Quote:
Originally Posted by LLOD  I wonder if employers haven't shifted focus away from schools and onto tertiary education, especially since tertiary education has had to become competitive. And I wonder if, by doing so, they have actually worked against themselves in that in some cases tertiary education has become, as you suggest in the original post, just an exercise in certification.
Does that sound like a plausible scenario? |
The missus is an academic and, when she isn't on a jolly abroad, teaches at post-grad level. She has noticed a tendency towards students choosing modules according to perceived employer preferences, even if that involves choosing subjects that they have an increased risk of failure. If that does reflect actual employer demands then I think you're quite correct in suggesting the impact can be negative. We essentially get a more homogeneous student body, with students too concerned about fitting the "ideal". The human capital role of education can then be reduced, with students less motivated by investing in their skills and more concerned about achieving the certification deemed valuable.