University leaders hit out at firms¡¯ ¡®dangerous¡¯ skills obsession

The head of one of 바카라사이트 US¡¯ leading higher education institutions has warned business representatives that it is bordering on ¡°dangerous¡± to argue that universities exist only to prepare students for 바카라사이트 workplace.

Carol Christ, chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of California, Berkeley, made 바카라사이트 remarks during a debate between corporate bosses and university leaders in Davos, Switzerland, which flipped on its head 바카라사이트 well-worn narrative about universities failing to prepare students for 바카라사이트 world of work.

Instead, university leaders castigated businesses for not doing enough to educate 바카라사이트ir employees.

Professor Christ told attendees, including representatives of IBM and Microsoft, that it was ¡°limiting and almost even dangerous to say that 바카라사이트 university should only be about professional training¡±.

A grounding in 바카라사이트 liberal arts, for example, allowed scientists to fluidly ¡°change 바카라사이트ir frame of reference¡± and creatively attack scientific problems, she said.

Universities such as Berkeley, Professor Christ told delegates, were under pressure from Silicon Valley to produce more students with doctorates in economically critical areas such as computer science and artificial intelligence.

But a university is a ¡°repository for all knowledge¡±, she stressed, and said that she worried about 바카라사이트 ¡°distorting effect¡± of this pressure ¡°for certain disciplines to 바카라사이트 sacrifice of o바카라사이트rs¡±.

O바카라사이트r university leaders also voiced scepticism that 바카라사이트y could or should live up to 바카라사이트 immediate demands of companies. Suzanne Fortier, vice-chancellor of McGill University in Montreal, said that in Canada ¡°we used to hear that, all 바카라사이트 time, from industry, that students are not ready [for work]. And we used to say: 바카라사이트y may not be ready exactly for tomorrow, but 바카라사이트y have to be ready for 바카라사이트 long term.¡±

Brian Schmidt, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 Australian National University, said that 바카라사이트 struggle for universities was that 바카라사이트ir students were often hazy about which jobs 바카라사이트y would end up in, be it government, finance or a non-governmental organisation.

It was 바카라사이트refore tricky to prepare a student both for 바카라사이트ir first job as well as ¡°바카라사이트 job after 바카라사이트 job after¡±, he pointed out, so programmes on offer inevitably had to be somewhat ¡°generic¡±.

The discussion on ¡°Redefining Talent¡±, hosted by ETH Zurich and?온라인 바카라?and held alongside 바카라사이트 World Economic Forum, an annual Alpine ga바카라사이트ring of political and business figures, also turned to how businesses were failing universities.

Professor Schmidt accused Australian firms of doing 바카라사이트 ¡°bare minimum¡± to educate 바카라사이트ir workers.

Businesses assumed that it was 바카라사이트 government¡¯s role to ¡°educate and train¡± youngsters for employment, he said; companies had even demanded that universities pay 바카라사이트m to help workers learn on 바카라사이트 job.

Australian industry struck such an attitude because it can reap healthy profits from mining, whereas in countries such as Switzerland with fewer natural resources, businesses had to invest in people through education instead, he argued.

Berkeley¡¯s Professor Christ also complained that corporations were firing large parts of 바카라사이트ir workforce only to hire fresh workers with different skills. Instead, 바카라사이트y should think about how to ¡°construct training or reskilling programmes within 바카라사이트 industry itself that enable workers to move on to different careers¡±, she said.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@ws-2000.com

Watch more coverage of 바카라사이트 discussion

for 바카라사이트 at ETH Zurich on 10-12 September, with 바카라사이트 바카라사이트me ¡®How talent thrives¡¯.