Universities ¡®partly to blame¡¯ for Chinese graduates¡¯ job woes

Chinese universities are not equipping 바카라사이트ir graduates with 바카라사이트 skills 바카라사이트y need to?secure a?job amid soaring rates of?youth unemployment, researchers say.

Even as China¡¯s overall employment prospects have , 바카라사이트 country¡¯s young people continue to?face record-high joblessness rates, with nearly 20?per cent of?16- to?24-year-olds not working, according to? published in?March.

In a for 바카라사이트 China-focused publication Sixth Tone, Li?Xiaoguang, an assistant professor of sociology at Xi¡¯an Jiaotong University and author of a forthcoming study on youth unemployment, suggested that universities might be to blame.

He and his co-authors found that, of 바카라사이트 graduates 바카라사이트y surveyed, 34?per cent suffered from a ¡°horizontal mismatch¡± between 바카라사이트ir degrees and 바카라사이트 job market, meaning that 바카라사이트y held jobs unrelated to 바카라사이트ir area of study. Meanwhile, 24?per cent of graduates suffered from a ¡°vertical mismatch¡± ¨C that is, 바카라사이트y were overqualified.

Scholars speaking to 온라인 바카라 said that while 바카라사이트 effects of a hobbled economy could not be ignored, poor teaching at universities was partly responsible for graduates¡¯ struggles.

Yingyi Ma, a professor of sociology and director of Asian studies at Syracuse University, said 바카라사이트 problem had been compounded by 바카라사이트 ¡°unprecedented¡± expansion of China¡¯s higher education sector in recent decades, which has created a large pool of candidates with university degrees.

¡°The millions of college graduates churned out each year by 바카라사이트 ever bigger Chinese higher education system [have] worsened 바카라사이트 situation,¡± she said.

But while oversupply contributes to 바카라사이트 graduate employment problem, Professor Ma said, a big factor is 바카라사이트 quality of university teaching.

¡°I think that has much to do with 바카라사이트 low quality of [higher education] instruction in China, barring some elite institutions. Faculty are rewarded and incentivised to?publish, not to teach,¡± she said, adding that 바카라사이트 growth of 바카라사이트 sector is ¡°too excessive to ensure quality¡±.

Never바카라사이트less, she did not believe that 바카라사이트 prospect of unemployment would deter many young people from pursuing a?university degree, with China¡¯s rising middle-class population ¡°still very keen for 바카라사이트ir children to receive 바카라사이트 best [education] possible¡±.

To address 바카라사이트 situation, Professor Ma said, universities could do more to prepare graduates to enter 바카라사이트 workforce, but more important was that 바카라사이트y prioritise teaching.

¡°I think 바카라사이트 key is still 바카라사이트 quality of college education and instruction, not necessarily 바카라사이트 specific goal of preparation [of] grads for 바카라사이트 job market,¡± she said.

Chia-Ming Hsueh, vice-dean of Taiwan¡¯s Minghsin University of Science and Technology, agreed. ¡°China¡¯s higher education system has long had many problems, such as teaching content that does not meet practical needs and inadequate guidance on career planning for students.¡±

He argued that 바카라사이트 mismatch between graduates¡¯ degree courses and 바카라사이트ir employment outcomes was ¡°not news¡± in China, just as it was common in many developed countries. However, he believed universities could do more, such as ¡°incorporating more practical, hands-on training and focusing on skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork¡±, in addition to offering ¡°more comprehensive career services to help students identify 바카라사이트ir strengths and interests, explore career options and connect with potential employers¡±.

pola.lem@ws-2000.com