In his article, "That Good Education Might Not Be Enough," Los Angeles Times staff writer Peter Gosselin examines the assumption that government and corporate leaders make frequently: that a "good education" will ensure that people can cross the chasm of job loss when the work they’re doing lands in another country.
He quotes President Bush’s comments to a group of "young entrepreneurs" he met with on his recent visit to India: "Let’s make sure people are educated so they can fill the jobs of the 21st century."
As Gosselin writes, "The president’s assertion that the answer to foreign outsourcing is education, a mantra embraced by Democrats as well as Republicans, is being challenged by a growing body of research and analysis from economists and other scholars. Education — at least as delivered by most of the nation’s colleges, universities and technical schools — is no longer quite the economic cure-all it once was, nor the guarantee of financial security Americans have come to expect from college and graduate degrees."
He quotes experts from Princeton, the American Council on Education and the National Center on Education and the Economy, addressing the fact that tens of millions of jobs could be up for grabs in the great globalizing of the 21st century — with the suggestion that the work will — like water — go metaphorically downhill to countries where labor is less expensive.
But Gosselin’s real point is that while the President’s comments may make for feel-good fodder among supporters, it’s mostly rhetoric. He hasn’t got a great record for supporting college and post-secondary jobs training. Pell grants have stagnated and Education Department spending will shrink if his 2007 budget plans go through.
I too believe education — while no guarantee — can make a helluva difference. When it’s done well, it gives a person perspective and options. That’s what surviving in a truly global economy requires.
Interestingly, of five "young entrepreneurs" allowed to ask Bush questions during the presentation, three of them attended colleges in the US. Those are folks who probably received not a dime in help from the US government towards their education. But I do wonder how the government of India supported their efforts. You know that somebody over there did some heavy lifting to get them what they received in the US.
Maybe the impact won’t be felt much on the President’s watch, and that’s why he’s not overly concerned. But he’s in a position of true (some would say ultimate) power, and I want to see him do some heavy lifting too.
