We all hear that to be successful career-wise, college is a must.

But there’s new evidence suggesting a real disconnect between what bosses want in their employees and what schools are doing to prepare tomorrow’s job candidates.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers, in its fall journal, published data on the topic by researchers from Michigan State University.

The college administrators surveyed rated ethics, integrity and knowledge as “very important” to develop in students. Employers gave the same ratings for ethics and integrity, but they rank leadership, perseverance, interpersonal skills, adaptability and life skills as “very important.”

NACE, a non-profit organization, serves both employers and those at colleges who are guiding students into the job market.

“Our job is to connect the two,” says Pattie Giordani, associate editor for NACE. “The good news is there used to pretty much be emphasis on traditional academic goals, instead of things like communication and adaptability, which I’m seeing taught more and more,” Giordani says.

“There is some disparity, but I do think there’s less of a disconnect than in the past,” Giordani says.

For the Michigan State study, Giordani says “findings such as this spur more interest in the subject and will get our members talking to each other.”