It's because college kids today can't do math, one line of reasoning goes. Or they don't know science. These are all good theories, but the problem with these young adults' unemployment goes way beyond a lack of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) skills. A survey by the Workforce Solutions Group at St. Louis Community College finds that more than 60% of employers say applicants lack the ability to communicate and get along with others--- a jump pf about 10 percentage points in just two years. A large number of managers also say today's applicants can't think creatively, solve problems or write well. Jobs are going unfilled as a result, which hurts companies and employers. The annual global Talent Shortage Survey from ManpowerGroup finds that nearly 1 in 5 employers worldwide can't fill positions because they can't find people with soft skills. One thing that does appear to make a difference is internships . More than 80% of employers want new graduates they hire to have completed a formal internship, but only 8% of students say having an internship in a field related to their major is something they spend a lot of time doing. Instead, the top extracurricular activities   are hanging out with friends, working in an unrelated job and eating out. And all internships are not created equal. Overall, only about half of college grads say they're prepared for the work---and the number of bosses who think they're prepared is lower than 40%. Among students who don't have an internship, only 44% consider themselves ready for the job market. That improves for students with unpaid internships; 58% say they're prepared for the workplace. But among students who compete paid internships, that number jumps to 70%. None of the students think they're entirely prepared for the workforce, but they are a lot more confident than the managers surveyed. Part of the problem is that "you don't know what you don't know", as the saying goes. Harris Interactive found a huge gap between students' view of their abilities and managers' view of those same skills such as financial skills. It's just harder to teach these skills, experts say. "It is hard to correct a lifetime of bad habits in a short period of time," Roderick Nunn, vice chancellor for economic development and workforce solutions at St. Louis Community College, tells the St Louis Beacon. What does the saying "you don't know what you don't know" indicate?
Students with different internships judge their abilities differently. Students learn from internships and think more differently from before. Students are unaware of what the employers think they are lacking. Students don't know much about the job they are going to work on.