Some inspirational and relevant thoughts from The Global Learning Podcast Episode 7: Understanding and Operationalizing Global Learning with Dawn Michele Whitehead, Vice President of the Office of Global Citizenship for Campus, Community, and Careers at the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). You can find the transcript here.
An excerpt:
In 2015, AAC&U partnered with Heart Associates to publish the findings of an employer survey where 400 executives at private sector and nonprofit organizations participated. And we found a lot of information, but I want to highlight a few points that are related specifically to global learning. The first is we found that employers were increasingly globally connected and placing a greater emphasis on hiring candidates with global knowledge and experience.
70% of those employers surveyed said their company or organization was globally connected. And they could be globally connected in a number of ways. Some said they had 41% of their operations outside of the country, 49% of suppliers outside of the country, and others said 54% of their clients outside U.S.A. So even if a student doesn’t plan to live or work outside of the U.S., they will likely have to engage with colleagues outside the U.S. in their U.S. based job. And a number of employers agree that their company is placing greater emphasis on hiring candidates who bring this global knowledge and experience more than they did five years ago. In addition to being globally connected, a majority of employers also want all college students to gain global knowledge and intercultural skills. So 96% of employers strongly agreed or somewhat agreed that regardless of the student’s chosen field of study, all students should have experiences that teach them how to solve problems with people whose views are different from their own. 78% said that they strongly or somewhat agreed that all students should gain intercultural skills and an understanding of societies and countries outside the U.S.
These findings bolster our argument that global learning is important for every student, and COIL is a great way to make sure all students have access.