# Civics class is job training

> The people who run the National Civics Bee argue the skills employers beg for are the ones civics used to teach.
- Title: Civics class is job training · Fortune | Shortify
- Summary: The people who run the National Civics Bee argue the skills employers beg for are the ones civics used to teach. Employers waiting on the talent pipeline to…
- Keywords: civics, education, workforce, employers, skills, class, job, training, Fortune
- Source: Fortune — https://fortune.com/2026/09/13/national-civics-bee-250-years-better-workers
- Author: Hilary Crow
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: civics, education, workforce, employers, skills
## A 250th year, and 22%
Students returned to school in the 250th year since the founding. Only 22% of eighth-graders are proficient in civics, by the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress.
## Teens name the AI-proof skills
Asked by Common Sense Media which skills matter most as AI reshapes work, teenagers picked working with others, fact-checking and critical thinking, and making sense of complicated information.
## Employers say the same thing
Just 18% of business leaders think entry-level hires are ready for today's workplace. The complaint about democracy and the complaint about the workforce are the same complaint.

> We tend to treat these as separate worries.
## What the Bee actually does
More than 20,000 middle schoolers compete through 240-plus local chambers of commerce. They find a problem in their community, research it from several angles, propose a fix, and defend it to judges.
## The survey results
98% of participants named a real benefit. Nearly three-quarters improved their writing, and three-quarters felt ready to defend a position on a controversial issue respectfully.
## Emily went to Congress
Born with a rare medical condition, Emily Brubaker researched the policy issue behind it, built support, and met lawmakers in Washington. Research, persuasion, persistence, all before her first paycheck.

> civic learning gives young people opportunities to tackle authentic challenges before anyone is paying them
## Civics got crowded out
The 1960s standard was three high school courses in civics and government. Most states now require one, often a single semester. Only a third of high schools have debate teams.
## Fifty dollars versus fifty cents
Federal STEM education spending runs about $50 per student a year. Civic education gets less than fifty cents. The gaps in civics are not accidental, they follow the money.

> These gaps are not accidental. They reflect where we put our money.
## Stop waiting for the pipeline
Businesses already spend billions on onboarding and training to patch what school skipped. The next generation of workers is in a middle school classroom right now.

> employers should not wait for the talent pipeline to fix itself
## Key takeaway

Employers waiting on the talent pipeline to fix itself should look at civics, where a 100-to-1 funding gap is quietly starving the skills they say they need.