I so strongly disagree with Steve and the authors of the post linked to and it is an argument I am passionate about. Specifically, I do not believe that we should be disregarding tertiary education. Nor, do I think that tertiary education should be trying to stringently tailor itself too closely to an industry.

In my opinion, industry is for the highly specialised development of specific skill sets, where we learn to craft our knowledge within a narrow space. The mentorship many of us receive in industry is a critical part of this development. Academia has to be different than industry - we all know it costs enough! Returning to academia, I want an experience and a perspective that I cannot attain in industry. As a professional recently returned to tertiary education, this discussion is so topical to my life!

There is a strong thread of discussion within the business world that universities are not adequately preparing graduates to step into the workforce. However, we should qualify exactly what we mean by this. Is it the case that universities are failing to develop the technical skills such that graduates might step directly into productive roles? Or is it that graduates do not possess the personal skills (a willingness to learn, critical thinking, ability to problem solve, challenge themselves and learn independently) to be successful in the workforce? I believe that the development of specific technical skills is not a primary goal of tertiary education. But if graduates are lacking in personal skills then we have a great failure of society, and not just academia, in developing our youth.

I do agree however that changes in the education system have helped reduce essential soft skills mentioned above. I believe that the pressure and competition for exceptional grades has led to a narrowing of the educational experience. Taking risks or exploring outside the bounds of assessment do not necessarily translate to that coveted A+ and therefore, our students become more mechanical and restricted in their approach to learning. Similarly, we see less open-ended questions in exams and assignments, replaced instead with a higher degree of specification and less ambiguity. This to me is the greatest failure of the current education system.

Reflect on your own first years in industry. Did you possess the necessary technical skills from day one? Are you still in the same field / specialty area? Or, has your career taken unexpected twists and turns that have required you to adapt and learn quickly? Why then should we expect current graduates to come out as technically-skilled in specific areas?

I would encourage a return to the philosophical ideals of higher education, the development of critical awareness, open debate and creativity. These are the skills that we don't have the time and luxury of developing once we enter the business world.

Nick