NPR – Claudio Sanchez
“Yes, this is a class, and these students are earning credit. But I can almost hear parents and students, for whom college is the only option, saying: Credit towards what? Isn’t this just training for the dead-end, low-wage jobs of the future?’ Gilbert, who helps manage the cafe and train other students, doesn’t think so. “Just the overall experience with the cash register and all the different kinds of food preparation and working with money and all that stuff, it prepares you for all kinds of things.” Training as a barista may not seem like a big deal, but Gilbert — and educators here and around the country — say she’s learning those all-important “soft skills” that employers expect. Roughly seven out of 10 high school grads are headed to college every year — but that leaves hundreds of thousands who aren’t. And survey after survey shows that employers are demanding — even of college-bound students — some level of job skills and professionalism: punctuality, customer service, managing people and teamwork.”(more)