Rethinking Higher Education: Effectiveness of Four-Year Degree Programs in Pre-Trained Workforce Development

In an era of science and rapid technological advancement and evolving industries, the traditional path of pursuing a four-year college degree is undergoing scrutiny. This comprehensive exploration delves into the effectiveness of conventional four-year degree programs in preparing individuals for the contemporary job market, with a particular focus on sectors like manufacturing and economic development.

Higher Education: Manufacturing Sectors and Economic Development

Four Years Degree Course: Take a deep dive into the challenges faced by manufacturing sectors, where experienced pre-trained workers are in short supply.

University Education and Workforce Readiness

Learning by doing is a concept in growth and economic theory by which productivity is achieved through practice, self-perfection and minor innovations. Technology is the subject of learning by doing which plays a vital role in the evolution of countries to acquire greater specialisation in production. In these both cases, learning by doing and increasing returns in production provide an efficient economic engine for long run growth and sustainability.

As this debate gains momentum, it prompts critical questions about the role of higher education in today's workforce. Should universities and colleges adapt their curricula to better align with the changing needs of industries? Is there a need for a more flexible approach to education, emphasizing practical skills, internships and real-world experiences?

This comprehensive exploration invites readers to reflect on the evolving dynamics between education and workforce readiness. It emphasizes the importance of collaboration between educational institutions, policymakers and industry leaders to find innovative solutions that bridge the gap between traditional education and the demands of modern job market.

Higher Education

The role of higher education is multifaceted and pivotal in shaping individuals, fostering critical thinking and contributing to societal progress.

Beyond the acquisition of knowledge, higher education institutions serve as the crucibles of personal growth and development, nurturing skills such as problem-solving, communication and teamwork. They are essential in preparing students for diverse career paths, but recent discussions suggest that the role of higher education is evolving.

As industries transform and technological advancements redefine job requirements, there is a growing need to reassess the alignment between education and workforce readiness.

Higher education must adapt by offering programs that incorporate practical skills, experiential learning, and industry-specific training to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and real-world applicability. Furthermore, it plays a crucial role in fostering innovation, research, and the dissemination of new ideas, driving the economic growth and societal advancements in a country.

In this ever-changing landscape, higher education institutions must continue to evolve to meet the dynamic needs of students, industries and society at large.

Skills vs Degrees

The debate between skills and degrees is focused on the question of whether a traditional college degree remains the definitive path to success in the modern world. While degrees undoubtedly offer a well-rounded education, they may not always align perfectly with the specific skill sets demanded by diverse industries today.

The evolving job market places increasing value on practical skills, vocational training and hands-on experience. A growing number of employers are emphasizing competency-based hiring, seeking candidates who can immediately contribute to the workplace with relevant skills.

However, it's essential to recognize that the skills vs degrees debate isn't necessarily an "either-or" scenario. The ideal approach of knowledge transfer often combines a strong educational foundation with practical skills development.

In essence, it's about striking a balance between academic knowledge and real-world applicability, ensuring that college individuals are not only well-educated but also well-prepared, pre-trained to meet the dynamic challenges of today's workforce.

Four Years Degree Course: Manufacturing and Economic Development

Four years degree course is not effective to provide productive experienced workforce in manufacturing and economic development.

The chief executives of major companies said at White House Workforce Advisory Forum, “They are hiring more American workforce without college degrees as they search to find increasingly scarce applicants for open jobs.” Manufacturing sectors are facing the lack of experienced workforce. The government is spending a lot of money on the colleges of learning transfer and high performing classrooms. It’s amazing that university education is not providing proper working hands in the manufacturing and economic development of a country.

The Lockheed Company has boosted workforce training in manufacturing sectors for quality production. Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson said, “There are 14,000 people hired last year by Lockheed, half of them do not have a four-year degree.” In Lockheed company, 6,500 people were working previously in manufacturing who had not completed four years’ degree course. It proves that education system is failing to define proper skilled workforce in manufacture and growth.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said nearly 50 percent of the people the company hired in the United States last year did not have a four-year degree. “We never thought that the college degree was the thing that you had to have to do well,” Cook said, adding that “Our founder was a college dropout,” an apparent reference to Steve Jobs.

Tim Cook runs the most successful Apple company using advanced technology and highly skilled workforce. He said, “We believe strongly that it should be a requirement in the United States for every student to have coding classes before they graduate from K-12 and become somewhat proficient in writing codes and designing new smart software.”

Tim Cook used his time at the meeting to tout the importance of learning how to code software and Apple’s efforts to help train students and other people on how to perform writing codes comfortably in regular basis for the earning and living.

IBM Chief Executive Ginni Rometty said, “We have a chance to employ so many more people – and not always with a college degree, a less than a four-year degree will get a very good paying job in the new economy.”

At a meeting of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board at the White House, the chief executives of highly successful companies were discussing the importance of science and technology in education system and knowledge transfer strategies.

Learnography: Three Main Tiers of Knowledge Transfer

Traditional Education: Period teaching system can not develop student’s brainpage modules for learning transfer. Teacher to students verbal knowledge transfer is not effective in the development of brainpage modules.

There are three main tiers of school learnography based on the neurological studies of brain learning circuits such as motor learnography, basal learnography and cerebellar learnography.

In fact, learnography is the brainpage theory of knowledge transfer which conducts book to brain learning transfer in the classroom.

Primary school system deals with the development of the motor cortex of human brain known as motor learnography. Secondary school system is designed to develop the proficiency of object language in the basal ganglia regions of brain known as basal learnography.

High level learning transfer occurs in university knowledge transfer system known as cerebellar learnography. Students make brainpage in the learning process of classroom, instead of listening to teaching performance.

Taxshila Span (545): Levels of Knowledge Transfer

Period teaching system is not effective in the process of knowledge transfer. Change the school system of knowledge transfer to provide the productive workforce in manufacturing and economic growth.

Taxshila Span (545) describes the school learnography of 15 years for complete knowledge transfer. Primary learnography takes five years of the academic span, and the period of four years is given to the secondary learnography of knowledge transfer.

The graduation of university learnography is completed in five years’ time span, such as three years’ bachelor degree and two years’ master degree. One year is arranged for the apprenticeship of workforce skill development considered as the third year of master’s degree.

The proficiency of knowledge transfer must be achieved in four years during the secondary learnography of school system. There are five subjects in which students will have to make the smart brainpage of learning proficiency. These subjects are mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and computer science. All the students will be produced as science graduates in the proficiency level of learnography.

It’s true that the learning proficiency of classroom can be converted into the working proficiency of graduates at the workplace. Secondary learnography is considered as the proficiency level of knowledge transfer, and the brainpage of motor knowledge generates proficiency in the finger mapping of working hands.

Working Mechanism of Human Brain

The motor areas of brain regions are well-developed in productive workforce. Professional skill also requires the working practice of motor circuits.

In fact, motor science deals with the knowledge and studies of motor circuits, and the working mechanism of human brain is mainly based on the projections and functions of motor cortex in general, basal ganglia and cerebellum.

Human brain is unique and well-developed in the application and modulation of motor knowledge like brachial plexus and finger mapping.

The sensory areas of cerebral cortex are well-developed in talking brain, but motor areas are less developed. Good growth in both sensory and motor areas are found in working brain. The brainpage theory of learnography is focused on the development of working brain.

Author: Shiva Narayan

Manufacturing and economic development are intricately linked, forming the backbone of a nation's growth, prosperity and global competitiveness.

Manufacturing industries contribute significantly to the GDP of a country, and also generate employment opportunities and stimulate innovation. They serve as a catalyst for economic growth by creating value-added products, fostering technological advancements, and building a skilled workforce.

Robust manufacturing sectors can lead to increased exports, reduced trade deficits, and improved overall economic stability. Moreover, manufacturing can have a ripple effect on related industries, such as logistics, transportation and supply chain management, further amplifying its impact on economic development.

However, the landscape of manufacturing is evolving rapidly due to automation, globalization and changing consumer demands, necessitating ongoing adaptation and innovation to ensure sustainable economic development.

In today's interconnected world, countries that invest in advanced manufacturing technologies, workforce development, and research and development are better positioned to drive economic growth and remain competitive on the global stage.

The debate over the effectiveness of four-year degrees in workforce development continues to evolve. The insights from CEOs of major companies underscore shifting dynamics in the job market, and the importance of practical skills in addition to traditional degrees.

As we navigate this changing landscape, it is crucial for educational institutions, policymakers and industry leaders to collaborate and find innovative solutions to bridge the gap between education and workforce readiness. Whether through coding classes in schools, apprenticeship programs or more industry-specific education tracks, reevaluating the role of higher education is essential in ensuring a productive and skilled workforce for the future.

Research Resources

• Effectiveness of traditional four-year degree programs in preparing pre-trained skilled workforce
• Top CEOs' perspectives on hiring practices and the changing dynamics of workforce development
• Neuroscience: Differences between talking brain and working brain
• Importance of collaboration between educational institutions, policymakers and industry leaders
• Workforce: Debate between skills and degrees for the job market