To what extent should universities function as training grounds for employment?

The response to this question depends on the purpose and role of higher education in society. For instance, many education departments observe higher education as a tool for nurturing and building the reliable workforce that would improve the economy of a country (John Brennan, 2013). Today, universities and colleges are the training grounds for various careers such as doctors, engineers, teachers, and economists among others. However, criticism has emerged from various human resource avenues suggesting the need for restructuring the university structure (Geoffrey Boulton, 2012). According to them, universities and colleges should not only act as the career training grounds but also for employment development. As this paper commences on this issue, we shall find out that many universities have reviewed their academic programs and objectives to help structure employment.

One of the challenges facing many countries was unemployment of young generation despite them having completed their university education (Altbach, 2011). Due to this problem, there was the need for university academic programs review that would equip learners with employment skills and entrepreneurial ideas. Because of these changes, training skills became necessary tools for universities that would ensure proper training for students before completing their university education (Sue Heath, 2011). The uses of technical skills in universities are among the important steps taken to build reliable people that would create jobs instead of looking for job vacancies.

Training skills and entrepreneurial development are the primary tools used by universities today to implement their employment development strategies. However, the final solution to this question has been to restructure the university education platform and to introduce a new layer of academic education that addresses both employment and academic roles. Today, universities are not only academic platforms but also as the training grounds for employment.