From: Samantha Atkins (samantha@objectent.com)
Date: Wed Jan 31 2001 - 00:17:54 MST
I don't think it is the job of the employer to correct the educational
deficit. I think it is primarily the responsibility of each of us to
continue learning. Especially as the amount and rate of knowledge
explodes around us. Good societal policies and even business policies
can help but they cannot remotely be held as the major determiners.
I read somewhere that over 50% of all college graduates (not high
school, college) in this country don't read one single book after
graduation. That shows a singularly inactive mind. How can minds be so
turned off or not ever turned on or distracted by whatever that this can
be true? Especially so many minds?
I don't think it is the employer's responsibility in part because the
entire company/employer/employee relationship and model is largely and
increasingly outmoded. Employment is not for life or even for 5-10
years. Seeing this, how does it make sense for an employer to
personally set up and pay for major training of an employee? It would
make as much or little sense to donate money generally to the education
of people. It might be an incentive to stay with a company if the
training is really good however.
When it comes to the lack of basic skills the fault is not with
employers but with the government run, piss-poor public school system.
A 96% lack of fundamental skills, not high-end ones, is a very major
indictment of education in this country. Of course, part of the
highness of this figure could also be due to almost all of the good
people already being employed. But this still doesn't explain while
there are many millions of people without these basic skills needed to
even begin to comprehend the world around them, much less be employable.
These are truly frighening statistics. I have no idea how to fix such a
mess short of mandatory rewiring of brains or segregation of the less
mentally challenged people away from the general cultural chaos that is
most likely about to ensue. I hope many of these numbers are
overplayed. I fear they are not.
- samantha
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