Evaluating and Presenting Information

Post the stakeholder role you are assuming. Then, post an explanation of how you, in the particular role you are assuming, might respond to the new information in the articles you found and in Document Set 2 for your case study. In your explanation, be sure to:

• Evaluate whether the new information is based on reliable sources and whether the information is relevant to the issue.
• Explain your position on the case study issue from the perspective of the role you are assuming and how this new information informs this position.
• Explain the steps you might take to follow-up on this information based on your role and your position on the issue.

Examples of stakeholder’s roles that you could assume:

-Educator

-Parent

-State Department of Education

-Student Attending College

 

Throughout the Discussion, add support for your position or add to the knowledge base on the issue by finding and sharing additional resources related to the issue you are discussing. These should include scholarly resources but may include other resources such as news articles, blogs, RSS feeds, etc. Share links to the resources you identify.

 

Once you have decided which stakeholders role you will be assuming, respond to the below discussion questions:

 

Discussion #1

 

The stakeholder role I am assuming is the business leader.  I am in support of increasing curricular focus, funding, and new hiring for professional and technical fields.  In Document Set2 for this case study, it states there are 3.3 million job openings in the U.S., many going unfilled for months on end, as roughly half of employers now say they’re having a hard time finding qualified workers to hire, especially in technical fields.  This information was retrieved from White House Jobs Council which is based on a reliable source.  This information is extremely relevant to the issue because the solution to producing qualified workers is to equip students with the necessary skills and abilities.  Those skills and abilities should align with the expectations established by industry leaders.  According to the White House Jobs Council in 2012, America is losing its position of global educational leadership in ways that could put our future living standards and business competiveness at risk.  This new information informs this position because without a change in focus to technical education those unfilled jobs will continue to increase.

In the PBS Newshour video, it gives examples of students who graduated with liberal arts degrees.  All of them had a difficult time gaining employment directly related to their field of study after graduation.  In one instance, there was a graduate who majored in anthropology and he now washes trash cans part-time.  In another instance, there was a graduate who majored in history with a minor in political science who is a substitute teacher one day a week.  Both of the graduates agree, that they do not regret going to college although they wished they would have pursued something more practical.  This information was retrieved from PBS Newshour which is a reliable resource.  This information is also relevant to the issue as it paints a picture of how the job market can be difficult for those students pursuing a liberal arts degree.

According to Tugend (2013), there’s always been a gap between what colleges produce and what employers want, but now it’s widening.  That is because workplaces are more complex and globalized profit margins are slimmer, companies are leaner and managers expect their workers to get up to speed much faster than in the past.  This information was retrieved from ProQuest Historical Newspaper: The New York Times which is based on reliable sources.  This information is relevant to the issue as it recognizes the quality of education and training being given by colleges is not producing the kind of workers employer’s desire.  There is a breakdown of expectancy levels between colleges and employers.  Expectations on both sides should be similar in order for workers to adapt to in more complex workplaces.  This new information informs this position because when there is increased curricular focus, funding, and new hiring for professional and technical fields, colleges and employers can be more on the same page about what employers need and what skills are taught which will help workers meet the expectancy levels of employers.

The steps I might take to follow up on this information as a business leader are:

1. Research more reliable resources that support the new information retrieved
2. Research current White House Jobs reports and compare it to the 2012 report and analyze the trends
3. Request the employment rate of past graduates of Rogul College who earned liberal arts degrees and technical degrees
4. Collaborate with colleagues to create a top 10 list of desires from employers