High School Preparedness: Workforce & College Preparation

With the start of the school year upon us, it’s an exciting time as students gear up for new opportunities and learning experiences that will help lay the foundation for their futures. For those entering high school, the transition brings a wave of new decisions – from which electives to pursue, to participating in athletics or extracurriculars, to developing soft skills like time management, problem-solving skills and balancing new responsibilities alongside their home and social lives. 

This often-overlooked stage on the path to helping students develop employability skills can have a significant impact on post-secondary plans. The decisions made in these formative years, shaped by experiences and the guidance of a strong support system – including parents, teachers, school counselors and peers – can influence both academic direction and future career goals. 

At the same time, the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and a challenging job market are leaving many students questioning what path to pursue post-graduation - whether that is a traditional college route, an alternative educational pathway or something else altogether. 

To better understand where today’s high schoolers stand, Cengage Group surveyed students, parents and teachers to explore what influences preparedness and identify areas of improvement to ensure students are equipped for success throughout their entire educational journey. Let’s take a deeper dive into these previously unreleased findings.

 

Workforce and College Preparation 

Overall, most parents (86%) believe that high school prepared their child for their future. Parents with children planning to attend 2-year colleges (95%) indicated the highest confidence, followed by those planning to attend 4-year colleges (93%).  

Despite this confidence, parents did suggest that high school could have better prepared their students through work study offerings, emphasizing more relevant skills like critical thinking, problem solving and providing real-world career exploration. This aligns with the perspective of students, who overall (83%) felt prepared for their post-graduation plans, but would have liked to have been taught more general life skills like budgeting, taxes and/or applying for jobs. 

Nearly two-thirds of teachers (63%) believe that workforce preparation is considered an important part of their curriculum, but they do see room for improvement. Top adjustments include a focus on real-world life skills and teaching around accountability (e.g. time management, work ethic, behavior).  

 

Factors Impacting Post-Secondary Decisions 

Almost three-quarters (72%) of students considered multiple post-secondary options. When it comes to the impact on their child’s decision, nearly half (48%) of parents felt they had a significant impact, and almost all (90%) felt their impact was at least moderate. Students felt that their parents (75%) and their teachers (56%) had at least a moderate impact on their plans.  

Another major factor impacting student decision? The potential accrual of student loan debt. Many students (87%) indicated this to have at least a moderate influence on their decision. 

Interestingly, more than two-thirds of students (68%) cited the potential impact of technology like GenAI on their career paths as at least a moderate influence on their future education or career decisions, but just over a third (37%) believe they need to learn and use GenAI to be successful in their future. 

The Road Ahead 

As today’s students navigate a rapidly evolving technology and workforce landscape, post-secondary readiness is more critical than ever. While most parents and students agree that high school prepared them for their future, there remains room for improvement – especially in instruction that helps students develop both academic knowledge and practical, real-world skills. By ensuring students learn to communicate effectively, solve problems and work effectively with others, high schools can truly develop employability skills for students and prepare them for lifelong success.