Assignment - Essay Example

Jianxiong Sun (Jacob) wr 121 Summer June 2nd, Education of Collegein US The practicality of courses taught in colleges and universities among other institutions of learning is essential in enhancing the productivity of the graduates. In most cases, the curricular in schools should always embody the demands emanating from the labor market. This way, the supply meets the demand thus resulting in seamless transitions for the graduates who become productive members of the society. Professional training in schools should always enhance the productivity of the graduates by promoting practical courses. The three articles, The case for working with your hands by Crawford Mathew, New college grads losing ground on wages by Shierholz Heidi and What is a liberal arts education good for? By Roth Michael discuss the importance of the relationship between the courses taught in colleges and high school among other academic institutions. The close relationship of the two ensures the success in the careers of the graduates thus enhancing the economic development of a country as portrayed in the analysis of the three articles below. In “New college graduates losing ground on wages,” Heidi Shierholz argues that the cost of human resources is deteriorating because of inflation. “Since 2000, America’s young college graduates have seen wages, adjusted for inflation, deteriorate” (Shierholz 1). The article investigates the nature of the contradiction, its impact and possible means of eradication in order to salvage the thousands of graduates leaving colleges annually. As portrayed above, the relevance of the courses contribute to the resourcefulness of human resource in the industry. As such, colleges should integrate their curricula with the prevailing technologies in the industry in order to equip the students with appropriate technical skills thus making the relevant in the job market. Apparently, most colleges offer intense theoretical curricula that lack the practicality required in the job market. This results in the production of graduates with brilliant ideas but lacking the practical means of measuring their ideas thus an immense mismatch in qualities. Additionally, the technologies used in the job market are dynamic and therefore requires constant updating, a feature that is often not the case in most colleges a feature that results in the mismatch of the qualities. The author therefore argues that college graduates continue to lose ground on wages owing to their inappropriateness in their respective industries. Wages often arise from the usefulness of an employee in a company, the mismatch in the proficiency of the graduates thus deny them the bargaining power. This way, most graduates often work for less. In “What is a liberal arts education good for?” Michael Roth argues that a liberal arts education enhances the productivity of the students because it perfects their talents. “A successful liberal arts education develops the capacity for innovation and for judgment” (Roth 1). Each student has a talent that requires effective nurturing in order to enhance the productivity of the learners. Liberal arts education therefore is a type of education that strives to develop the innate talents of the learner thus resulting in diversity graduates who exhibit the versatility required to foster the economic growth of a country. The author of the article discusses the importance of liberal arts education explaining that the education begins with the identification of the talents of the learners. Such is an extensive process that requires every earner to have adequate space to identify his or her respective innate abilities. Effective arts education results in the development of productive individuals who do not only rely on the theoretical curriculums but can also rely on their talents to earn a living. Sports and music among other art-based courses continue to foster the economic growth of numerous countries; the author uses such examples to portray the importance of effective and liberal arts education in schools among other institutions of learning. However, while the author points out the importance of liberal arts education, he constantly points out that the education should have a liberal structure. This implies that the educators should provide the learners with the liberty to discover their talents thus nurture them progressively. This way, the process becomes beneficial to both the learners and the educators. In The case for working with your hands, Mathew Crawford argues that practical education is important because it equips people with skills essential for survival. “More fundamentally, now as ever, somebody has to actually do things; fix our cars, unclog our toilets build our houses” ( Crawford 1). Learners in the contemporary society require diverse mechanical and technical skills since such help in solving the daily challenges thus making life easier. Fixing cars, unclogging drainages, fixing bulbs and even cooking are some of the practical examples the author gives in proving the need for extensive practical courses and unparalleled involvement in the society. The author argues that learning is a progressive process that exceeds the classroom context. The article explains that social involvement coupled with technical trainings is effective ways of learning some of the basic skills that make life easier. Such activities as fixing a car may require technical training. However, people learn such through observation and developing immense interests. The article thus encourages extensive involvement of people in such activities in order to acquire the vital skills. Additionally, the article encourages academic institutions to incorporate such practical curses by providing students with varied responsibilities thus prompting them to use their hand in solving certain real life problems. The acquisition of such skills as the ability to fix cars, driving and the courage to take similar practical responsibilities contribute to the appropriateness of an employee thus contributing to the success of graduates in their respective careers. In a conclusion, the three articles underscore the importance of education in equipping people with essential skills that enhance gratifying lifestyles. Practical courses are essential in enhancing the productivity of graduates. Developing practical individuals is an extensive process that requires the contributions of both the educators and the learners. While the learners should exhibit the positivity and interest necessary for the learners to learn, the educators must encourage the learners and provide them with the necessarily persuasions to encourage them to identify and develop their talents. As such, colleges and schools among other academic institutions must ensure that they develop holistic individuals by equipping them with the appropriate practical skills. Works cited Crawford, Mathew. “The case for working with your hands” New York Times Magazine. New York Times Magazine, 24 May 2009. Web, 01 July 1, 2014. Roth, Michael. “What is a liberal arts education good for?” Huffington post. TheHuffington.com 1 Dec 2008. Web. 01 July 1, 2014. Shierholz, Heidi. “New college grads losing ground on wages.” Economic policy institute. Economic policy institute, 31 Aug. 2011 Web. 01 July 1, 2014. Read More