American Millennials are among the world's least skilled

My parents immigrated to America in the 80's from China, and they simply thought that a college degree was the gateway to social mobility. They never thought that the skills learned in college would matter that much. Most parents in my community thought the same way. Most parents didn't speak English, so my generation was further isolated from the job market demands. Going to college, my friends and I had little idea of what we wanted to, not because we were indecisive but because we simply didn't know what jobs we could do. I saw many friends study history, music and foreign languages, and they struggled after graduating because they realized that their degrees aren't guarantees for good jobs.

The struggles weren't due to lack of desires or efforts. In my opinion, it's the disconnect between the perceived value in education and the actual skills needed for the work place. Raising awareness, such as vocational classes in high school and required internships as a prerequisite for college graduation, would have been tremendous for my generation. At the very least, it would have helped us realize that there's this gap between what we're learning in school versus what's actually needed in the work force.

The one big problem with this exam is that the candidates are not well normalized across countries. You don't really get an apples to apples comparison since countries like Japan have a tendency to cherry pick who takes the test.

Looks like they got an American Millenial to design their quiz: http://i.imgur.com/j4b73bz.png

I'm imagining the scene where a bunch of American Millenials were asked to solve basic math problems and computer literacy tests. "Jeez this is pointless," one said. "Yeah, reminds me of high school," said another. And they twiddled their thumbs until it was over.

While I'm sure these are relevant statistics, I don't see it having much bearing on real competitiveness going forward. There's no measure of creativity, adaptability, or tenacity. Show me Americans are lagging in those and I'll start to worry.

Least skilled at skills western employers do not care about.

I totally disagree that literacy and problem solving are what employers look for today. Maybe in the 80s. Today it's about non-written communication and teamwork skills. In short: Networking. The ability to write a good memo doesn't enter into things because in today's climate information only flows top-down. Does anyone believe that Starbucks passed the #RaceTogether idea past even a single barista? A single store manager? Entry-level employees don't express ideas through writing. That's for management.

Evidence from local governments trying to help: http://www.careers.govt.nz/plan-your-career/not-sure-what-to...

(1) communication skills

(2) customer service skills – in person, on the phone, and online

(3) ability to work well in a team

(4) literacy and numeracy skills FORTH!

http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/top-ten-skills.htm (Commentary by me)

1. Verbal Communication. ("Here!")

2. Teamwork. (doesn't punch people)

3. Work confidently within a group. (not afraid of being punched by others)

4. Commercial Awareness. (doesn't click phishing links)

5. Analyzing & Investigating. (doesn't bother the boss with questions)

6. Initiative / Sell--Motivation. (can work unsupervised)

7. Written communication SEVENTH!

I'm not sure how the stats here in the UK compare with the US but I'd be interested to know. Especially as we have a government backed apprenticeship scheme which takes largely unskilled young people of age 16 upwards and funds their training on the job.

I've had countless apprentices work for my software company and it's such a win-win for employer and employee. My company gets dedicated, passionate, diligent and most importantly enthusiastic young people to train in the art of building websites. In return our apprentices get paid and they get to learn a skill in a workplace environment. We end up with employees who are ridiculously loyal, and they end up with a career.

I'm sure we've saved a large number of kids from menial jobs at <insert large megacorp> while they work out how to get a career. Does the US have a similar scheme? If so it must surely be one way to help resolve this issue?

Good way to explain away the lack of jobs and wage growth this generation faces. I think the solution is either more unpaid internships, more debt or both.

I looked at the first math question:

http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/figures/sample_num1.asp

First off, the statement describing the graph ("The following graph shows the number of births in the United States 1957 to 2007. Data is presented every 10 years.") is a bit odd. The graph shows the number of births per year for 6 of the 51 years from 1957 to 2007, at 10 year intervals. That's not really "the number of births in the United States 1957 to 2007." But let's say that's fine. Then they ask, "During which period(s) was there a decline in the number of births?" There is no such thing as "a decline in the number of births." The number of births always increases. There can be a decline in the rate of births per time, e.g., the number of births per year. But giving the number of births per year every ten years is not enough information to make a complete statement about births per time during the ten year periods. There may have been (and probably were) declines during each of those periods. In other words, it is impossible to "click all that apply."

The tech section of the test looks poorly designed to me.

It takes a poorly designed website, asks users to navigate it, and scores them upon following an expected path.

In the example question, to determine whether you need to pay for a job searching site, you should click on "Learn More" which takes you to a sign up form and asks for a CC.

Sample Tech questions: https://www.oecd.org/site/piaac/Problem%20Solving%20in%20TRE...

Is there enough information in this question to answer it? https://i.imgur.com/qoSuV4Z.png

Is the loan fully paid off after 12 months? Is it an "interest only" loan?

Speaking of literacy, Gen Yers has to be the most clumsy abbreviation I have ever seen.

Oh yeah? Well American Millennials are by far the world's most educated and knowledgeable about anthropology, sociology, race and gender studies, psychology, social media activism (aka, changing your Facebook default pic to #KONY2012), beer pong, how to find a good deal on Etsy, et al. When would we ever need to use that math stuff when uploading selfies, binging on Netflix, or ordering pour over coffee?