Higher Education and Employment: An International Comparative ...

Higher Education and Employmentdevelopment of education, particularly higher education, should take inquantitative terms, so as to meet the future needs for skills and avoidunemployment or underemployment.Estimates of this kind, if properly prepared, can provide such guidance.The quantitative estimates of needs for skills can be checked someyears later against actual values, so as to identify their inaccuracies and forma checklist of missing parameters and variables. They are also useful forforming a strategy for the development of the structure and organization ofthe education system.In the case of higher education the estimates are easier to make,because there is more correspondence here than at the other levels ofeducation between the skills imparted and the skills needed on the job.With regard to the problem of estimating future needs for highly qualifiedmanpower, an analysis of the match between the quantity of trained peopleand the types of training demanded by the economy, thus showing theresponsiveness of the institutions of higher education, becomes particularlyuseful. This analysis of matching brings out the shortcomings of theeducation system, not only quantitatively but also qualitatively. A carefuldiagnosis of these problems should form the basis of any future strategy forthe higher education system and provide a yardstick for achievements inrestructuring the social system through change in the educational system.Furthermore, such a diagnosis illuminates the problems encountered inpursuing the goals of socialization and equality of opportunities in the worldof work. These problems may be seer, in the various education 'paths' ofdifferent population groups, which result in the different working opportunitiesin the labour market.Identifying the factors obstructing socialization and equality of opportunitiesrequires an analysis of the population, showing their perceptions,attitudes and expectations with regard to the education system and thelabour market.An analysis of the problem of the unemployment and under-utilizationof graduates in terms of the training received and the skills needed by thejob can provide useful information for decision-making aimed at improvingthe relationship between higher education and the world of work. Such ananalysis also involves a study of the process of employment and itseffectiveness as perceived by the graduates and the employers.An institutional mechanism for interaction among the students, theirparents, the institutions of higher education, the graduates, the employersand the planners and decision-makers could also assist in improving such arelationship. A better match between the expectations (of the students) andthe admission policies of the institutions of higher education could result inbetter academic performance and better socialization. This could beachieved through the design of more rational selection criteria and a bettercounselling system.Likewise, a better match between the expectations and qualifications10tom,