When employers are not getting the right qualifications from applicants with University degrees, they do the unprecedented. This is what happened in the Tech industry when the supply of graduates is lesser than the demands. In the fast-paced nature of technology, big-tech companies cannot afford to wait until job-ready graduates emerge from universities. In order to fill in the gap, they have created their own courses to expedite the skills training of likely candidates. This is a big leap in education!

Traditional University curriculum includes subjects that are not relevant to the job that students are preparing for. Those subjects that are irrelevant add a burden to University students because of additional cost, time and effort. This is akin to an aspiring rock guitarist who needs to study jazz before learning to play soaring licks. Although it might give additional creative palettes, it would be more beneficial to get the job first and later explore other possibilities.

With the inception of online educational platforms, such as EdX and of course, Coursera, there is now a cheaper alternative to University courses. However, there’s a caveat, the majority of the industries today still do not recognize online short course certifications. It is still difficult to get hired without a University degree. If, on the other hand, students will supplement their learning with online educational platforms, it would give them the advantage to secure a job, barring the additional cost, time and effort.

Presently, the shortage of Computer Science graduates versus the high demand from tech industries is an anomaly. In general, there are more graduates than jobs. Job mismatch is also prevalent among degree holders because college graduates have difficulty finding a suitable job, they resort to a job that doesn’t even require a degree.

In conclusion, when more industries embrace the model set by the tech industries, it will create a win-win situation for both the industry and the potential workforce. Students will be more informed on what degrees to take up. They will also be more diligent and competitive because they know that they have a better chance to land a job at a particular company. On the other hand, companies can choose from the best graduates that they know are job-ready because they prepared the graduates themselves. The cost of hiring, training and retraining employees would drastically be reduced as well.

References:

Impatient With Colleges, Employers Design Their Own Courses. https://www.wired.com/story/impatient-with-colleges-employers-design-their-own-courses/

Workers with no college degree fall further behind than ever. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/workers-with-no-college-degree-fall-further-behind-than-ever/

HK may be producing more graduates than jobs suitable for them: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/hkedition/2019-07/23/content_37494348.htm

Hiring Unqualified Employees: Cost, Effects & Disadvantages: https://content.wisestep.com/hiring-unqualified-employees/