The ways in which we work are rapidly changing. As the pace of technological advancement moves faster than ever before, companies are voicing — loudly — their need for workers with a foundation of “soft skills”: those who are lifelong learners with the ability to work in teams, think critically, navigate the world around them and communicate effectively.
Not only are companies voicing their need for workers with this essential skillset, but the ability to adapt to different jobs is crucial for workers as well. This is especially true as new data shows workers typically change jobs 12 times throughout their career. Having a strong foundation of soft skills and familiarity with a wide range of disciplines can ease those difficult transitions throughout one’s life.
And that is where general education comes in.
General education — or the core courses in art, humanities, social science, life and physical sciences, communication, and quantitative reasoning required to earn a higher education — exposes students to different fields of study and teaches them how to become better lifelong learners. The goal of general education is to not only develop strong graduates to enter the workforce, but to give them necessary skills, through a breadth of knowledge, to succeed in other parts of life.
By giving more students the skillset required by our modern economy, general education is a crucial part of educating the workers of tomorrow. The problem is, for many students across the nation, general education courses can become a stumbling block to graduation.
Fortunately in Utah, significant and meticulous work has been done to make general education seamless throughout the system of public colleges and universities. The Utah System of Higher Education Board of Regents’ General Education Task Force, composed of representatives from each public college and university in the state, has completed the work of evaluating what students should know, understand and be able to do after taking a particular general education course to make sure course outcomes are aligned with the needs of students today.
The task force has made it possible for general education credit to be accepted at all public colleges and universities in Utah, regardless of where the course was taught within the Utah System of Higher Education. Great strides have been made to ensure curriculum quality, learning outcomes and assessment, and the smooth transfer of those courses between institutions.
Because of this, students in Utah can more seamlessly transfer between colleges and universities in the state without unnecessary repetition of similar courses — saving them both time and money.
Access to meaningful general education is available to high school students through Utah’s robust Concurrent Enrollment program, where high school students can earn general education credits as they work toward high school graduation. Half of Utah high school graduates participated in Concurrent Enrollment last year, an increase of more than 10% from the previous year.
Concurrent Enrollment courses allow students to develop these essential skills earlier, prepare for the rigor of college and also cut down on college costs — a combined $48.7 million in future tuition expenses for 2017-18 participants alone. Through Concurrent Enrollment, high school students can even earn a general education certificate in high school, which is transferable to any public college or university in the state.
We are lucky: Few other states have the intentional system-wide focus and necessary collaboration to ensure general education is as meaningful, accessible and transferable as possible.
The workers of tomorrow — the students of today — need a broad, foundational skillset that includes “soft skills” to be successful. As such, general education is a crucial part of our state’s future success. We are lucky that Utah is forward-thinking in aligning and evaluating general education across the state, to ensure Utah students acquire the most relevant and meaningful skills possible.
Norman Jones is the chairman of the Utah System of Higher Education Board of Regents’ General Education Task Force and a professor emeritus at Utah State University. Dave R. Woolstenhulme is the interim commissioner of higher education.