writing today is not a frill for the few, but an essential skill for the many
Close to 70 percent of corporations report that two-thirds or more of their salaried employees have some responsibility for writing, either explicit or implicit, in their position descriptions
• With the exception of mining and transportation/utilities, large majorities of salaried
employees in all industries are expected to write.
• Writing is almost a universal professional skill required in service industries as well as finance, insurance, and real estate. It is also widely required in construction and manufacturing.
• Among nonprofessional employees, the expectations for writing are not as high. Even among hourly employees, however, between one-fifth and one-third of employees have some writing responsibilities in fast-growing sectors such as services, FIRE( finance , insurance & real estate), and construction.
The skills of new college graduates are deplorable—across the board; spelling,grammar, sentence structure . . . I can’t believe people complete their graduation not knowing what a sentence s.Recent graduates aren’t even aware when things are wrong (singular/plural agreement, run-on sentences, and the like). I’m amazed they got through college.
I am happy that it has now been proved through surveys that writing is the “marker” attribute of high-skill, high-wage, professional work. It is also a “gatekeeper to a better carrier.”Developing the kinds of thoughtful writers needed in business, and elsewhere in the nation’s life, will require us educators to understand writing as an activity calling for extended preparation across subject matters—from kindergarten through college.
