> compete in an increasingly dynamic globaleconomy, <strong>and</strong> underst<strong>and</strong>ing the role their institutions of higher education should assume in this transition.Several themes emerge in reviewing each case study, althoughthe interpretation of each theme may differ slightly acrossnational contexts. First, the four case studies illustrate a generallack of agreement among key stakeholders regarding desiredwork<strong>for</strong>ce competencies. Accounts from each country highlighta misalignment between what colleges <strong>and</strong> universities typicallyteach students <strong>and</strong> what employers expect graduates to knowwhen they enter the work<strong>for</strong>ce. A related issue associatedwith this mismatch is a tension in the labor market betweenbalancing dem<strong>and</strong> <strong>for</strong> specialized, technical training with needs<strong>for</strong> universal basic <strong>and</strong> applied academic skills. Second, thistension highlights an important open question facing manycountries: what is the appropriate role of the government indirecting, regulating, or influencing how institutions of highereducation prepare students <strong>for</strong> the work<strong>for</strong>ce? Answers tothis question influence other aspects of higher education,beyond its role in work<strong>for</strong>ce preparation. For example, trendstoward increasing access to higher education to adequatelyprepare more citizens <strong>for</strong> the global economy seem tohave resulted in decreases in educational quality <strong>for</strong> somecountries, as indicated by the skill deficiencies of graduates.Although the four profiled countries are quite different, threecommon recommendations emerge in reviewing the challengesfacing institutions of higher education in each of the profiledcountries. First, institutions of higher education, in collaborationwith business <strong>and</strong> government, should examine whetheracademic programs <strong>and</strong> curricula develop the academic,applied, <strong>and</strong> “soft” skills needed by employers in theircountry. In doing so, institutions of higher education shouldengage a wide range of external stakeholders, particularlybusiness leaders, to better underst<strong>and</strong> desired work<strong>for</strong>cecompetencies <strong>and</strong> develop assessments <strong>and</strong> experiences thatappropriately apply <strong>and</strong> integrate students’ underst<strong>and</strong>ing ofkey knowledge within real-world contexts. As mentioned inone country profile, departmental <strong>and</strong> school external advisoryboards provide one mechanism to accomplish this objective.Similarly, institutions need to ensure that students demonstrateproficiency in the basic academic skills needed by employers:writing, reading, mathematics, <strong>and</strong> critical thinking. Manyuniversities consider this <strong>for</strong>m of education as beyond the scopeof higher education, so many students graduate from universitieswithout these skills. Developmental education courses in basicskills offered simultaneously with general education <strong>and</strong> majorcourses could help strengthen the skills of students in theiracademic courses, while also improving the employability ofstudents after graduation.Finally, institutions should establish internship opportunities <strong>for</strong>students to get first-h<strong>and</strong> experience in the work<strong>for</strong>ce in theirchosen field. In collaboration with employers, institutions needto create accountability mechanisms to manage both sides of theinternship relationship. For students, there needs to be credibleassurances that they actually participate in the internship. Foremployers, there needs to be accountability to ensure thatinternships engage students in important work<strong>for</strong>ce functions <strong>and</strong>that there is no exploitation of students as cheap labor. Ideallystudents should be paid <strong>for</strong> the work they provide.These recommendations can be considered <strong>and</strong> implementedacross country contexts, including both developed <strong>and</strong> developingcountries. Each country will have its own challenges of implementingthese recommendations. And human <strong>and</strong> financial resourceswill likely need to be deployed to support these recommendations.Despite such costs, interested stakeholders cannot af<strong>for</strong>d thealternative policy of maintaining the status quo. With an increasinglyglobalized marketplace, countries with university systems thatfail to meet work<strong>for</strong>ce needs will fall behind countries that paysignificant attention to the evolving needs of the labor market.22 EDUCATIONAL POLICIES FOR INTEGRATING COLLEGE COMPETENCIES AND WORKFORCE NEEDS
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