 |
 |
Richardson Cris wrote: > If the job of education is merely to provide a skilled workforce, then, > perhaps, there should be something in addition to college or university > beyond the trade schools. "Merely" isn't the best word here; however, providing job skills and training most certainly is part of education's job. > ...the student who did not apply his/herself in high school or for whatever > reason didn't get a firm grounding in high school, but had the intelligence, > the desire, and the > will to get an education? Those students benefit from some remedial support > and go on to become excellent students and productive members of the > workforce. Sure they will. But do they need a bachelor's degree? I think the article is hitting (or should be hitting) the fact that thousands of jobs and careers are open to people without a "traditional" college education. As a community college, my institution and others need to address that need-- the need for nurses, health care providers, technicians of every stripe who definitely need education beyond high school but don't require a B.A. > I believe the real issue is a sense of elitism, that higher education is only > for a chosen few. What if the division between the highly educated and the > skilled workforce became too great? It's always been great. Only in the last century have we made strides toward equalizing access to education and information. > The benefits of a liberal arts education are to expand the thinking of > students; to encourage them to think outside the box of a narrow discipline or > skill. True-- but none of this requires a bachelor's either. Liz Dewey Delta College