Regrettably, the debate about post-secondary education has devolved into just another culture war issue with one camp saying “everyone go to college” and another saying “skip college learn a trade.”
Today, Brent sits down with Ben Wildavsky, a visiting scholar at the University of Virginia’s School of Education and Human Development, who challenges this false dichotomy. In his recent book “The Career Arts,” Wildavsky argues that education, job, and career success require integrating broad-based skills (such as those acquired through a liberal arts and social science education) with more narrow, technical skills (such as those acquired through credential programs). Such integration, Wildavsky contends, supports well-rounded and resilient workers who can more easily adapt to an unpredictable and rapidly changing economy.
Mentioned in this Episode
Strada Education Foundation
College wage premium
Larry Katz
Tony Carnevale
Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce
Project Basta
Climb Higher
Western Governors University
Point Loma Nazarene University
Seth Bodnar, president, University of Montana
Society for Human Research Management
Skills-based hiring