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.
