Report Summary

Closing the skills gap: companies and colleges collaborating for change explores the role of partnerships between US industry and higher education in preparing students and employees for the modern workforce. It considers how their cooperation can address the current “skills gap”—a growing gulf between the skills workers possess today and the skills businesses say they need—and investigates what US companies are willing to do to work with higher education to narrow that gap.

As the basis for this research, which was sponsored by Lumina Foundation, The Economist Intelligence Unit conducted in March 2014 a survey of 343 US executives familiar with their company’s workforce-development strategy and higher-education efforts.

"Colleges and universities think they’re adequately preparing students for the workforce. You couldn’t have a more stark difference of opinion from industry."

-Dane Linn, Vice-president at Business Roundtable

Research Methodology

The Economist Intelligence Unit conducted a survey that drew on 343 responses from executives in the US who are familiar with their company’s workforce-development strategy and higher-education efforts. Nearly half (47%) of respondents are C-level executives or equivalent, and 53% are senior vice-presidents, vice-presidents or other senior managers. More than half represent very large companies, with 54% of respondents hailing from companies with annual revenue of more than US$1bn. Nearly one-third (34%) come from companies that have more than 10,000 employees. Please see the appendix of the report for full survey demographics.