Liberal education undervalued by prolonged vocational courses

[patslatt]

The best preparation for most careers is an educated mind. The best conventional way to educate the mind is a rigorous degree in liberal arts or sciences,although science tends to be narrow in focus. A liberal arts graduate has the intellectual capacity to keep learning throughout life.This very practical aspect is the best preparation for the several career changes that face most people in the future.Of course,once the liberal education phase is completed,a short highly specialised vocational post graduate degree would be advantageous.

This concept of a liberal education followed by a short specialised ad hoc course tends to be ignored by the proponents of insanely prolonged vocational education programmes that last as long as four years. Some typical examples are the four year EU nursing degree and the four year degree in events management in one Dublin third level institution.

A trainee nurse of my acquaintance thinks the practical work in the hospitals is far more educational than her course work.With rapidly changing medical technology and the passage of time,most of the courses will be redundant or forgotten.

As for events management,the skills required include the use of scheduling and booking software;managerial skills that are common to most management jobs in medium and large companies;public speaking skills for introducing events and speakers; and social skills for greeting people. It would be better to acquire these skills through a variety of business experience in industries like the hospitality trade than to spend four years in extremely narrow technical courses.

[Conor]

Are there four-year courses in events management?!

[Gruffalo]

I agree with the OP. In most cases a broadening of the mind, allowing students to sample many different skills would be more practical. Would also help provide the student with more knowledge to choose their specialisation.

[Factorem]

There's a course in "Ecotourism and Green Event Management" at Sligo Higher Institute of Technology.

Also, I'd like to know more about all this "broadening the mind". If it entails broadening the mind so much that it snaps, then it's not a good thing. I've seen people get lost in "gender studies" departments and after 4 years, they're like something out of One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest in terms of "broadmindedness".

[odie1kanobe]

Arts degree.....................exercise in futility while not preparing people for real life.

[Factorem]

Arts degree.....................exercise in futility while not preparing people for real life.

In fairness, there's a lot to be said for a good arts degree.

[Christine Murray]

There indeed seems to be an emphasis on VEC but I would take a chance and say that it is also at the cost of work-forming skills such as adequate apprenticeships in crafts also.

Lots of people do not necessarily want or desire a prolonged post-grad type four year programme but might actually want to get into the workforce with skills based training. There appears to be a void in training early leavers in trade based skills and the old courses had direct enough links to ready employment. This is worrisome in terms of getting skilled technicians into the workforce.

but agreed that a degree in liberal arts and sciences is definitely the way to go to develop the mind to the required level especially in independent research
methodologies etcetera.

why would anyone want four years learning to manage an event when there was a big rising in Moldova organised on twitter

[DeathKnell]

The best preparation for most careers is an educated mind. The best conventional way to educate the mind is a rigorous degree in liberal arts or sciences,although science tends to be narrow in focus. A liberal arts graduate has the intellectual capacity to keep learning throughout life.This very practical aspect is the best preparation for the several career changes that face most people in the future.Of course,once the liberal education phase is completed,a short highly specialised post graduate degree would be advantageous.

This concept of a liberal education followed by a short specialised ad hoc course tends to be ignored by the proponents of insanely prolonged vocational education programmes that last as long as four years. Some typical examples are the four year EU nursing degree and the four year degree in events management in one Dublin postgraduate institution.

A trainee nurse of my acquaintance thinks the practical work in the hospitals is far more educational than her course work.With rapidly changing medical technology and the passage of time,most of the courses will be redundant or forgotten.

As for events management,the skills required include the use of scheduling and booking software;managerial skills that are common to most management jobs in medium and large companies;public speaking skills for introducing events and speakers; and social skills for greeting people. It would be better to acquire these skills through a variety of business experience in industries like the hospitality trade than to spend four years in extremely narrow technical courses.

I can safely say that I had no useable engineering skills after my 4 year degree.. Admittedly, I was a less than consciencious student.

I learned on the job as those nurses said. And I started out as a glorified mechanic installing machines.. That prepared me for all the day to day issues of a manufacturing industry and planning and troubleshooting and using alternative ideas and etc.. etc..

[patslatt]

There's a course in "Ecotourism and Green Event Management" at Sligo Higher Institute of Technology.

Also, I'd like to know more about all this "broadening the mind". If it entails broadening the mind so much that it snaps, then it's not a good thing. I've seen people get lost in "gender studies" departments and after 4 years, they're like something out of One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest in terms of "broadmindedness".

Gender studies are not a traditional liberal arts education and seems to me to be excessively narrow in perspective.

[patslatt]

Arts degree.....................exercise in futility while not preparing people for real life.

Writing essays,reading books,intellectual discussion in classrooms, pubs and cafes are not exercises in futility but good intellectual stimulus.