Don Barry, president of UL, frames the debate well from both an educationalist (Newman) and market point of view - story here, some extracts below:
"Undergraduate curricula at the leading US universities today are based on the twin notions of distribution and concentration, a compromise between the theories of the European pioneers in university education, John Henry Newman and Wilhelm von Humboldt. Distribution, favoured by Newman, demands that the curriculum should ensure a broad education for the student. Concentration, proposed by Von Humboldt, demands that the curriculum should encourage the study of one particular subject in depth.
Yale University epitomises this (the Newman) system and is consistently rated among the top five universities in the US. I know it well from my time there as a PhD student, faculty-member and visiting professor. As stated in its prospectus, Yale "does not primarily train students in the particulars of a given career" but, instead, "its main goal is to instil in students the development of skills that they can bring to bear in whatever work they eventually choose".
...this year, CAO students could sign up for such career-focused and narrowly-defined programmes as early childhood studies, genetics and cell biology, theoretical physics, forestry, business information systems, finance and venture management, and computer aided engineering and design. These titles reflect specialisation very early in a student's life. Indeed the content of these programmes requires a move towards specialisation at a very early rung on the ladder of educational attainment. Students should not be compelled to make life-determining choices based on narrow, vocational goals at 17 or 18 years of age (Ed - surely this would contribute to the likelihood of mismatch?).
Employers I meet praise Irish graduates as excellent employees. But, they often consider undergraduate curricula too narrow and overly focused on intensive training in technical skills that soon become obsolete. They feel universities fail to cultivate creativity, an ability to think "outside the box", effective communication skills or a commitment to lifelong learning. In many ways employers seem closer to Newman than the universities!"
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