The primary mission of colleges and universities should be preparing students for the workforce. One of the most fundamental factors that contributed to human civilization and progress was the foundation of educational institutions like colleges and universities. Since centuries they have trained scientists, philosophers, artists, lawyers and businessmen alike by harnessing their talents and helping them shape the course of human history. However, the nature of the work and the way things are done in the workplace have drastically changed and are constantly changing. Today, we too often see university graduates with commendable academic knowledge but not the practical skills needed to survive in the increasingly competitive job market leading …show more content…
This shows the reliance of student loans in England alone and the rate at which it is increasing. This is similar for the countries in the region and other nations in the American continent, less so in countries promoting free education like Germany and other Asian countries where student loans are not as often borrowed. Most good universities have high fees owing to the well-educated faculty and because of the scale at which they operate. Hence, assessing the returns of investments for these students, a large proportion of the money they earn is paid for debt financing while the amount they earn is not satisfactory due to their incompetence in the labor market; this leaves them not a lot of money to spare for other expenses. Thinking long term, if this goes on and if the main objective of universities is not set to career preparation, would that discourage people from joining universities? As Kevin J. Manning writes “The modern employment experience should push us to consider new ways of preparing and empowering students for careers. Otherwise, we will leave a new generation, already carrying loads of debt, adrift in an employment marketplace that is hypercompetitive and constantly changing.( “Career preparation to chance”).William Bennett, former U.S. Secretary of …show more content…
A century ago, it would be much more viable to choose a completely academic job with not much focus on what the firms will demand because of a very mechanized nature of jobs and not much of an application of division of labor and other innovative work techniques. Today, this is not possible. Due to the change in the labor force structure, we need more technical and professional workers. The services/tertiary sector is now the largest sector in the western world (tertiarisation) (Soubbotina, 51). The skills required in the service sector are often very different from what the universities teach. This involves good communication, coordination and the usage of advanced IT systems. Thus, colleges should implement these reforms university-wide: in courses, extra-curricular activities and engrain them in their culture. This is not to say that ‘academic thinkers’ like scientists and philosophers should not be catered for but that there should be a more practical approach in training non-academic workers. There have also been a lot of new job titles in the last few decades such as social media engineers, logistics engineers, petty cash custodians, gesture writers etc. These require more specialized skillsets and often, particularly in the cases of technical works like engineers, the firms that employ them have to give them extensive on-the-job training. When universities take these
As the economy evolves and the job market continues to get more competitive, it’s becoming harder to have a successful career without some kind of college degree. This creates a belief in many young students that college actually is a commodity, something they must have in order to have a good life. There’s many different factors that influence this mindset, high schools must push the importance of the student’s willingness and drive to further their education. College isn’t just a gateway to jobs, but it is an opportunity to increase knowledge and stretch and challenge the student which in return makes them a more rounded adult and provides them with skills they might lack prior to
In todays’ society college has become more so a necessity rather than a luxury. With a job market without as many opportunities as in the past, college degrees have become required to gain most well paying jobs. Due to this it is logical to say that college should be an environment that properly prepares the young adult to succeed in the working world. Although there are some who believe that the youth of todays generation are unprepared, and that institutes of higher learning are not doing anything to aid the situation. This is a view shared by Jacob Neusner in his speech “The Speech The Graduates Didn’t Hear” and by Fred Reed in his blog post “On Campus at U.PE: The University Of Practically Everywhere”. The ideas both these men exhibit
In this article “What It Takes To Make New College Students Employable” written by Alina Tugend, she argues that your time in college does not necessarily prepare an individual for jobs in society today. This is mainly due to employers who expect recent college graduates to have the skills prepared for a working environment. Unfortunately, that is not the case because the social and technical skills that you learn in college do not translate into the corporate world. To solve this problem, students can become more well equipped with the skills necessary to work by attending training programs, have employers work with them to fix certain issues, and teach them where certain social skills should be applied in the workplace.
In the United States, the history of Career and Technical Education evolved within four major periods. First, the Awakening period which began in 1776-1826, when the right to a free public education was expressed. During this era, educational opportunities in labor and industrial education were being demanded. The rising working class began to press for an education that were more appropriate for their labor and industry’s needs (Awakening 1776-1826, 1976). Even Benjamin Franklin who represented the Awakening middle class was on board with the rise of technical and vocational education which were taught primarily by private masters or contracted apprenticeships (Cohen, 1976).
In this article Nemko is illuminating the issues that our modern society is facing involving higher education. Students are starting off college with bare minimum requirements for next level learning and feeling disappointed when they are not succeeding in their courses. The author acknowledges that the courses being taken by students are sometimes not beneficial to life after college. Nemko states, “A 2006 study supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that 50 percent of college seniors scored below ‘proficient’ levels on a test that required them to do such basic tasks…”(525). Students are specializing in areas of learning to in turn be denied to working in that field and stuck with unnecessary skills. “Many college graduates are forced to take some very nonprofessional positions, such as driving a truck or tending bar”( ...
“Building Human and social capital, the informed workers that add value by working smarter rather than harder are more important in today 's workforce. Strategic importance and dimensions. Having a dependable, trusting team and cooperative relationships. Continuing to build organizational learning has been the key to their success”. (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2013, p. 14). So many organizations are willing to pay the expense for college for their employees with terms an agreements must be made the employee must maintain a passing grade in each class and the classes must be beneficial to the organization in order for the classes to get paid. Organizations today would rather have employees Knowledgeable about matters that concern the job, the information that you possess is more important to the economy along with who you know that will enpower growth. “Similar to culture, the implementation of strategy requires employee buy-in and is subject to the influence of the organizational social network. Any leader, from a CEO implementing companywide changes to a line manager making adjustments to the work schedule, needs the changes to be accepted by his or her subordinates”.(Hollenbeck, J....
Over the past few years, people have begun to see going to college as a way to achieve the American Dream through career-readiness. People used to go to college, hoping to get a better well-rounded education. For most the well-rounded education, it usually came with the courses required for a liberal arts education. The courses would provide a level of analytical and in-depth understanding that would prepare the students for both life and whichever career path chosen. No matter the amount of money paid, parents would be willing to gi...
“Should Preparing Students For the Workforce Be The Primary Mission Of Colleges and Universities?” Debate.org Phillip & Crystal Ferreira, Web. 16 April 2014.
Student loan debt makes up a large portion of the debt in this country today. Many defaulted loans are the demise of high interest rates, poor resources to students in educating them on other avenues and corruption in the governmental departments that oversee education and financing. There are many contributing factors that lead to the inability to pay off student loans which need government reform to protect the borrower’s best interests.
Many people believe that college is not for everyone. They believe that knowing and learning about life cannot be gained by reading books. In the meantime, there are many people who believe that college does prepare students for the real world. They believe college offers students valuable tools that will equip them for the real world. For instance, open classrooms where students can engage in stimulating conversations prepare students for professions that pay people who can think fast and come up with creative ideas for their companies. Moreover, professors assign homework, exams, and papers to stimulate thinking and prepare students for deadlines and job assignments. However, college may prepare students for the professional world, but does it really prepare students for the real world. The purpose of this essay is...
In 2012, the rate of graduation stays low as the rate of attendance goes up at community colleges. People say that they go to college to get a better education and to have more opportunities, but we all know in the long run it’s so they can make more money. In order to learn you must be willing to work hard, Confucius once said, “You cannot open a book without learning.” I believe that this is true because at some point you have to read something about what you are working on. In 2014 of 2.9 million high school students who graduated, 2.0 million of them went on to college to get a higher level of education. In addition to the promise of a higher salary, college offers a myriad of benefits to students who participate in the academia experience.
It is a norm and expectation in society today for students to pursue higher education after graduating from high school. College tuition is on the rise, and a lot of students have difficulty paying for their tuitions. To pay for their tuitions, most students have to take out loans and at the end of four years, those students end up in debt. Student loan debts are at an all time high with so many people graduating from college, and having difficulties finding jobs in their career fields, so they have difficulties paying off their student loans and, they also don’t have a full understanding of the term of the loans and their options if they are unable to repay.
Graduating can be a very exciting moment in life, but it can be difficult to find jobs after graduating. The loss of jobs has increased since the Great Depression and the
Education is an infinite learning process that plays a vital role in modern society. Even now, without a higher education one cannot even get a simple occupation such as a sales clerk, carpenter, or custodian. From writing checks, filing taxes, driving a car, to budgeting groceries, all involve the pre- knowledge and basics of reading, writing, and calculating. Higher education is very important to the success of a person’s career goal. To avail all benefits and acquire a proficient education, one has to take the learning process as a solemn one.
University education trains students in academic subjects. But non-academic fields can lead us to success as well. There are countless entrepreneurs, actors/actresses, political leaders, authors, directors, critics, designers, and more who prove that success does not merely depend on having complete education. These non-academic fields require people’s enthusiasm, but not academic knowledge. For example, Abraham Lincoln completed only one year of formal education, yet became a world famous lawyer and the U.S. President. These examples shows tertiary education may not be a necessary factor for success. On the other hand, it is generally believed that university education is necessary for successful life. Education is the key to success because it opens doors for people of all backgrounds, and it expands the human mind with knowledge. Roland (1997) claim that the vast amount of knowledge gained through education prepares individuals to solve problems, teach others, function at a higher level and implement transformational ideas. The 21st century is ever changing, new inventions are coming up non-stop and without proper education, it’s