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Zonie63 -> RE: Skills Don’t Pay the Bills - The "Skills Gap" Myth (11/27/2012 11:55:08 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: freedomdwarf1
quote:
ORIGINAL: leonine
He's bright and motivated and sitting around waiting for the million to one chance of a real apprenticeship, while our factories are hiring engineers from Poland because they're too tight to train their own people.
That just shows how low our own educational system is in the UK.
Some would argue that paying for training is a heavy investment in one person that might not pay off if they leave after training and go work for a rival company.
But surely, isn't that the chance a business has to take? If it's a decent company, the trainee wouldn't want to leave anyway.
They get the Polish guys because they are already trained and can jump in the deep end and hit the floor running - and also (usually) for a lot lower salary.
But who trained those Polish people?
Poland's educational system and their work strategy - that's who.
This something we need to learn in the UK - invest in people and training.
I think that's something we need to learn in the U.S. as well. I was just commenting in another thread that businesses expect applicants to have a ready-made set of skills, but are complaining that there aren't enough applicants to meet their requirements.
I think the educational system could definitely be improved. There has been quite a bit more public attention on wanting to improve math and science education in the U.S., as we've been lagging behind other industrialized nations. (Although that doesn't tell the whole story, since that's taking the U.S. as a whole, when there are some districts/schools which are excellent while others are failing miserably.) Of course, the schools can only do so much, since they have to play the hand they're dealt.
Perhaps it might also have to do with the philosophy of education itself. Does it prepare young people with the necessary skill sets to compete in the 21st century? Our society has tended towards pragmatism and very goal-oriented, whereas education seems more process-oriented. Our educational system is geared more towards the process of getting a well-rounded education and not so much on specific career goals. There's also been a great deal of attention placed on standardized tests, so schools are under pressure to turn in high test scores - but that doesn't necessarily translate into good paying jobs for graduates.
My impression is that schools in other countries tend to be a bit tougher than we are in the U.S. Maybe they have stricter discipline, more rigid academic requirements. Many years ago, I was reading about a school in Russia holding an open house, which all parents were required to attend. Those parents whose kids had poor grades were bawled out in front of all the other parents and students there. They don't put up with any guff. I think schools in China and Japan are equally tough.
But also, in those cultures, teachers, as an occupation, are treated with much more respect than in the U.S. That may also have something to do with it. It may not necessarily have to do with pay (although that's part of it), but people also like to be respected and treated well in their job. There are other intangibles which come with job satisfaction, not just pay.
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