Research Proposal

Working title:  Skills over Degrees

Topic

With jobs being so difficult to find and higher education costs skyrocketing, Americans should turn their focus from degrees to vocational schools and skilled labor jobs.   Because so many people turn to higher education, there are fewer and fewer skilled laborers being produced in America.  This results in more of a demand for vocational students creating a great job market with promise of worthwhile wages.  Because of the disproportional higher education to vocational students, it is logical to conclude that more students should go into vocations than degree driven work.

Research Question

Is vocational school potentially a better investment than higher education and how should it reform itself to attract more students?

Theory

With more people turning to higher education there is less jobs and so more people unemployed or turning to entry level positions.  This is partly because there is more students than jobs that require a degree (Vedder).   There are also a lot of people attending college who are maybe not suited for college life.  “We’re trying to push all students through this very narrow pipeline without any thought or regard as to what they want to do, where their interests are, where they’ll be successful,” says Janet Bray, executive director of the association for career and technical education.  “If they don’t know what they want to do and they have no skills at the end of that degree, they’re in debt in many other ways.  They have a four year degree when a one or two year program certificate would get them a job much faster.”(Selingo p.162) The un- and under-employed people also add to the average wages of people with degrees.  “For males with a high-school education, earnings rose 1.87 percent, while for those with bachelor’s degrees, they fell 4.17 percent (for those with master’s degrees, earnings were essentially unchanged)” (Vedder).  If this is the case then the amount of money being made by degree students is not only cut by the market but also by the amount of money spent at college and the time spent not being able to work while in school.  “According to a 2012 study by Georgetown University's Center for Education and the Workforce, 39% of men with an educational certificate earn more than men with an associate's degree, and 24% earn more than men with a bachelor's degree” (Watson).  This fact shows that there is clearly a decent amount of people making an on or above degree par salary. Just because there is a large demand for skilled workers that does not mean it is a perfect system.  As Chairwoman Foxx said, “In an economy that is constantly changing, the federal government has made it more difficult for workforce investment leaders to address the priorities of their communities” (United States).  The government has severely cut funding to training schools in favor of higher education.  Furthermore, skilled workers are not immune to unemployment.  “While we know that there are millions of Americans out there, who are still having a difficult time accessing good jobs in this economy, we also know that there are a substantial number of jobs in healthcare, in advanced manufacturing, in high-growth industries and sectors that are left unfilled because employers require specialized skills for these positions in this 21st century” (United States p. 5).  Part of this is due to america’s narrow view of education.  “We need an expanded notion of what constitutes an education after high school.  That definition should include on-the-job training and apprenticeships, coupled with learning across a range of subjects, as well as experiences before college that improve the often difficult transition from highly structured high schools to freewheeling college campuses” (Selingo p.162).  In America we tend to segregate higher education and vocations but this in not so in European countries such as sweden.  “[Post Secondary Vocational education and training schools] aim is to fill a gap in education market flowing from the increasing demand for higher professional and technical skills from employers and the rising demand for high level education from groups that traditionally did not participate in post-secondary education” (OECD p.18).  This system makes graduates more marketable upon graduation because they have a wide variety of skills.  Not only that but they have the skills to learn, secondary education, and to act, vocational education.  So while the american vocational system has some problems it is a good alternative to college that provides good jobs and wages.

 

Works Cited

OECD (2012), Post-Secondary Vocational Education and Training: Pathways and Partnerships, Higher Education in Regional and City Development, OECD Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264097551-en

Selingo, Jeffrey J. "Why College?" College (un)bound: The Future of Higher Education and What It Means for Students. New York: Houghton Mifflin, NY. 160-66. Print.

United States. Cong. House. Committee on Education and the Workforce. Putting America Back to Work: Reforming the Nation's Workforce Investment System : Hearing before the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, Committee on Education and the Workforce, U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, First Session, Hearing Held in Washington, DC, February 26, 2013. 113th Cong., 1st sess. HR 113-5. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

Vedder, Richard. "The College-Graduate Glut: Evidence From Labor Markets." Chronicle. N.p., 11 July 2012. Web. 12 Oct. 2013.

Watson, Bruce. "Why College May Not Be the Best Choice for Your Education Dollar."DailyFinance.com. N.p., 13 Aug. 2012. Web. 12 Oct. 2013