Are seniors in high school and college students getting appropriate time for job prep skills?

Schools / colleges typically divide courses into two broad categories: Academic vs Vocational

Academic courses tend to be more theoretical though some classes have lab sessions where students gain some practical experience or learn from experience in a controlled setting. Academic degrees vary from 2 (for an associate degree) to 4 years (for the bachelor's degree). From my experience, most academic programs do not spend much time, if any, on job prep skills.

Vocational courses have a long tradition of basic competency testing. The course of study focuses on a specific job and ends with a certificate. Internships (similar to apprentices of old) give students actual on-the-job experience and contact with those working in that field. Some certificates may also require passing a State licensing exam before being fully qualified for employment. Vocational program are probably better at preparing students for work.

Before paying money for any refreshers, try looking at various "free" options:

1) free online courses in a wide variety of subjects. You can do an internet search for "free courses". One sample link is http://www.free-ed.net/free-ed/

2) for a list of general job skills of what most employers want newly hired workers to be able to do: http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/public/clubextra.h...

3) check at your current school, or a nearby community college if you aren't in school, for free workshops. There may also be self-help books in the public library.

All of the above are great if you are independent and self-disciplined enough to push yourself to do them.

If you are the kind of person that likes company and work better with a more traditional guided approach, then a paid course may be the way to go.

Keep in mind, the present pace of change associated with today's technologies makes it imperative to make learning a life-long commitment. So no matter how well educated and qualified a person is to get a job and work today, they will almost always need to get more training in order keep that job in the future.

For college students, I think it depends on their major. For those majoring in things like medical sciences (nursing, dental, medicine, etc.), they get all the job skills they need taught to them. Of course this is due to the fact that their skills are so specific and unique to the rest of the job community. As far as things like interviewing techniques and resume writing, etc., the more general skills, most students don't get the training for those unless they go out and seek them.

I would not pay money for any type of job prep course or refresher class or anything like that, mostly because my school offers tons of those types of workshops/courses for free and nowadays a lot of employers are offering workshops in the skills that are appropriate for that particular job.