A disconnect between educators and employers may be a big reason some recent college graduates are struggling and feeling unprepared, even for entry-level jobs. That’s according to a Cengage Group 2025 employability report, detailing what it calls “the missing link,” as it explores accounta bility in career readiness. On Friday, February 13, Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) will host career-readiness training for Paul Quinn College’s ‘Every Quinnite is an Entrepreneur. It’s specifically for its students in their new entrepreneurship program that they launched in the fall of 2025. “I was having conversations with [TMNA] and they were telling me about how they do these experience maps,” Director of Paul Quinn College’s entrepreneurship program, Jeff Meade said. “So, when people move around Toyota, they don’t just show up talking about their resume. They actually do this experience map, which talks about the jobs they’ve had in the past, their lived experiences, their stories. So, it’s this bigger picture of who you are…and I said, we have got to bring this to our students.” TMNA’s public relations representative detailed the hands-on training experience students can expect: Fast-paced student simulations: Teams compete in Toyota’s “Kaizen Challenge,” racing to redesign workflows, reduce inefficiencies, and improve performance in real time Career coaching in action: Students map their life experiences into interview-ready professional stories during the “Experience Map” workshop Corporate mentors embedded on campus: Toyota staff work side-by-side with Paul Quinn College students throughout the afternoon Authentic student voices: Reflections on leadership, confidence, and career readiness HBCU partnership spotlight: A rare look at how a major employer is investing directly in students at a historically Black college Cengage Group’s 2025 Employability report found that employers and educators are holistically disconnected in workforce priorities. According to the report, employers said job-specific technical, digital and communication skills are most important. Educators said critical thinking and problem-solving are priorities. Paul Quinn College told NBC 5 it has looked for ways to prioritize really making sure its students are better prepared to get jobs. “We are constantly talking to the marketplace,” Meade said. “In fact, the entrepreneurship program grew out of that. It was employers pretty much saying, we need people who can think and act like entrepreneurs. And we took that idea and ran with it.” TMNA training will take place from 12-5 on Paul Quinn College’s campus. TMNA has been a major corporate partner that has invested in Paul Quinn College’s students over the last several years, a spokesperson told NBC 5. ...read more read less