The call to rethink the country’s fascination with sending everyone to college gained some support recently in a series of articles in the Summer 2008 Issues in Science and Technology. That publication is a joint endeavor by the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine and the University of Dallas.
The idea is that the focus on college education by the nation’s policymakers overemphasizes the four-year college degree to the detriment of things like training and experience which could actually pay off better for both the economy and individuals.
One article by Robert Lerman of the Urban Institute questions the very relevance of test scores and suggests they are emphasized too much when other factors like skills, non-cognitive skills, and occupational qualifications could be much more indicative of success in the work world.
Peter Cappelli of Wharton School maintains there is no evidence that giving people four-year degrees results in any restructuring of jobs or increased productivity and growth in the economy at large. He goes on to stress the nation would do far better to build apprenticeship programs, school-to-work programs and foster close relationships between community colleges and employers.
For the construction sector these kinds of thoughts might free-up avenues for developing new talent to fill gaps in the work force. Some questions that might start being asked could include:
- Does it really take a four year degree to manage a construction project?
- Will four years of college create a better estimator or draftsman than a specialized course?
- At what point does life experience, work experience, attitude and self-learning ability trump higher education?
- Are colleges really delivering valuable recruits to the construction sector, or are they just trading diplomas for tuition?
As the U.S. continues to face the challenges of global competition while simultaneously resisting the call to supply workers for the diverse set of tasks required within society these kinds of questions will continue to grow in numbers and complexity. Construction is one of the industries that will be on the cutting edge of this debate.
