‘Schools Need To Prepare Students In New Ways’: Hult Survey Finds Big Gap Between College & Career Readiness

In a new survey, 89% of HR leaders say they try not to hire recent grads, and 85% of those grads say their college education failed to prepare them for the real world of work

A wide majority of human resources leaders say they are actively avoiding hiring recent college graduates — and grads themselves admit they’re not ready for the workplace.

That’s the chief takeaway from a new global survey by Workplace Intelligence, commissioned by Hult International Business School. According to the report, a staggering 89% of HR leaders say they try not to hire recent grads, while 85% of those grads say their college education failed to prepare them for the real world of work.

The findings, based on responses from 800 HR leaders and 800 recent graduates across the U.S. and UK, paint a grim picture of the current state of higher education and its relevance to today’s job market. The report comes amid growing scrutiny of the traditional university model, and it offers a warning to colleges: evolve or lose the confidence of employers and students alike.

96% OF HIRERS: SCHOOLS MUST DO BETTER

“Traditional undergraduate curriculum has not kept pace with an evolving global workplace,” says Martin Boehm, global dean of undergraduate programs at Hult International, in a statement accompanying the new report. “The chasm between what’s being taught and what employers need has become more apparent. Schools need to prepare students in new ways, with a focus on building both the skills and mindsets needed for continuous learning in a rapidly changing world.”

The survey reveals that nearly all HR leaders — 96% — believe colleges must take more responsibility for training people for work. And while employers are broadly dissatisfied with higher education outcomes, they make an exception for business graduates: 62% said they view business degree holders as more skilled, 95% said they are more likely to hire them, and 82% said they offer them higher starting salaries.

But even business grads aren’t immune from criticism. The most sought-after abilities — so-called “human skills” like communication, adaptability, collaboration, and critical thinking — are precisely the areas where students felt most underprepared. That mismatch is proving costly: employers are forced to spend more on onboarding and training, and grads face longer, more uncertain job hunts.

‘THE FUTURE OF WORK DEMANDS MORE KNOWLEDGE’

The findings align with a growing movement in business education that emphasizes experiential learning, soft skills, and adaptability — elements that Hult, for its part, says it is doubling down on.

“We must ask not only what we are teaching, but how we are teaching it,” Boehm says. “The future of work demands more than knowledge — it requires resilience, creativity, and the ability to navigate change.”

For more information about the survey, check out the report findings here.

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