How many college graduates does America really need?

While I have asserted that there is an obvious demand for more college-educated workers and our future depends on it, not all would agree.  Paul E. Barton concludes his article titled “How Many College Graduates Does the U.S. Labor Force Really Need?” by stating that “we should not just accept—and repeat—the now-conventional wisdom that there is an accelerating economic demand for workers with college degrees and that our standing in the global economy is threatened if we do not meet it.”

Barton does not dispute that “the quality and quantity of higher education available is critical to the nation’s future economic well-being,” but he describes how difficult it is to clearly identify how many students need to be college educated.  One of the issues he addresses is underemployment of college graduates.  He describes how a rise in college attendance along with downsizing, outsourcing and a shortage of high paying jobs, has resulted in some becoming “educated poor.”

There is no question that our higher education system is less than efficient in linking the number and types of graduates produced to job market needs.  And that is not an easy undertaking to solve.

However, unlike higher education institutions that primarily serve younger students, those that serve adults tend to be much more outcomes-based and career focused – or at least they should be.  Adult students demand programs that clearly define learning outcomes and how those outcomes are linked to the profession they want to pursue. That is what Transparency by Design is about—providing adult students with enough information about a school and its programs to allow them to understand what they will be able to do with what they learn.

Isn’t one way to avoid underemployment and disappointment the clear articulation of intended learning outcomes and how well those are being delivered?  Isn’t that a necessary ingredient for enabling good and efficient decision-making by prospective adult students?

What are your thoughts? Are today’s adult college students getting the information they need to make an informed decision about which school to attend?

Mik