Ted Mitchell, undersecretary for higher education at the U.S. Department of Education, is concerned about the effect skills-driven programs might have on mobility in society.
Hyman came in with an idea to fix the problem—the system needed to focus on teaching skills employers were demanding.
Graduation rates doubled after Hyman put her policy in place. But it put her in the middle of a debate over the very purpose of higher education.
On one side are those who embrace aligning higher education with the needs of employers. The other side argues that such a shift would block countless students from the richer offerings available in traditional liberal arts settings.
Speakers at a conference in New York hosted by The Economist mostly lined up behind the idea of providing workplace skills.
The changes at the City Colleges of Chicago started with a study of what industries were expected to add the most jobs to the region’s economy within a decade. After identifying the seven fastest-growing sectors, each of the system’s seven colleges was assigned one.
Next City Colleges brought in industry representatives and asked them what skills they needed from students.
