In today’s New York Times, Prof. Krugman has a column arguing that there is no “skills gap”. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/31/opinion/krugman-jobs-and-skills-and-zombies.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
I believe he is making a misake which I explained in a comment.
“I am afraid that Prof. Krugman – whom I admire greatly – is making a fundamental mistake. He is, probably unknowingly, equating a “degree” with an “education” – whether it be a high school degree or a college degree. I believe he is making this mistake because he is relying on
studies of “skills” that make this mistake themselves.
I am a former professor who closely follows higher education. I have read many of these studies and have never read one that did not equate degree with education.(There are links to some of the on my blog www.inside-higher-ed.com.) Employers are much more likely to be aware of the disconnect than researchers (who themselves are usually at the few schools where degree may actually equal eduation).
If Prof. Krugman would just observe for himself what has happend, like David Riesman did, he would more fully appreciate the difference. Prof. Riesman had to physically visit the colleges. Prof. Krugman could just go online, look at some syllabi, read some tests (say in calculus, say at U. of Mich or Wash. Univ., where I taught), look at what it takes to pass, or make and A, and he, too would understand the distinction between “degree” and “education”.
(Search for “study” and you will get some of the posts where I commented on studies, and have links to either the study themselves, or the article that cites them. The articles usually have links.)
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