Businesses Should Stop Looking to College Grads and Start Training for Excellence

There’s a quiet revolution happening, and it’s not in the halls of ivy-covered universities. It’s in the minds of young people who are asking a bold question: Is college worth it anymore?

For decades, a college degree was seen as the golden ticket, a sign that someone was smart, competent, and job-ready. But the ticket is tarnishing. Today, more and more high school graduates are opting out of the traditional college route unless they’re pursuing a very specific career like medicine, engineering, or law. And who can blame them?

Tuition is sky-high. Student loan debt is crushing. And the ROI? Debatable at best.

More troubling than the cost is what students are (or aren’t) actually learning. In recent years, reports have surfaced of college students who struggle to write a coherent sentence or complete basic math. Even more shocking is that many of them admit they were passed through high school without truly learning the fundamentals. They didn’t earn their way forward; they were ushered along.

We now have a generation of young adults who’ve never been given the tools to succeed. Many are bright and capable but were neglected in the height of Covid. Good news! Here’s the real opportunity:

Businesses can step in and fill the gap.

Instead of disqualifying someone for not having a degree, what if we trained them for excellence? What if we invested in character, coachability, and work ethic? What if we stopped treating a college diploma as the only indicator of potential?

The truth is, a degree doesn’t guarantee someone has real-world skills, critical thinking, or emotional intelligence. Those traits are built through intentional mentorship, clear expectations, and hands-on experience.

The companies who win in the next 10 years won’t be the ones with the best-degreed hires. They’ll be the ones who know how to spot raw talent and shape it, the ones who believe in building people from the ground up.

If you’re a business owner, leader, or team builder, consider this your invitation:

Be a developer of people.

You don’t need a fancy curriculum. You need a culture of accountability and a commitment to doing things with excellence. Start an internal apprenticeship. Create a leadership pipeline. Give a young person a reason to rise to the occasion.

Because here’s the reality no one’s talking about: young people want to work. They want to be trusted, challenged, and developed. They just don’t want to spend four years and $100,000 being told they aren’t good enough unless they follow a path that doesn’t fit them.

Let’s give them a better option.

Let’s build excellence from the inside out.

Want help developing a team culture rooted in excellence, accountability, and service? The Rite Service offers training experiences that empower your staff and grow your business from within. Contact us at info@theriteservice.com or www.theriteservice.com