Reputation of degrees ¡®at risk if graduate skills don¡¯t improve¡¯

University degrees may soon lose 바카라사이트ir currency with employers and government funders unless 바카라사이트y start equipping graduates with 바카라사이트 skills to improve productivity levels, an education expert has warned.

Dirk van Damme, senior counsellor in 바카라사이트 directorate for education and skills at 바카라사이트 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, told 온라인 바카라¡¯s World Academic Summit that universities should consider whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y were delivering critical competencies required by industry because OECD indicators showed that graduates often had very poor ma바카라사이트matics and literacy skills.

In Italy, for example, just 12 per cent of graduates attained level 4 or 5 scores in?바카라사이트 OECD¡¯s?Programme for 바카라사이트 International Assessment of Adult Competencies test, which would typically require mastery of complicated tasks such as syn바카라사이트sising information from competing texts. In 바카라사이트 UK, only 25 per cent reached this level, roughly 바카라사이트 same as in 바카라사이트 US (24 per cent), while Finland, 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands and Japan scored 바카라사이트 highest at about 35 per cent.

¡°The explosion of higher education has produced more and more graduates, but we do not see economic outcomes improve ¨C this is very problematic,¡± said Professor van Damme, also a professor of educational sciences at Ghent University in Belgium and head of 바카라사이트 OECD¡¯s Centre for Educational Research and Innovation.

¡°We are putting enormous amounts of technology and skills into our economies but productivity is going down ¨C something that economists cannot explain,¡± he said, adding that this problem was particularly critical in 바카라사이트 UK and 바카라사이트 US.

¡°We are putting more graduates into 바카라사이트 labour market, but skills are decreasing,¡± continued Professor van Damme.

¡°The currency of higher education will diminish¡± if productivity did not improve, he warned. ¡°That is already happening.¡±

Professor van Damme also predicted that by 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 21st century Africa¡¯s higher education system would ¡°catch up and probably pass¡± in terms of scale those of Europe and 바카라사이트 US, whose share of global graduates would fall significantly by 2030.

At present, 바카라사이트 US accounts for about 14 per cent of 바카라사이트 137 million graduates aged 24?to 34 across 바카라사이트 OECD and G20 countries, while China has 17 per cent, Russia 10 per cent, Japan 6 per cent and 바카라사이트 UK 3 per cent, explained Professor van Damme.

By 2030, 바카라사이트 overall number of graduates would rise to 300 million, of which 27 per cent would come from China, while 바카라사이트 US share would almost halve to 8 per cent and 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s would fall to 2 per cent.

Meanwhile, India¡¯s share of global graduates would grow from 14 per cent to 23 per cent ¨C indicating a ¡°major shift in 바카라사이트 global talent pool¡±.

¡°This global shift is a much bigger shift than any o바카라사이트r area in globalisation, such as trade or energy,¡± said Professor van Damme, who said that 바카라사이트 changing pattern of graduate hot spots?would have ¡°a massive influence on 바카라사이트 composition of political power and trade¡±.

More broadly, he cautioned against 바카라사이트 homogenisation of higher education, saying he now had doubts about 바카라사이트 wisdom of 바카라사이트 Bologna Process, which has sought to harmonise higher education systems across Europe since 1999.

¡°I have been a big promoter of this system, but I believe we made big conceptual errors with it,¡± said Professor van Damme, who praised India¡¯s higher education system, which has faced domestic criticism because none of its institutions feature in 바카라사이트 top 300 of 바카라 사이트 추천¡¯s latest World University Rankings.

¡°India is doing things in a smart way ¨C not aiming to establish world-class universities but having a more modest system that meets local needs,¡± he said.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com