WASHINGTON – In order to alleviate America’s unemployment problems and eliminate the so-called “skills gap,” colleges and universities must not only produce more graduates but also more graduates with the kind of education and skills that employers demand in an ever-changing global economy.
That was one of the many suggestions that business and education leaders proffered Tuesday at The Atlantic magazine’s first New Work Era Summit.
The challenge is particularly daunting as the expectations associated with various jobs—from auto mechanics to tool-making jobs—become more varied and complex. Many schools remain so disconnected from industry that they are largely ignorant about current needs, panelists said.
While much of the conference focused on what the world of higher education can do to solve the nation’s job woes, panelist John Sexton, president of New York University and immediate past chairman of the American Council on Education, cautioned against allowing colleges and universities to devolve into workforce producers instead of focusing on giving students an education that enables them to live a fulfilling life.
“I think there’s a danger in this magnificent conversation … of reducing down to production of a job once you get out of school,” Sexton said. “Not to say that’s not important.”
“However,” he said, “as important as the job numbers next month are, if we’re going to attack this problem we need to think about how we inculcate critical thinking (and other skills) and indulge kids to the maximum of their potential.”
Business leaders seemed to take a different tact and said more students would find a rewarding life if they knew more about what skills are in demand in today’s economy.
