THE EDUCATION PARADOX
My colleague Megan & I recently went to London on business and while we were there we were invited to LSN Global for a talk on the Just Nots. The Just Nots are a new segment of consumer who are just not making enough money, they’re just not on the property ladder, they’re just not making ends meet. One speaker in particular, Graeme Cook from the Institute for Public Policy Research made a very interesting point about the education paradox.
Those who entered 3rd level education back in 2006 and 2007 were hoping to ride out the recession in college once it hit. They intended to emerge into the world as Masters or Phd’s and walk straight into a high paying job. But here’s the thing, despite all of their qualifications, jobs (which are extremely few and far between), are being taken by those with experience, rather than just education. Unfortunately college can’t teach you experience.
Then, on the other end of the spectrum there’s those who either don’t want or can’t afford to go to college; they can’t get apprenticeships as trades’ people because no one will take them on, and they can’t get jobs anywhere because they have no qualifications.
These Just Nots are quite literally damned if they do and damned if they don’t. In Enda Kenny’s address to the nation last night he said that the Government were creating a 4 year plan to get everything back on its feet; but four years is a long time for over qualified graduates and the unemployed alike to wait for jobs.
The situation highlights the need to always match education with experience. Just as job seekers cannot rely on a degree or previous experience alone, so too much brands use theory and practicality to forge their path forward.