Peering Into the Future: Jobs, Students, Co-op

1. Peering Into the Future: Jobs, Students, Co-op American Society for Engineering Education San Antonio, Texas January 27, 2006 Dr. Phil Gardner Michigan State University

2. Today • Context • U.S. • Global • Job Market • Active – yet changed • Hiring Situation • Being Strategic

3. U.S. Lulled Complacency Deficit Consumers No savings No homes to refinance Housing 43% 1st time no down payment Business Lots of $ not putting it anywhere Global Imbalance Account Deficits Misaligned Role of $ Risky Investments No risk attitude Rising Oil Prices Wild cards Terror “The Flu” Trade War Today: Economy

4. Today’s Job Market • Active -- but different • Manufacturing out – retail/service in • Engineering Hiring • Manufacturing: Food, Chemical/Plastics, some Electronics, Construction, Transportation (railroads, aerospace), paper/glass, maybe utilities • Consulting – civil and environmental, general, services • Strategic • Internships/co-ops key tool • Waning days of co-op • How many jobs?

5. Near Future • Economic – the issues • Deficit pressure – inflation • Consumer Spending –anything in your wallet • Technology – productivity nexus • Cost of doing business • Interest rates • Energy prices • Health care costs • Entitlements: Public (social security and Medicare) and private (pensions and health)

6. Near Future • Labor • Retirement: Fact of Fiction • Global: double the labor pool –India, China, Costa Rica, Ireland, Israel • Strategic and disposable • Rise of the new blue color – the technologist

7. Future • Totally Global – Totally Knowledge • Pushing to the ends of the curve • Emerging Sectors • Shortage of Engineers and Scientists • Train them for Me • Only a few good minds

8. What Jobs Will Leave?

9. Students • Who are they? • Millennials of course • Ambitious but directionless • What do they bring to the table? • Obedient, conventional, demanding attitude • Issues • Parents • Do I have to work?

10. Special Sheltered Confident Achieving Team-Community Educated Passive Obedient Conventional Affluent Entitled Lack social skills Fear failure Pressured Conform – fragmented Math adverse; low pers. Science adverse, too Demanding Lack creativity Tattoos, body piercing Not confident (only 24%) Characteristics

11. There Is A Catch • Have You Met Their Parents The Soccer Moms have arrived on-campus

12. Challenges in Educating Millennials • Saturated Self • Literacy • Orality • Literacy • Electracy • Choice: A Paradox (see Schwartz) • Overwhelmed • Checklist • No integration

13. Do I Really Have to Work? • Finding self – • Continued search for identity – until 28 or 29 • Living With Parents • Truly self-absorbed • Optimistic a job awaits them or go back for a graduate degree

14. What Do Employers’ Think • Not ready to work • Very naïve • Unable to delay gratification and think long term • Lack of persistence when faced with setbacks • Expect adult relationships but difficult maintaining them • Want individual accommodation

15. Colleges and Universities • Employer of the Choice • Teach them to learn • Teach them to work • Hire them • Entrepreneurial Campus • Quick and Agile • Tenure (Remember GM is a dinosaur) • Teaching Delivery • Learning in Context • Revitalizing Co-op • Not just an employment option