Gallup: Schools Not Doing So Well
From
Gallup:
Ninety-six
percent of Americans say it is "somewhat" or "very" important for
adults in the country to have a degree or certificate beyond high
school. Clearly, the perceived importance of postsecondary education
remains very high, especially considering the majority of American
adults do not have a degree. But something very troubling lurks
beneath the surface of this finding in the recently released fourth
annual Gallup-Lumina Foundation poll.
Only 13% of Americans
strongly agree college graduates in this country are well-prepared for
success in the workplace. That's down from 14% two years ago and 19%
three years ago. This is effectively a "no confidence" vote in college
graduates' work readiness, and if we don't work to fix it, there will be
catastrophic effects for the American education system and economy.
The no confidence vote gets worse: Americans with college degrees are much less likely to strongly agree college grads are ready for the workforce than Americans without college degrees -- 6% vs. 18%, respectively.
Where is the disconnect?
2 comments:
The disconnect is between the idea of what higher education is: a 4 year (or more) college degree or post-high school training in a trade (plumbing, electrician, HVAC, for example).
The college graduates know what their degrees are actually good for, and that's usually just being educated. That's not much help in getting a job, however, since degree inflation, credentialism and political correctness make a college degree alone mean much less than it used to.
In my opinion, part of the disconnect is caused by those of us who have to work with the new college graduates. The work ethic,common sense and lack of asking questions are all major challenges for me and my boss. (We have two lab techs that are fairly recent college grads)
I will be glad to provide examples, if anyone desires.
Post a Comment