Bad news for millennials – and America. A new report claims they fall short in a variety of academic and job-skill categories compared to their counterparts from 23 other countries.
“Far too many are graduating high school and completing postsecondary educational programs without receiving adequate skills,” the report states. “Millennials may be on track to be our most educated generation ever, but they consistently score below many of their international peers in literacy, numeracy, and problem solving in technology-rich environments.”
In writing on the report, Fortune notes that “not only do Gen Y Americans lag far behind their overseas peers by every measure, but they even score lower than other age groups of Americans.”
“Take literacy, for instance. American Millennials scored lower than their counterparts in every country that participated except Spain and Italy. (Japan is No. 1.) In numeracy, meaning the ability to apply basic math to everyday situations, Gen Yers in the U.S. ranked dead last. Okay, but what about making smart use of technology, where Millennials are said to shine? Again, America scored at the bottom of the heap, in a four-way tie for last place with the Slovak Republic, Ireland, and Poland.”
The report, “America’s Skills Challenge: Millennials and the Future,” was conducted by researchers at the Princeton-based Educational Testing Service company.
“If we expect to have a better educated population and a more competitive workforce, policy makers and other stakeholders will need to shift the conversation from one of educational attainment to one that acknowledges the growing importance of skills and examines these more critically,” writes Irwin Kirsch, director of ETS’s Center for Global Assessment, in the report’s preface.
Read more at Fortune.com.
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