I return to Canada as temperatures drop to those of a winter season, the sun shines brightly on a carpet of golden maple leaves, and university students are well-settled into their chosen curricula ... chosen, but I wonder how well chosen. I notice that certain media is, again, drawing attention to the question of jobless graduates with an emphasis on the responsibilities of government. But, I should like to balance the argument by shifting it towards the academic faculties and students themselves.
Firstly, an example; I read of someone stopping an undergraduate and posing this basic question, “What will you do after you graduate?” The answer, not too surprisingly, was, “I don’t know.” It is probable that media political pundits, together with college faculty, would blame government because, of course, government seems to be responsible for everything. Now, let us focus elsewhere.
There was a time when a university degree assured you of a good job, good pay and a comfortable life. But, today, the unemployment rate for young people in this country is almost 15% – double that of the general population. But the real crisis is the increasing number of university and college grads who are underemployed. Some call them "the lost generation". But, it is not only young people who may be lost. If the next generation fails to become part of the economy, who will buy the real estate? Who will pay for social programs? Youth unemployment and underemployment is a ticking time bomb with serious outcomes for everyone.
So, why are so many young Canadians overeducated and underemployed. Because the key players in Canada – universities, employers and governments – are not working together to find a solution. There must be a national body responsible for education when it comes to helping young people make a smooth entry into the workforce. All levels of government, educators and employers, must work together to ensure that education and training are linked to employment.
It is my belief, based on experience, that the problem is twofold; Firstly, students are entering university quite unprepared and, secondly, universities, in some ways, have not brought the curricula into the twenty-first century.
Being unable to answer the question, “What will you do after graduation?” must be looked at seriously by career councillors in high schools. The student should be informed that there may be a position at a Space Agency for someone with a MSc., but an astronaut will require, probably, two PhD’s. (Even an airline pilot requires good postgraduate degrees). It may, also, be difficult for someone to become a software programer if, soon, software will be written by robots using artificial intelligence. Medical doctors are already able to conduct surgery in distant rural communities by remote control. The possibilities are great, but who is explaining this to the prospective student.
Assuming that the student has been counselled wisely, what about the university curricula? Has it been brought into the twenty-first century. I do not imply that reference books have not changed since Albert Einstein, but one could argue that a young Master Einstein could experience the same job prospects, today, as many others. It is quite true that many businesses, today, complain that graduates are not properly prepared for employment and, that, is the fault of unqualified and unprepared teachers and lecturers.
Please tell us what you think.
This post is controversial, Bernie.
ReplyDeleteShould universities "train" students for jobs? I don't think so.
Think of the courses in humanities. Do they have value? Not in terms of "training" someone to "do" something, but still valuable in my opinion (but not in that of most people, I'm afraid).
I've heard that the jobs of the future (even a few years out) don't exist yet, so how can a high-school student ever hope to know what they're going to do after graduation?
And not just that. People get into university and find out that their "chosen" course of study isn't what they thought it would be, or they find something else that they're good at and enjoy more. So they change majors. They could not have foreseen that situation.
Now ... what about education these days? That's a whole other thing ... and not a good thing.
DeleteIsn't debate great, Debby? It has always been my intention to create controversy. Education? "... a whole other thing"? With respect, you seem to be missing my point. We are born with intelligence (to a greater or lesser degree) and we try to add education to that. Students should not be attending university to learn the three R's. University should be teaching valuable life skills. Of course, it's not as simple as that, but the answer to the proverbial question should not be, "I don't know".
I do believe that it is the responsibility of high schools to prepare students for university (or college) at least, those heading in that direction. I mean, providing career guidance during the final term ... by professional counsellors with experience of the 'real' world. Yes, when they enter university, they are still immature and, often, naive, and may decide to change their major in the second semester, but they should no longer display juvenile attitudes, in my opinion.
Finally, Canada must create a central federal education ministry with a minister qualified with an Education PhD. and, thus, remove the bickering between the provinces. The removal of government subsidized religious schools would also be a good idea, but that's a whole separate issue.
I agree,it is problem of magnitude,and SA seems to be doing worse than most,post 1994.
ReplyDeleteMax du Preez,an investigative journalist has just published 'A Rumour of Spring:South Africa after 20 years of Democracy' and his figures on education are staggeringly bad.
A third of grade 6 students are functionally illiterate and 40% are functionally innumerate. A 30% pass rate in matric subjects is acceptable~ to accomodate 'slow learners'.15% of schools have no electricity,75% have no libraries,60% no
sewage and 60% no computers.Some schools have no buildings and pupils are taught under trees.Hundreds are built of mud and brick,have no desks or chairs.Eleven teachers for about 800 students.Books are dumped in fields and rivers,or sit in storerooms.Chopping and changing useless curricula.
There are success stories. Dedicated headmasters make a difference,but thousands of pupils have been deprived of their right to education to lift them out of a future of drugs and crime and no jobs.This is a nuclear bomb we re sitting on.
In my opinion the first thing schools have to to teach students to think,and to use logic. If I speed and shoot a red light,then people might die.
It may be indelicate to say this during the Remembrance Day month but many generations solved the problem of youth unemployment and lack of opportunity by killing them. For example in the USA during the 1860’s uncounted youths died in the Civil War. There is no need to mention the two World Wars of the 20th Century plus all the other recent wars.
ReplyDeleteTurn the clock back into prior centuries to Rome, Egypt, Byzantium, and the Mongols and on and on. It’s the unemployed youth who are sent by the older generation to fight and die.
Maybe I’m misinterpreting the intentions of our forbears. They might not have looked at it that way but who knows. Higher goals such as spreading the gospel, looting, obtaining slaves and concubines, gaining power and other motives then and even now are considered honourable when sending underemployed youth to their death.
Many other animal species do similar things to control their population before nature takes over the job directly through sickness and famine. As they say “God is Good”. Inshallah.
I am bound to comment quickly on what appears to be your suggestion that we may round up (conscript) our unemployed youth and send them to Iraq. Certainly, the ISIS philosophy seems to be following your line of reasoning but God help us if it becomes a global initiative.
ReplyDeleteFinally, to use your word, it is indelicate to refer to our military personnel as unemployable.
Hopefully, I have misinterpreted your words.
Actually, it occurs to me, as I look out of my window, at this moment, that maybe they should be trained to drive snow ploughs.
DeleteWelcome home to the Great White North Bernie.
ReplyDeleteBefore you get all emotional and huffy think dispassionately about what I wrote. What is more practical than to thin the herd and profit from it as head of a nation or a commander behind the lines to collect the spoils. Of course, your side must win.
Don't you think that if the government ordered all unemployed citizens to report to Ottawa on Monday morning to be issued with rifles and ammunition and free transport to Iraq, that there would be a terrible massacre within the parliament buildings. Think about that for a while, as it relates to your yanking at my chain.
DeleteThank you for the kind welcome.
Governments and leaders cannot simply issue a decree to get young men to go to war. They first crank the dial using media and horror stories about the 'others'. Then they use patriotism or religion or other sensitive issues to get the blood up. They are doing that with ISIS right now and we hate them even though they can't hurt us. Look at the preliminaries to invading IRAQ or Viet Nam. Don't be sentimental Bernie, it's all about money and power. Having a surplus of young men is needed to make it work.
ReplyDeleteYou present an interesting scenario, John. Now, I wonder if you can shine a glimmer of hope onto the subject of modifying the education of this "surplus", and rescuing the world that we live on ... before we choose to inhabit a lonely comet.
ReplyDeleteOver educated and unemployment is not only in Canada, but also worldwide, I suppose. When I went shopping and paid over the self serve counter, a job opportunity has been replaced by computer. When I went to bank, and have been encouraged to use ATM, another job opportunity lost. I still like the old way to talk with a real person with smile, although the computer does the job quicker sometimes.
ReplyDeleteAustralia government has stopped funding to universities and TAFE. From next year, the tuition fee will be raised up significantly. That's because the government said the majority people are over educated.
For young generation, go to university may have a better chance for job seeking. They choose their major based on which course may easy to get a job or if they are interested in. So that is not guarantee a job for future.
I don't know what the world will be end up. A war? maybe, as John said. Otherwise, the government should think hard about high living cost and high unemployment rate.
It's always nice to hear from you Annie.
DeletePerhaps, I am being deliberately controversial if I ask how many job vacancies are available in Australia, instead of asking the number of unemployed, and if there are approximately 135,000 jobs available, can it not be argued that the problem is with the unemployed themselves?
It will always have vacancies available, that's for sure. I just pointed the trend that the job opportunities have been replaced by technology. And it is a fact that lots of people are over educated.
ReplyDeleteThe technology does make our life easier, but the government has choice to create job opportunities rather than replacing it with computers.
In some point it's funny to see the government provides dole to unemployed people rather than creating more job opportunities for them.
An alternative to doling out the dole and racking up an unmanageble social security bill to support those without work, the government could encourage entrepreneurship by building hubs where help would be available to people starting to work for themselves.Tax incentives, help with marketing, secreterial work, etc.
DeleteAmazing creative efforts have come out of people who have been retrenched or whose workplaces folded or who simply have never worked.
There seems to be a misunderstanding of the intention for this post. I wanted to focus on the responsibilities of the education authorities and students themselves to prepare for employment ... not the politics of social welfare services. Sadly, there will always be good-for-nothing welfare bums, and John's comment (above) may suggest a worthwhile answer but, with so many jobs available, why are there so many unemployed, educated, people.
ReplyDeleteRecently, I read about a university study that revealed extraordinary numbers of universities that have established 'remedial courses' for first-year undergraduates who were unqualified (unprepared) to study their chosen major. I was shocked to read this for the following reasons:
1. Why were high schools graduating unqualified students?
2. Why were the students permitted to register into university?
3. Why was a student financial loan given for remedial courses?
4. Why were students finally graduating with useless qualifications and excessive financial loans?
As I wait for your welcome comments, I shall give my own views.
1. Unqualified teachers (Some with tenure). Lack of business-qualified career councillors. Prestige for high graduation rates.
2. Money.
3. The student loan is already too huge for most students without adding more for study which should be completed in high school ... which would be free (See #1.).
4. (See #1, 2.).
Finally, please stop saying that nobody knows, today, what qualifications will be needed five years from now.
As I reread these comments, another thought related to point #1. above, occurred to me.
ReplyDeleteA couple of years ago, I spent some time as a teacher trainer, and the following was the most successfully accepted piece of advice that I gave during my lectures.
"Ask yourselves this: As you look at your first class of the day, how many of your students, woke up in their bed and thought, Wow, we have Mr. Xyz (Please insert your own name) this morning ... it's going to be great, he's so cool!" Then, upon seeing many blank faces among the teachers, I said, "If you don't have students like that, then, you need to study the art of teaching ... and if you don't, yourself, wake up, with the same enthusiasm, then, don't teach.
In SA the answer to your four questions can be put into two words:affirmative action.Which can be put another way: appearance is more important than substance.So a badly educated youth is pushed through school and university and cannot do a decent job. So many jobs stay unfilled.Jobs also stay unfilled because they are considered to be too menial by jobseekers who would rather not work than take a low wage,which is what you are suggesting happens in Australia?
ReplyDeleteAnd in teachers' training enthusiasm for teaching is crucial,but the essence of teaching is teaching pupils to think.A great many problems would be preempted,not least the efforts to 're-educate'.
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