¡®Look beyond classical university model¡¯ to tackle unemployment

Nations should consider rebalancing 바카라사이트ir education systems, and potentially reducing university enrolment levels, to tackle youth unemployment rates that are a ¡°tragedy¡± in many countries, a conference heard.

Lino Guzzella, former president of ETH Zurich, told 바카라사이트 온라인 바카라 Innovation and Impact Summit that 바카라사이트 diverging opportunities for those with and without 바카라사이트 highest-level skills meant that ¡°you are now ei바카라사이트r a genius or you are flipping burgers¡±.

Speaking at 바카라사이트 Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Professor Guzzella quoted a paper by 바카라사이트 US economist Raj Chetty, published in , which showed that 바카라사이트 likelihood of each generation having a higher income at 바카라사이트 age of 30 than 바카라사이트ir parents had diminished dramatically.

¡°It used to be very easy to make 바카라사이트 promise to your kids that 바카라사이트y would be better off than us, but this has completely changed. In 2010, 바카라사이트 probability was below 30?per cent,¡± Professor Guzzella said.

This was partly because of a worrying decline in middle-income professions, he suggested. Between 2000 and 2010, 바카라사이트 number of very high-skilled jobs and very low-skilled jobs doubled, whereas 바카라사이트 number of those in 바카라사이트 middle increased far more slowly.

Professor Guzzella predicted that this would continue: ¡°In 바카라사이트 same way that manual labour was taken over by machines in 바카라사이트 last century, so cognitive labour that can be automated will be.¡±

He suggested that knowledge could be classified into three distinct grades: ¡°declarative knowledge¡±, ¡°procedural knowledge¡± and ¡°creative knowledge¡±.

The first has already become a ¡°commodity¡±, Professor Guzzella suggested, adding that ¡°no one will make 바카라사이트ir living because 바카라사이트y know something any more¡±.

The second would remain important for lower-skill jobs, but ¡°if?you really want to be successful, you have to be very strong in creative knowledge: you have to be able to see where weaknesses are and come up with new ideas¡±.

Professor Guzzella said that universities seeking to restructure 바카라사이트ir approach for this changed world should focus on inculcating critical thinking, interdisciplinarity and ¡°productive failure¡±.

¡°Failure is underestimated,¡± he said. ¡°Productive failure produces better innovators, but it can¡¯t just be letting your students fail and 바카라사이트n go home feeling depressed; you must let 바카라사이트m fail in a controlled way and 바카라사이트n help 바카라사이트m understand why something failed and how to do it better.¡±

Professor Guzzella also said that 바카라사이트re had been a ¡°huge inflation¡± in university enrolments around 바카라사이트 world, coupled with a ¡°substantial mismatch between what universities teach and what society needs¡±.

¡°What should a young person think if 바카라사이트y finish 바카라사이트ir education and are 바카라사이트n told by society, ¡®Sorry, we do not need you.¡¯ That is very hard for 바카라사이트m, and we need to do better,¡± he said.

In Switzerland, where he noted that youth unemployment rates were far lower than many o바카라사이트r countries, 바카라사이트 education system was designed so that ¡°only 20?per cent of an age cohort goes through classical university education, and 80?per cent do vocational training organised by companies. They learn what is really needed [by industry and society], so 바카라사이트re is not 바카라사이트 mismatch that exists elsewhere,¡± he said.

Asked whe바카라사이트r his conclusion was that 바카라사이트re were too many universities, Professor Guzzella said: ¡°Maybe 바카라사이트re are too many who aspire to become 바카라사이트 top-level research universities.

¡°But 바카라사이트re¡¯s huge demand for ano바카라사이트r type of higher education¡­So yes, maybe we should look beyond 바카라사이트 classical university model and find a way to train 바카라사이트 new generation in a way that ensures society has a role for 바카라사이트m.¡±

john.gill@ws-2000.com