It's been quite a while since I've posted. I've started several times in response to what feels like an avalanche of negativity against education. There has always been those who claim that those with a higher education are "elite" and somehow no longer true Americans. But the war on education has taken on new fervor, as YouTube now has a rash of videos and there are numerous articles on the scam that is higher education (see Questions About Higher Education’s Value Go Viral on YouTube). As the cost of education continues to rise and jobs continue to disappear the value of a degree does seem to be questionable. Yet there are jobs, such as in engineering, that employers just can't fill because job seekers don't have the skills. Perhaps what is needed is less of a dialogue that contains school is bad and worthless, but more of a rework on how we train people for their careers. It may be worth taking a look at the "antiquated" apprenticeship model, using a mixture of liberal arts education with hands-on training in a field. These apprenticeships don't even have to paid, they just get credit for the time without costing the student any money. Student saves money, employers get free labor that are trained in the skills needed. Of course this means businesses will have to take the time and spend the money to develop a training program, they won't see profit right away, but if they want to remain in business they will need to invest in their employees. Seems counter-intuitive when there is unemployment of 9%, but the question we all must ask is what kind of a future do we want for this country.

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