A conversation in London
For centuries, Science and technology have been an important part of the European economy. Europe has produced many famous researchers and scientists and their universities are among the best in the world. However today things have changed, many of their best scientists, researchers and graduates are leaving for better jobs in the U.S., and the skills shortage is slowing down European economy recovery. Today London is the capital of European technology, but it does not have enough skilled workers to meet the demands. Each year, it has to “import” thousands of Indian workers to fill the needs. When visit technology companies, I see many foreign workers, mostly Indian and Chinese.
My friend Charles explains: “Because our technology workers make much less than their American counterparts so many left to find better jobs in the U.S. It is difficult to compete with Silicon Valley or Boston.” I ask: “How much is the difference?” Charles replies: “On the average, software engineers in the U.K make about 30% less than the U.S. A newly graduate in software engineering will make about $68,000 dollars a year in London but he could make $75,000 in Boston or $82,000 in San Jose. A software analyst with five to seven years of experience will make $90,000 in London but can make $125,000 in San Francisco.” I am surprised: “I did not know that the gap is that big.” Charles continues: “Today a software engineer in Indian make about $10,000 a year but he could make $60,000 in London and $80,000 in the U.S. that is why competition for skilled workers is fierce. Everything is driven by supply and demand. European companies do not have the money that U.S companies have. It is impossible to compete with Apple or Google.”
I ask: “If there is high demand for technology workers why cannot your schools produce more?” Charles shakes his head: “Today young people do not want to work hard. Many are lazy but many schools still “pass” these students to the next level; even they fail to achieve the minimum standards. Many students leave high school without appropriated skills in science and mathematics, which are the basic level required for jobs or further education in university. Because it is difficult to get into top universities to get good education, most would go to any university that accepts them where they do not have to study hard. Eventually when graduate, they find that their skills are not good enough to get jobs so they become unemployed. Today most good jobs are technology jobs that require special skills but many college graduates are not prepared for these jobs. We all know that nothing can be more essential for a country's prosperity than the quality of its education system. However, our state education system has failed to update the trainings to the current needs. For years, companies have complained that many college graduates do not have the skills that they need but most schools ignored it. The lack of skills among college graduates is getting worst in Europe in recent years.”
Charles continues: “This problem has critical consequences for our economic recovery. Today the European Union is facing high unemployment rates but at the same time, there are over two million job openings throughout the European Union without qualified applicants. Our technology companies can generate many good jobs but we do not have enough skilled workers to fill them. Our governments are working hard to retrain the unemployed graduates for technology-related jobs. They encourage more students to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) instead of drama, music, photography, clothing design, interior decorating, and social sciences that are very popular among young people now.”
I ask: “But are business administration and finance still popular among European students? Charles answers: “It is popular but unless they graduate from top universities like the London school of business, Oxford or Cambridge, they will have difficulty to find job. Few years ago, MBA is “Hot” and many students have pursued this degree but the 2008 financial crisis has put over hundred thousands of business people out of work. As the economy is recovered, newly graduates cannot compete for jobs with some experienced people who have been unemployed since 2009. It may take another five to ten years before the job market can stabilize and demand and supply is balanced but at this time, there is no hope for business students.”
We drive pass Shoreditch which is known as “The Silicon Roundabout” of London due to the large number of technology companies operating there. Charles points to several large buildings: “In the past few years, we had many successful start-ups there. Our government has spent billions of dollars supporting them but we still could not develop companies like Apple, Facebook or Google. Some of the successful ones were acquired by U.S and German companies. The remaining companies are now filled with foreign workers, most from India. We accepted 40,000 workers last year but it is still not enough to meet our demand. The skills shortage has prevented many companies to grow and expand globally. Part of the problem is our university trainings have failed to educate students properly despite our government spent a lot of money to improve it. As an educator, we are desperate, what do you think we could do?
I suggest: “I think the future of education will be online learning both locally and globally. If the school system cannot change fast, it will be eliminated. If an university cannot produce skilled graduates, students will not enrolling there. Eventually the process of elimination will take place and a disruption in education will happen and spreading all over the world. In the near future, schools will no longer belong to any country but will be global with students come from all over the world. Some of these things are already happened with massive open online courses (MOOCs). Why would governments keep spending a lot of money on archaic education systems that could not change? There is an alternative solutions such as MOOCs and other new learning methods. Since most MOOC courses are taught in English, your students will not have any problem learning from them. All they need is the motivation to learn and develop the needed skills. I believe within few years, most schools will only need to have fast internet connection where students can access to these free online education. Students will learn from the best professors then participate in class discussions lead by local teachers. Today the majority of students (80%) of MOOCs are from India since they know English well. They understand that by having the latest technology skills, they will have many opportunities to work oversea and have better future for them and their family. In the near future, classrooms will also change because technology will be integrated into every part of the school system where students can access any materials, any class, at anytime and anywhere. In fact, teachers, students, school administrators and staff will all be connected to a global education system where students will have access to class materials, lectures, exams, and grades, comments as they can work via their laptop, smartphone or tablet.”
Charles seems interested: “But what will happen to the teachers?” I reply: “Of course, the role of the teacher will change since there will be fewer teachers needed. In the near future, all course materials will be available on the Internet but some local teachers will still be needed to lead class discussions and answer questions. That means teaching method will have to change from passive teaching into active learning. I think everything will be done on the cloud such as Google Apps or Google Doc. Students will get an opportunity to collaborate with others to develop skills that will help them to build a career. They could be learning in classroom in their own country or could be collaborate with others in different countries. In the near future, communication and collaboration are the essential skills for every student as we are approaching the global economy with global companies and global work environments. Some countries have already adopted this new approach, but it will take time for others to be ready for this future of education.”
Charles seems excited: “I know about MOOCs but did not realize that it is more than online courses. It is a new approach to global education that we did not fully understand. But what do you think will happen next?” I explain: “There are many debates among governments about the standard of this global education. What they disagree is when schools adopt this new approach, they must be evaluated based on a global standard. By having this standard, students know if they are successful or not and what improvements are needed. Teachers will also need additional training about the new active learning method. This new approach will fail without rigorous training for both teachers and students. At this time, many governments have not recognized this new approach and it faces a strong resistant from many educators as they are afraid of losing their job. Today MOOCs is an open learning approach for anyone who wants to study on their own. It allows individual to choose whatever they want to learn and when they want to learn. As far as I know, only Indian and Chinese students who understand this opportunity and take advantage of this online training. However, online learning is much more than just teaching and learning from the Internet. Online learning will encourage independent learning, as students must take ownership of their own learning. Teachers can put course materials for students online for students to use. These could be videos, documents, audio or podcasts. All of these resources can be accessed via students' computer, smartphone or tablet. As long as they have internet connection than they can take the class but they must be motivated to learn, not just to pass tests and get degree. Today there is a massive amount of materials available online that students can find themselves if they want to develop new skills and get good jobs. The future is in their own learning and they should decide whether they want to develop the latest skills and get a good job or stay unemployed and be disappointed for the rest of their lives. It is about the choice that every individual can make.”
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
