Blogs:

  Michael Bettersworth compared the higher education system in Texas to that of Apollo 13 as a crippled craft being sent to space with no certainty regarding its future.

  Texas is facing a problem which probably no other part of the United States is currently. Today, the education system in Texas is not in a dilemma due to the less numbers of students being enrolled in universities every year. What is bothering the education system heads in this part of United States is the fact that too many students are graduating with too little employment opportunities around.

  According to Bettersworth, there are limited job opportunities in Texas at the moment. What makes matters even worse is that a very high number of students are earning their graduate degree every year. Most of these students are paying a high price to get into universities. With not many jobs around, these students are finding themselves in debt once they are graduated.

  The only beam of light for Texas is the current lot of skilled laborers. Most of these laborers have passes their prime and are approaching retirement. Hence, they would be replaced with young blood very soon. However, this would be sigh of relief only for a few as the number of laborers retiring is far lesser than the number of young graduates waiting to get a job.

  Joe Arnold, the chemical company BASF’s manager of government affairs, says that we need operators and skilled craftsmen as much as we need research scientists, PhD’s and engineers.

  According to John Dorrer, Director, Credentials That Work Program, if Texas has to make its way out of this problem in the near future, the schools would have to take a lot of responsibility. Dorrer added that schools should look to produce graduates according to the current market need and demand. If the market states that a certain profession does not require a lot of manpower at the moment, then it does not make a lot of sense to keep producing graduates meant to work in that profession.
 
  However, convincing the students to opt for a particular degree program is also a task. Most of the students have already made up their mind to go for a certain degree program and changing their decision could be a big challenge.

  Another challenge for the Texas education system is the certain mind blocks that people have developed over the years. Today, Texas is in need of skilled craftsmen who would be an asset in the manufacturing industry. However, not many in Texas want their kids to study manufacturing related craftsmanship and end up working as a laborer, although the job is well paid.

  Just like every other part of our country, Texas is at crossroads. A lot of important decisions have to be taken and education must be given the right impetus and push backed strongly by lucrative job opportunities. The effort we take today will lay the foundation for the growth the future growth of our country.