Recently, I had conversations with a number of corporate entities and professionals as well as established business persons with respect to their experiences in hiring staff, and the lamentation frequently expressed was that there was a difficulty identifying suitable candidates to fit certain positions, in addition to the fact that many of those who had been hired turned out to be incompetent and non-productive in the workspace.

Of course, the surprise revelation in all of this was that most if not all of these individuals had degrees from recognised universities and colleges.

Nowadays, the in-thing is to have a degree, and it is no secret that many people set out to acquire a degree or two in order to make themselves more qualified and eligible for the job market, which means better salaries and perks as well as upward mobility.

In Jamaica today there are hundreds more university and college graduates than used to be the case several decades ago. Many young students expend millions of dollars to get a degree only to find that they cannot get the type of job that they aspire towards, and so have to take whatever they can get on the labour market, oftentimes low-paying jobs that put them in a quandary with respect to paying back loans that they had used to finance their educational pursuits.

Not too long ago I advertised for a proofreader in my company and I was amazed to see applicants with master’s degrees applying. Yes, there is a level of desperation out there, which is why some university graduates have turned to criminal pursuits, including scamming, human trafficking, and the illicit drug trade.

In the meantime, Jamaica continues to face a difficulty in terms of productivity, not to mention the need for not just the uneducated but those with degrees who, for all practical purposes, are sometimes unemployable.

The sad truth is that most if not all universities and colleges have become mere profit-making enterprises so that the major emphasis is no longer that of producing creative minds that are equipped to think critically and outside of the box, but more so on churning out as many so-called graduates as possible. Indeed, the “cut and paste” approach by students who rely more on Google rather than on intensive and well-meaning research is the order of the day, and it is no secret that a degree can, in fact, be bought or acquired through certain unconventional means.

According to Wikipedia, “An academic degree is a qualification awarded to students upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions commonly offer degrees at various levels, usually including undergraduate degrees, master’s, and doctorates, often alongside other academic certificates and professional degrees. The most common undergraduate degree is the bachelor’s degree, although in some countries there are lower level higher education qualifications that are also titled degrees (for example associate degrees and foundation degrees).”

This writer is not seeking to downgrade the need for aspiring young people to acquire a degree, but this achievement should not be the be-all and end-all of personal advancement. As one university professor has posited, “People seem to think that the simple act of attending college makes you more innovative and creative. That’s simply not true. Creativity and innovation don’t come from what people teach you: New ideas come from your personal experiences, and your interaction with your environment.” In Jamaica, we call that “studiration”.

Stephane Kasriel, CEO of Upwork, has made the startling revelation in an article entitled ‘New, non-traditional education options’, that: “The future of work won’t be about degrees. More and more it’ll be about skills. And no one school, whether it be Harvard, General Assembly, or Udacity can ever insulate us from the unpredictability of technological progression and disruption.

“As a leader of a technology company and former head of engineering, I’ve hired many programmers during my career. And what matters to me is not whether someone has a computer science degree, but how well they can think and how well they can code. In fact, among the top 20 fastest growing skills on Upwork’s latest Skills Index, none require a degree.” Food for thought.

And the workforce expert ends by saying: “The fastest-growing segment of the workforce — freelancers — have realised more than most that education doesn’t stop. It’s a lifelong process. Diploma or not, it’s a mindset worth embracing.”

Meanwhile, one worrying trend for this writer is the fact that, despite there are more degreed teachers in our school system than ever before, our schools are turning out students who can’t think critically, are in many instances barely literate, and for the most part unskilled. The stark reality is that many of these teachers simply “swot” to get a degree with the hope that they will get a better salary and/or senior post. And in this regard, as one sceptic puts it, “Some of them are as dunce as the students they fail to inspire.” I can never forget an instance when I met this teacher who, when asked what subject she does, her reply, with much pride, was: “I teaches H’English.”

Against this troubling background, serious thought must be given as to how degrees are acquired and is enough being done by our universities to provide this country with the type of graduate that is going to truly contribute to nation-building. Those of who us who grew up in the 50s, 60s and early 70s had few degreed teachers in our classrooms, but we were well taught and have become useful and happy citizens as a result.

Just recently, Glassdoor, an American firm, revealed that many companies no longer require a degree, including tech giants such as Apple, IBM and Google. “Increasingly, there are many companies offering well-paying jobs to those with non-traditional education or a high-school diploma.” Lest we forget, many of the skills for future employment are not being focused on by our Jamaican youngsters who just want to “get a degree”. In this regard, research has shown that very few graduates end up working in a field related to their degree. So what’s the big deal?

As a developing country faced with what is known as the “digital divide”, Government must recalibrate its education objectives so as to ensure that what we end up with in the final analysis is not just a society overwhelmed by degrees, but one that is comparatively rich in marketable and productive skills, a scenario that will truly take us on a path towards attaining economic independence and ultimately a prosperous nation.

Lloyd B Smith has been involved full-time in Jamaica media for the past 45 years. He has also served as a Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He hails from western Jamaica where he is popularly known as the Governor. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or lbsmith4@gmail.com.