News

Fill your toolkit with relevant skills

Landing in a successful career in today’s global workforce requires skills that many recent college graduates don’t have. What is it that’s driving these new requirements, and how can students maximize their chances of having the workforce competencies they need? Consider Syracuse University’s Bachelor of Professional Studies in Knowledge Management or Creative Leadership. This “hire-level” degree provides the skills needed for today’s in-demand careers.

These are the top 10 workforce skills students will need by 2020*

These 6 drivers are leading employers to seek out new and unique skills–skills that are quickly becoming some of the most in-demand in the workforce.

The top 10 workforce skills of 2020 include:

  1. Sense making: The ability to determine the deeper meaning or significance of what is being expressed. The Drivers: Rise of smart machines and systems
  2. Social intelligence: The ability to connect to others in a deep and direct way, to sense and stimulate reactions and desired interactions. The Drivers: Rise of smart machines and systems, globally connected world
  3. Novel and adaptive thinking: Proficiency at thinking and coming up with solutions and responses beyond that which is rote or rule-based. The Drivers: Rise of smart machines and systems, globally connected world
  4. Cross cultural competency: The ability to operate in different cultural settings. The Drivers: Superstructured organizations, globally connected world
  5. Computational thinking: The ability to translate vast amounts of data into abstract concepts and to understand data based reasoning. The Drivers: New media ecology, computational world
  6. New media literacy: The ability to critically assess and develop content that uses new media forms, and to leverage these media for persuasive communication. The Drivers: Extreme longevity, new media ecology, Superstructured organizations
  7. Transdisciplinary: Literacy in and ability to understand concepts across multiple disciplines. The Drivers: Extreme longevity, computational world
  8. Design mindset: The ability to represent and develop tasks and work processes for desired outcomes. The Drivers: Superstructured organizations, computational world
  9. Cognitive load management: The ability to discriminate and filter information for importance, and to understand how to maximize cognitive functions. The Drivers: Superstructured organizations, computational world, new media ecology
  10. Virtual collaboration: The ability to work productively, drive engagement, and demonstrate presence as a member of a virtual team. The Drivers: Superstructured organizations, globally connected world

*Excerpted from an eCampusNews article by Laura Ascione. Click here to read the entire article.

Which job skills should you focus on? Here are the top four!

A survey of business school staff and corporate recruiters conducted by Jeff Kavanaugh, senior partner at Infosys, found that the skills recruiters look for in potential employees are not necessarily the ones students focus on as they pursue their education. While many students believe that leadership is a skills that can be learned in a class, it’s actually more important to develop skills like critical thinking, teamwork, communication, and professionalism/work ethic.

Click here to read more.

Teenage Mom Beats the Odds at UC

Just nine years ago, Tani Huddleson was a single, unemployed high school dropout with a newborn baby. She swore she’d give her son a better chance at life, and after earning her GED, Huddleson enrolled in a degree program at University College through the Higher Education Opportunity Program. Five years later, she is doing an internship in forensic science and is on track to complete her master’s degree at Syracuse University. Read her story here.

Alpha Sigma Lambda Recognition

An Honors Reception to recognize University College achievers will take place March 10 in the Panasci Lounge at Schine Student Center. Part of this inspiring annual event will be the induction of new members into Alpha Sigma Lambda (ASL), the country’s oldest and largest chapter-based honor society for nontraditional students. ASL was founded in 1945 and boasts more than 300 chapters. SU’s Beta Delta Chapter was established in 1977.

Membership is on an invitation-only basis for students who are matriculated in a degree program and represent the top 20 percent of their class.  They must have a minimum GPA of 3.2 and have completed a minimum of 24 credit hours with at least 12 credits earned in liberal studies.

Erik Newcome, an iSchool student in Information Management and Technology who expects to graduate in May, was inducted in 2015. “I have an extremely high standard for my academic achievements and it was very rewarding to be recognized for the sacrifices I have made to support those achievements,” he says. The Navy veteran works full time for the Department of Homeland Security and has a wife and two young children. “ASL membership reminds me that hard work WILL get you places if you are willing to put in the effort,” he asserts.

Annette Saule, who graduated from SU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts in 2016, was inducted in 2014. “It was an accomplishment I would never have dreamed of achieving at the beginning of my journey at SU,” she says. Sheera Buckley, currently a UC student in Anthropology with a goal of graduating in 2020, says “It was an unexpected surprise” to be inducted into ASL in 2015. “Maintaining my membership is a great carrot to keep me motivated to do well!”

Learn more at professionalstudies.syracuse.edu/alpha-sigma-lambda

Employers are looking hard for soft skills

The job market has long been friendly toward workers with technical skills, but there’s an increasing demand for soft skills now, too. The rapidly changing economy now demands employees with well-rounded skillsets. Employers are seeking candidates who are skilled speakers, writers, managers, and collaborators as well as those with good analytical skills.

READ MORE.