The media has reported on the shortcomings of young academics entering the workplace and on proposals that would give students a better understanding of real-life issues in Harvard University's curriculums.
The reports had two things in common. One was the hope that university students could be closer to the real world; the other that their education give them an appreciation of work ethics.
A few years ago, the general manager of Hewlett-Packard said that what industry wants when it hires employees is based on attitude and not professional knowledge.
In my opinion, university education needs major revisions.
The principal things that career education teaches students are work attitude, ethics, work etiquette and adjustment skills in the work environment. Most of the career courses that universities offer belong to mandatory subjects. Most university students study until they have their 128 credits and then graduate.
But career courses constitute only four to six credits at most. Other students only attend a series of lectures on finding work organized by counseling centers and the National Youth Commission. Because of this, the quality of career education at vocational colleges is much lower than that for education in professional knowledge subjects.
I appeal to educational management offices and vocational colleges to carefully review career education and propose the following:
First, on course planning: The general eduction curriculum needs to be re-evaluated. Apart from fixed general education subjects, career education should be improved and we should not be rigid about credits.
Second, on teachers of career courses: Schools should invite leaders and high-level managers from the professional world. These people could talk about the various demands that will be made of students in the workplace based on their experience. This way, students can become more familiar with the work environment while in school.
Third, on arranging courses: Career courses should be spread across different years so that during four years in university, students can hear what they need to know about working before they enter the workplace. This can be complemented by excursions and internships so that students can obtain experience.
Fourth, vocational schools should encourage "work etiquette" campaigns.
Fifth, schools should implement "service studies," or "labor education" as it used to be called. The traditional content of this subject involves students cleaning the campus. The purpose of such activities is that students can develop a work attitude.
Huang Wan-tran is a professor and academic vice president at the Chung Chou Institute of Technology.
Translated by Anna Stiggelbout
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